Tuesday, November 18, 2008
I do what I do
I am software engineer by trade and by choice. Sometimes I forget that not everyone wanted to be in the line of work they are in. Because I enjoy what I am do I am infinitely interested in it both inside and outside of work. My particular area of focus has always been architecture. I like putting together the little pieces but I cherish tackling the more complex decisions and planning involved in software architecture. While I respect that not everyone likes what they are doing, I tire of working with people that just "go through the motions".
Maybe it sounds a little corny in this day and age but at the end of the day I want to be proud of what I do. I want to know that did best I could on each project. Often times I reflect back and see the areas in which I have improved or that could use improvement. I do not lament that past projects were not done better because I know that I did the best I could for that project with the knowledge and skills I possessed at the time.
I've been at this career now for about 11 years. In the beginning many aspects of my youth hampered my creditability. After all its hard for a company to bill you out as a Senior level at the age of 25. When you add Senior to your title people expect you to look more the part. In the beginning I was more than likely a little full of myself, but time, experience, and persistence helped me overcome initial perceptions and create my own.
Often times I know that my earnest interest in my trade and in advancing my knowledge has made some coworkers defensive. I have learned to worry less about the ridicule and focus more on doing what is right at the time. In the past I have taken a more timid approach to confrontations, simply backing down from a stance to avoid a conflict. Within this past year or two however I have really focused accepting opposing arguments without backing down from my own position. I really believe that this change has paid off. When I have been proven wrong I have learned from that proof and more than often when I am right it is more recognized because I stood by my view.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I always knew you were destined for great things. I hope my encouragement has helped rejuvenate your spirit at the darkest times when you felt no one would listen. You are doing great things and you will be recognized for them. Remember, do them because they need to be done, not because you want recognition for doing them.
I'm so proud of you and how far you've come even in the past few months. I have seen a change in you, a defined determination and a calm satisfaction wash over you. While I know you have your good days and your bad days, I see that you truely are at peace with yourself and that you are happy in life.
It will happen, you know. The world just isn't quite ready for you yet, but you will get to that architecture level. You will get that recognition you deserve for the effor and the passion you put into your work.
In the past, you've always relied on someone to help guide you further. Someone to tell you that you're being stupid and looking at it wrong. Someone that grasped what you do on a higher level than you did. You latched on and learned all that you could. You have grown beyond that, and I am so proud of you.
I was concerned because there was dispair that I saw in you for a while. You were lost, but you found your way by yourself. You grew and are still growing by leaps and bounds. It takes a certain kind of person to seek out the answers for themselves when no one else around them cares.
I'm so proud of you and so inspired by you.
Post a Comment