For this issue of CODE Magazine, I intended to write an editorial where I would lament about how hard it is to have “something to say” each and every issue. As I gathered my thoughts for that particular thread, I began to consider the idea that I might be bored writing these editorials. Following idea further, I began to wonder if I was bored with software development in general. It was that idea that caused me to do a “thread abort” and re-evaluate a lot of what is happening in my career. Am I really bored with writing editorials? Am I really bored with software development in general? What the heck is going on here?!?!
After careful consideration, I came to the conclusion that all of these ideas were null and void. I am not bored with the magazine, I am not bored with software development in general, and as I put together this editorial, I am definitely not bored writing it. (That was a bit meta, no?) As a matter of fact, I couldn't be more excited to work in any of these areas. What I'm not excited about is the amount of burnout and fatigue that has crept into my life. Now I am forced to ask myself: Is it really the amount of work involved or is it something else?
I can say for certain that it's not the amount of work I'm doing right now. I have been an independent software consultant for nearly 20 years and the one thing that has remained constant is the amount of work to do. I have always been busy and hope to continue being busy into the foreseeable future. So if it's not the quantity of work, what is it? Well, I think I have narrowed down the problem… I never seem to have time to explore things I am curious about. I have not been able to explore my love of being a Curiosity-Driven Developer.
One of the things I love about being a software engineer is the ability to spend time satisfying curiosities. I love exploring new ideas. I love exploring new tools. I love exploring new techniques. I love being curious. I think that great software developers have an innate curiosity built into their psyches and that curiosity must be exercised. Upon making this realization, I began to consider what specific things I need to do in order to resuscitate this part of my psyche.
The first task is to determine what it is that I'm interested in exploring, why I was interested in that particular subject, and how I was going to scratch that itch. Here are some of the things I came up with.
The Go Language
My curiosity was piqued by my friend Rob Bazinet who writes for InfoQ. He introduced me to this language that was started by software legend Rob Pike at Google. He pointed me to a presentation from 2012 where Rob Pike gives the low-down on what the Go language is and what the philosophies are surrounding it. Check out this awesome presentation at http://www.infoq.com/presentations/Go-Google. In the future, we will be exploring this language in the pages of CODE.
Amazon Web Services
I'm still fascinated by the interesting things happening in the Amazon Web Services space. Netflix accounts for nearly one third of Internet traffic and this traffic comes from the Amazon cloud (http://www.avclub.com/articles/netflix-responsible-for-about-onethird-of-all-inte,56270/). There are lots of interesting concepts coming from sites built using services from the Amazon cloud. I will be attending Amazon re:Invent to learn what we need to cover in the pages of CODE as well as to find new authors.
Microsoft Azure
Over the last few years, Microsoft has increased their offerings in their Azure cloud. I personally plan to continue my exploration of their offerings as well as recruiting content for future issues of Code.
Windows Phone Development
Why would I spend time exploring the Windows Phone space when Apple and Google control such a huge percentage of market share? Well, it was one small thing that did it: My aunt purchased a Nokia Windows phone and absolutely loved it. The new Nokias are a watershed moment for this phone and I am convinced that Microsoft won't give up in this space. Of course, we will be covering other mobile technologies in future pages of CODE as well.
JavaScript
The JavaScript space is still a field that all developers should explore more. There are numerous new frameworks, ideas, and concepts that we need to investigate. CODE Magazine will continue to invest pages in this and other Web technologies for sure.
I am happy there are so many new technologies to explore and am looking forward to furthering myself as a Curiosity-Driven Developer. If you find yourself burning out or fatigued, make sure you try to re-ignite your inner Curiosity-Driven Developer.
