I Just Like Making Things

Give me a blank screen and a problem to solve and I’m quite happy. There’s something strangely satisfying about starting with absolutely nothing and gradually turning it into something that actually does something.

At first there’s nothing… then there’s a database… then there’s a bit of code… then a screen, a button…  Eventually, you press the button and something happens, and you think: “I made that.” That’s the bit I enjoy.

It doesn’t even have to be particularly exciting.

I’ve built things that were complicated and technically interesting. I’ve also built things that were incredibly simple. Sometimes the simple ones are more satisfying.

There’s something nice about taking a requirement that someone has struggled to explain for half an hour and turning it into a little screen with a couple of buttons that just does exactly what they wanted.

I like the problem-solving, and the fact that the thing you’re trying to build doesn’t actually exist yet. Or at least, not in quite the way you want it. So you have to work it out.

Getting stuck is actually pretty fun.

• You try something - it doesn’t work.
• You try something else - that doesn’t work either.
• You search for the answer and find three different answers, none of which agree with each other.
• You try something - It breaks something.
• You swear.
• You go and make a cup of tea.
• You come back.
• And suddenly you spot the problem. 

That’s probably one of my favourite moments in development. Not writing the code. Figuring it out.

I think that’s also why I’ve never been particularly interested in management.

There’s nothing wrong with management, (or managers) it’s just not what I want to do. I don’t want to spend my day discussing whether something should be discussed in another meeting. I want to build the thing.

Show me the problem and I’ll work out how to solve it and then I’ll show you the thing I’ve built.

Much more satisfying.

Technology has obviously changed enormously over the years.

• The tools are different.
• The languages are different.
• The way we build things is different.

There are now an astonishing number of ways to make something that, 20 years ago would have involved considerably more effort - and that’s great, but the underlying thing hasn’t really changed.

You still start with a problem and work out a solution. Perhaps that’s why I’ve stuck with development for so long. It’s because I like making things that didn’t exist before I started.