It's 2 A.M. (Why I Chose IT)

IT'S 2 IN THE MORNING, EVERYBODY HAS GONE HOME. YOU ARE LEFT ALONE IN A WELL LIT OFFICE WITH ONLY THE SOUND OF THE KEYBOARD AND THE CLICK OF YOUR MOUSE. YOU PLAY MUSIC FROM YOUR CELL PHONE TO BARRICADE YOURSELVES FROM SUDDEN SOUNDS THAT MAY REMIND YOU OF OFFICE GHOST STORIES YOU HAVE READ OR HEARD FROM YOUR CO-WORKERS. WHY ARE YOU WORKING SO LATE AT NIGHT? TO FINISH A BUG FIX TO BE RELEASED THE FOLLOWING MORNING.IF, ELSE, DO WHILE, VARIABLE X SHOULD BE MINUS VARIABLE Y. YOU COMPILE, BUT BUGS ARE FOUND. YOU FIX AND COMPILE AND COMPILE UNTIL IT BUILDS. BUT STILL, THE OUTPUT IS INCORRECT. AFTER TEN HOURS LOOKING AT THE SCREEN, YOUR EYES START TO ACHE, THE VEINS IN YOUR HAND FEELS NUMB AND SHAKY.YOU GO TO THE VERANDA TO TAKE A BREAK. IN THE VERANDA, YOU LET THE COOL BREEZE OF THE EVENING WASH AWAY THE STRESS OF YOUR WORK. AND WHEN YOU START TO WALK BACK TO YOUR WORKSTATION, THE SOLUTIONS SUDDENLY STRIKES YOU!TYPE, CLICK, TYPE CLICK, BUILD AND COMPILE; ALAS!THE OUTPUT IS CORRECT; YOU COMMIT YOUR WORK AND THANKFULLY GO HOME UNDER THE HEAVY GLOW OF THE MOON LIGHT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED TONIGHT IS ONLY A FRACTION OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. YOU ARE AGAIN WORKING LATE THIS EVENING, TYPE CLICK TYPE CLICK, NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK. YOU ARE FRUSTRATED, BANG ON THE KEYBOARD, BANG ON THE MOUSE. YOU SWEAR AS YOU SEE THE INCORRECT OUTPUT. IN A COUPLE OF HOURS, THE SUN WILL RISE. YOUR SUPERIOR TELLS YOU TO GO HOME AND CONTINUE IT THE FOLLOWING MORNING. YOU GO HOME AND FALL ASLEEP. BUT WHAT YOU DREAM ABOUT IS THE UNFINISHED CODE.THE INCORRECTLY DESIGNED SCREEN; YOU MUMBLE WHILE IN YOUR SLEEP, "IT SHOULD A DROPDOWN NOT A TEXT." YOUR FATHER WAKES YOU UP AND TELLS YOU TO SLEEP IN YOUR ROOM BECAUSE YOU FELL ASLEEP IN THE SOFA.YOU SLOWLY GET UP AND WALK TO YOUR BEDROOM BUT WHAT IS RUNNING IN YOUR MIND RIGHT NOWTHE UNFINISHED CODE.



When I was choosing my course in college,I had only two criteria in mind, one, it should not be boring and two it should have not that much math subjects. Because when I graduate from college and gradually work, I should be doing something that I love and what I learn in college is pretty much what I am going to do my whole life.So with those two criteria, I chose IT or Information Technology. Also, during that time and up to now, demand for IT professionals is high especially in our country.It is one of the top paying jobs all over the world.You can earn high every month while doing what you love! Isn't that great?




What I love most about my work is the whole concept of software development. Being able to create something from an idea; Being able to watch a product unfold before your very eyes from analysis, design, coding, testing to actual application.Products of development we see every day and have significant influences on our lives. Social networks,iPhone, banking systems, medical systems, the internet, all these products helps society in a way and makes our lives a lot easier. And that is what I like about IT, the benefits it can contribute to a society, and the power it has to transform it.



But before a product can be produced, IT workers toil through every stage of it. Requirements should not be misunderstood, work schedule should be correctly estimated, the design should suit the requirements.The most difficult partthe coding, should not have bugs.If delay occurs in the project, developers spend overtime hours in order to catch-up.And in our profession, rendering overtime is inevitable.In my first two projects, I have spent countless nights in our office to finish a code. But I know others have gone through worse. Others have spent three nights overtime without sleep or bath. Others are scolded by their families because of spending continuous late nights working; it is like they are already living in the office. Others have bottles and bottles of energy drink and coffee at their desk in order not to fall sleep. People you live with you don't get to spend time with, because they leave for school or work before you wake up and when you come home at night, they are already asleep. Still, the client are oblivious to the amount of effort spent for a product, and are only concerned that a usable product is delivered on the agreed time.But as programmers we have to fulfill our duty to our client and deliver.



Everybody can learn how to program, create a website an instance. It can all be found in the internet. But what sets IT professionals apart from self-trained programmers is their deeper understanding of the inner workings of development.In coding for instance, given a requirement, you just don't start coding like crazy; you first scrutinize the requirements, create a design and apply appropriate programming practices and coding patterns. You don't think only of the present but the future as well.For coding enthusiasts like me, a code is like a programmer's pride.You create your code carefully and beautifully. Functions and variables should be properly named, aligned and formatted.People think that looking at code all day is boring but it is fun! In coding or development, you have got to challenge your mind, your logic, to produce the best working and most innovative product.As the demand for IT is high, so is the competition between software vendors.To get the project, you have got to be best. That is why it is also one of most difficult work. They say when you are in IT, you either don't have a social life or you get less social than others who work an 8 to 5 job. That is why many change careers after a few years in IT.That is also what I like about being a programmer; it is a job for dynamic people who love challenges, who challenge themselves to be better, who does not want themselves to be left behind.



But in order to be a good programmer you do not need textbook knowledge, you just need a core set of values and a mind that's set on the most important objective and that is usable software for customer satisfaction. You need patience, commitment and determination.But most of all you need to love what you do. This you can only do if you see and appreciate with your heart the wonders of development and the intangible but powerful result that is produces.



ITS TWO O CLOCK IN THE MORNING, EVERYONE HAS GONE HOME EXCEPT FOR YOU. TYPE, TYPE, CLICK, CLICK, AFTER A YEAR OF DEVELOPMENT, YOU ARE FINALLY CREATING THE RELEASE PACKAGE OF YOUR PROJECT. TOMORROW, THE CLIENT WILL SEE THE PRODUCT OF YOUR TEAM'S HARD WORK. TOMORROW, IT WILL BE DEPLOYED AND WILL BE ACCESSED BY PROMINENT HOTELS IN JAPAN AND CHINA.AFTER EMAILING THE RELEASE PACKAGE, YOU TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER AND GIVE YOURSELF A PAT ON THE SHOULDER.



To most people, programming is hard, you are often overworked but under-compensated, but I am happy and I wouldn't choose any other profession.
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