Robert Tamayo | August 16, 2021

The Appeal of Programming

The appeal of programming is the ability to execute an idea and build a product out of thin air. John Carmack understands this and articulates it perfectly:

"In the information age, the barriers [to entry into programming] just aren't there. The barriers are self imposed. If you want to set off and go develop some grand new thing, you don't need millions of dollars of capitalization. You need enough pizza and Diet Coke to stick in your refrigerator, a cheap PC to work on, and the dedication to go through with it. We slept on floors. We waded across rivers."

In 2013, I decided to make a video game for Android. I didn't know how to code, so I had to learn. 3 months later, the game was real. I was playing a game, on my phone, that I created.

Within a year, I had coded at least 2 video games and a blogging platform. I made several websites, and I made an Android app to solve a problem I had at work. I didn't do anything amazing. And no, I didn't make any money.

But I was doing something. I was creating something from nothing. Code requires nothing. You don't need land. You don't need a factory. You don't need paper to print images on.

You need yourself. You need your mind. Whatever you imagine, whatever problem you can solve, you can.

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