Embracing Failure

Want to be a developer? Great! Get ready to make mistakes ... and quite a few of them.

Since I started coding in September, I've re-learned how humbling it is to pick up new skills.

I've had to come to terms with these facts:

• It's harder to remember syntax than I'd like.

• Reading code is tough.

• I'm making more mistakes than I expected to.

That's not been fun. But I've also learned that small wins are satisfying.

The first time I figured out an error on my own, I danced!

The rush of happiness motivated me to keep working and push myself to the next milestone. (That buzz lasted until I made another error. Then the frustration crept back.)

Even with fits and spurts of progress, I'm proud of my failures because they're a mark that I'm trying something different and learning new things.

Plus, I'm getting to a point where it takes more than one mistake before I want to give up.

Sometimes it even takes more than two.

So dear reader, if you become a developer yourself, then I leave you with this: I wish you luck - and I hope you fail.