While I was reading the chapters’ introductions for the book Apprenticeship Patterns Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman, I was amazed and drowned in the book because those introductions, examples from other software craftsmen, and their journey made me understand that we should not see or underestimate ourselves when looking at others’ successes in computer science. It doesn’t mean it has always been easy for them since the beginning. They had to work hard, fell, and failed many times but still stood up and kept working harder and harder.
The story of Dave really stood up to me and while I was reading that story, I realized that many times, in the computer science field, I felt like giving up because I was not doing anything right. Or maybe I was but it was very low compared to all my classmates who were stronger and smarter than me. But with this story, I understood that it’s all a matter of sacrifice and always keep standing up after a fall. If Dave had given up, he probably wouldn’t have learned and gotten better. As a computer science major, interested in software development, this book will be my best friend because I can tell that I am going to learn how to become a good, excellent software developer.
One thing I also learn while reading chapter 4, is that we should not compare in computer science. Especially when that comparison makes you feel inferior or not capable of achieving great things. We don’t know what those people who are better than us in a certain domain have been through. So, we cannot just envy or feel less smart than them. Maybe they also felt that way when they were at our level. With computer science, it is about learning every day, every time, everywhere, and always trying to become our best version and do better than yesterday. That is why I loved what the zen master said about emptying the cup: “If you come to me with a cup that is already full, how can you expect me to give you something to drink?”. Even though we feel like we already know everything about computer science, software development, the experience we already have should push us and motivate us to put into emptying the cup, meaning clearing our mind of bad habits, setting aside the pride we have in our skills, and opening ourselves up to the different, often counterintuitive, approaches of our more experienced colleagues.
We learn every day, we never cease learning and we will always be learning no matter what. So, a certain position of knowledge should not make us feel that we’ve reached the highest point and stop there, because there can be another who will come and do better and surpass us all. knowledge never ends, it actually extends.
From the blog CS@Worcester – Gracia's Blog (Computer Science Major) by gkitenge and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.