Passionate About Software

originally posted on LinkedIn, 1st of May 2021

I recently read the book Homo Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. In the book he tells the (success) story of humankind and how we evolved from one species among many to the species dominating our planet. There are multiple significant events along the way which are worth mentioning. Today, I write about a point Mr. Harari made in our relatively recent history. The chapter “The Discovery of Ignorance” focuses on the acceptance, that we do not know everything and the start of the quest to change that. In the following chapter “The Marriage of Science and Empire” he shows how the believe that there is value in the unknown changed the course of history. During a periode of scientific exploration more wealth was created than ever before. And this quest is still going on today.

I have long been looking for a pattern that explains statements like “software development is a learning process, working code as a side effect” consicely. About a month after reading the chapters mentioned above, I finally thought of an idea worth exploring. Software development is not unsimilar to the exploration undertaken after uncovering our ignorance some hundred years ago. Just as people have been believing that there is value in the unknown lands around us, I have come to believe that there is value in the almost unlimited and unknown body of knowledge about software devlopment around us. Further, just like the explorers and investors of past expeditions, I am willing to make the bet that deductive tinkering in that body of knowledge will generate value in developing software.

It is a bet we are taking. And in any bet there is a chance we lose. However, the past has shown convincingly that outcome over a recently big number of bets will be positive. In order to realise that potential, we have to be willing to make bets and lose every now and then. Coming back to the comparision, I argue that managment are not unlike to the investors, which let themselves be convinced to invest in endaevours. Partly they were convinced by pure capitalistic intentions to become more rich. Though, there is a second factor.

If management can be compared to investors, we as software developers are the explorers. The managment invests in our endaevours and hopes for positive outcome. Now and back then not all investors understood or even fully believed in the possibilities of the unknown body of knowledge. However, Empiric evindence soon proved that investmens in exploration were solid. Facts sometimes are not enough, though. Contrary to our believe that we are rational beings, many of our decisions are based on emotions. We need to give the managment something to believe in. Knowing that we and the management are taking bets, the best thing we can give them to believe in is passion and craftsmanship.

We are explorers of an almost unlimited and ever expanding, yet to us largely unknown, body of knowledge. We should endaevour this body with excellency in craftsmanship. And if others aren’t, we should be convinced that there is value in that body waiting to be realised. In the past and now many find it hard convince investors of their plans. But those who were passionate and skillful did find ways to explore.

It is a priviledge to work in a field where knownledge might be the most valuable good. Working in diverse teams of great minds with interdisciplinary skills, I was allowed to look for solutions like an adventurer. Software development is not lacking its hardships. However, if we dare to explore, every now and then we might build elegant solutions enabling new possiblities the management didn’t think possible or believe in. It is in those moments we feel the magic only explorers can. Hard work is going to be paying off in those moments when the beauty of skillful solutions finally becomes apparent to everybody. After having worked like that, everything else just seems so ineffective and insignificient. It is not, but I have felt that feeling one too many times, and I have become addicted. I am passionate about software, because that is what we do and what I love!
References

• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
• The Origin of Wealth by Eric Beinhocker