I am not a career counsellor. But sometimes I give career advice. This tends to happen when a young person, who wants to be a programmer, arrives unannounced at the office. (Please don’t do that – call first.)
I’ve had two such drop-ins in the last 10 days. As usual, both of them were young and male. No, I don’t know why they are always male.
My perspective
I provide a different perspective to a trained career counsellor. I like to think it’s a realistic perspective.
I’ve taught beginners to program. I know how they struggle. I understand the "aha" moments when something works. I am married to a man who believes the C language is like poetry.
I’ve spent many hours talking to programmers and their managers. I’ve worked on system implementations in big corporates.
I don’t think programming is guaranteed to be a good career choice. It’s hard for graduates to get a job without experience. There’s a demand for skills, but there are also many retrenchments.
The big question
The first question I ask is why. Why do you want to learn to program? There’s a good reason for this question.
Beginners have unrealistic expections. Learning to program is hard for most people. It takes lots of time and effort. It’s frustrating. Aptitude is very important. So is perseverance. And without the right motivation, people don’t persevere.
I don’t like most of the answers I get to this question. Here are some of them:
- My friends are going to study IT. (So what?)
- I met my friend’s neighbour’s second cousin at a party, and he told me to learn C++. (And I have a bridge to sell you. Why is it always C++?)
- I like playing computer games. (So you like to eat. Do you want to be a cook?)
- I want to make lots of money. (Hmmm. Did I hear a programmer laugh?)
- They say it’s a good career choice. (Another hmmmm. See my thoughts above.)
The question of passion
I think that “follow your passion” can be dangerous advice. Especially if you are passionate about rugby or singing or being a YouTube influencer.
Don’t get me wrong. What you like, and what you are good at, matter. If you have the luxury of choice, don’t choose a career that you will hate.
But our passions change with experience. We can enjoy many things. And careers are not cast in stone. I practiced criminal law for 6 years, and I loved it. I’ve also loved web development, business process re-engineering, technical writing, and presenting courses.
Diligence vs passion
The first of my visitors was a scholar in grade 11 or 12. Judging by the badges on his blazer, he is a hard-working student. His real desire is to study medicine. IT is his alternative if he can’t get into medical school.
This young man has no particular passion for computers. But he is intelligent and diligent and likes to do well. He has the aptitude and he will persevere. So I think he could have a successful career as a programmer.
But I did suggest he studies harder, to make it into med school.
Is necessity enough?
My second visitor was a religious student. His motivation is simply that he has no choice. A relative has instructed him to learn certain technologies. I did not ask why he has to follow these instructions.
Is necessity a good motivator? I’ve never heard this as a reason for learning to program. It may force him to persevere. It may make it harder to handle the frustration of the learning curve. Will it be enough for him to become more than mediocre?
I don’t know. All I could do was explain what the process of learning to program looks like.
Do you think programming is a good career choice? I’d love to hear your thoughts.