In February, 2000
I was a child and therapist, questioning whether I could become a software developer. My attempt at learning Java was stalling. The exercises in Java for Dummies didn’t seem to have any purpose. Even if I could get them to work (which I couldn’t), they didn’t seem to do anything useful. I was filled with doubt. Did I really want to switch careers? I had a good job and had just finished a master’s degree. Was I selling out?
After work, when I wasn’t writing for my About.com side job, I searched the web (sans Google) for local tech jobs. I marvelled at the long and impressive sounding lists of techno-acronyms that I needed to know in order to apply. I quickly realized that I was going to have to apply despite not knowing most of what they were looking for. Remarkably, I got an interview with a placement company who was looking for Java developers. I showed up and was unsurprised (but disappointed) when they cut the interview short when they looked more closely at my “resume”.
I kept looking for tech jobs. I even heard an ad for a Chicago “dot-com startup” on the radio. I wrote down the web address on a piece of paper, but soonafter lost it somewhere in my Chevy Lumina. I gave up on Java for Dummies, but dug deeper into HTML, and started learning some JavaScript. I wasn’t quite sure where this was heading.
[This year, I’m going to be blogging the year 2000, the year I started programming.]
