From Curiosity to Career: My Journey into Software Development
The journey into software development is often as intricate as the code that drives modern technology. For me, it began with a mysterious curiosity, fueled by the guiding beacon of my grandmother, a computer science professor, and the frustration of inefficient systems that dictated the way products worked. My interest in computer science deepened as I encountered complex requirements and new technologies that often required hacking to meet project demands.
A Path Unseen: My Early Beginnings
After a brief career as a mathematics graduate, I ventured into teaching, a path I soon found to be a misfit. Fueled by a revelation of the salary my friend was earning from his new career as a software developer and the luxury of a Volvo 480, I enrolled in a fully-funded postgraduate software engineering conversion course. Although I didn't attain the car I desired, I acquired the next best thing—a restored classic 60s BSA motorbike. This was the dawn of the "challenge of the chip" era, a period marked by the rapid growth of microelectronics development.
Academic Background and the Early Years
My path to software development began long before my technical career. In my high school days, I pursued a science and music pathway, and my academic spirit led me to study multiple subjects at Aberystwyth University. Initially, I planned to focus on geology, but my passion for computing quickly surpassed my interest in geology. With advice from my tutors, I took a year out to work in computing and returned as a Computer Science undergraduate, eventually earning a 1st Class Honours degree.
Academic Pursuits and Real-World Experiences
Following my undergraduate degree, I pursued a PhD in the field of applying computers to a geophysics problem, never fully straying from the geological sphere. This rigorous academic path solidified my commitment to software development, and I embarked on a career that included roles in games, pharmaceuticals, warehousing, logistics, and, for the past nearly two decades, finance. My core skills in development have consistently been the driving force behind my work in each of these areas. Although I haven't written code every single day, my career has been filled with the challenges and successes that come with solving complex problems.
Motivation and Satisfaction
My motivation for pursuing software development has always been the technical challenges that come with it. The puzzles, problems, and successes have provided me with a constant buzz of achievement. Whether it was the satisfaction of finally getting a credit card form to appear on a web page, or the countless lines of code I've written over the years (an estimate from five to eight years ago suggested that I had written around 5-8 million lines of code for my current employer alone), these experiences fuel my passion for programming.
Conclusion
In the end, my reasons for working in specific companies and doing this work have been more practical: I need to pay my bills. However, the technical challenge and the ability to work with computers every day continue to be the reason I am fulfilled. If you share my curiosity and passion for solving problems through code, consider pursuing a career in software development—it may just change your life as it did for me.