Brian Elliott

I Hate My 30s?

Not really, but the show is certainly a winner.  I hit 30 last year and entered a period of confusion about my career path.  The challenge of programming was waning and as such, I was having a more difficult time remaining focused on it.  For months I thought the problem was simple burnout and blamed my employer.  Later on I took another gig  and the same feelings resurfaced, so I realized my initial conclusion was incorrect.

The truth, more likely, is that I’m not burned out.  I’m just less interested in the actual act of programming than before, but I remain passionately interested in software and technology.  To this end, I’d like to find a balanced, challenging outlet that allows me to pursue my interests in software and technology without getting bogged down in doing all of the implementation.

I used to look around and scoff at the lack of older programmers, assuming that older people can’t hack the ever-evolving technology landscape.  I no longer really think this is the case, but rather that as programmers gain experience, they obtain more perspective about the industry.  From the dawn of the computer science age in the 1960s to the present, most problems have been simply recycled with new implementations of the same solutions.  True innovation is more rare and the more experienced programmer gets weary of the same problem solving.

If I can find a career operating at a higher level in the software production process, I think I’ll be a lot happier.  It’s the repetitious problem solving in everyday programming that makes me bored.  In the past I’ve enjoyed architecture and design work as well as mentoring new hires out of college.  I don’t know what my exact niche in the ecosystem should be yet, but I certainly would like to stay within the software industry.  I’ll be re-examining career opportunities with a more open mind.

Our beast, Zelda, is now 7 months old.  She has had a number of adventures recently  including a cross-country trip to the Grand Tetons, getting spayed, and many visitors that needed licking.  It certainly has been a busy summer for a not-so-little puppy now pushing 50 pounds.

We’ve got her back in class at Narnia now, where she is taking the Intermediate class with actual adult dogs for the first time.  The other dogs appear to be a good deal more with it than the puppies we had in our last round of class.  In other words, they can actually sit and lay down on command.  My Zelda will need to consistently bring her A-game if she wants to show off as the star doggy.

Anyway, the first week of class they asked what trick we should teach our dogs and an 8 year old girl chimes in that the dogs should learn to crawl.  So naturally, I am now stuck teaching my dog to crawl.  This is, of course, not something actually required to pass the class, BUT my Zelda will be ready to show off in the event that they check on whether any dogs can go beyond the call of duty.  We can’t allow for the possibility that someone else’s dog will learn and ours will not.

The other thing I like about this new round of dog class is that your dog can actually FAIL.  Because of this, I waved my finger at the wife that our dog would pass on the first try.  In order to do this, she needs a bunch of practice at walking on a loose leash and generally being calmer than she is now around strangers.  It does help motivate me to train her, though, because I definitely don’t want to enroll her in the same class again!