I was skeptical of pursuing a career in programming because of what I had heard about outsourcing. I’ve been recently reading Thomas L. Friedman’s The World is Flat which talks about globalization, which counters many of the “facts” I learned from the Internet concerning outsourcing. Even without reading this book, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to pursue programming notwithstanding the inevitable growing global competition. I chose to pursue programming because I enjoy it.

Why shouldn’t I enjoy programming? It is a career that requires a strong traditional scientific education coupled with right-brained creativity. These two attributes together make for a career that is refreshingly challenging, and deeply fulfilling.

I have worked for the last year and a half as a web application developer. I was delighted to realize that being a developer involved more than a basement computer, dim lighting, and a supply of Doritos. I spend one third of my time talking to clients and learning how to make their lives easier with technology. Another third of my time, I learn about technologies that others are using and developing so that I can leverage their hard work in my work. Lastly, I spend my time writing new code and fixing bugs in written code. I like working with other people and providing to them a service for which I can feel personally responsible. I like learning and love that my job sponsors me to be a “versatilist.” Because I’m a fiddler by nature, I love designing a program from scratch or making something work better than it did before. I truly find well-organized and structured code beautiful. It is artwork, and because I know the rules, I know what to appreciate.

Computer code is artwork, and I am an artist. I actively participate in modern art guilds: code.google.com; sourceforge.net. I love having an idea that I can then paint into a compiler and show the world; I also admire the talent and technique of other artists. Every true programmer has worked through the night in order to program something to completion, and not because of a due date, but rather because the programmer cannot sleep knowing that the problem remains unsolved. This drive is common to artists: remember Michelangelo when he sculpted David.

My personal hero is an artist. Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, architect, scientist, mathematician, engineer and inventor. He was the renaissance man, and is my hero. I love programming, but also study business, math, and German literature and art. I aspire to become a master jack of all trades.

Being a jack of all trades, or a “versatilist” as coined by The Gartner Group, is—luckily for me—a viable and desirable attribute in the new global economy. Specialization is important, but there is a growing need for people that can combine the specialties of many into an entirely new product. The Internet is buzzing with “mash-up” websites that simply bridge already available web services into a new, unique, and useful website simply by making a connection between different websites. The flattening world will provide many new and exciting opportunities to curious kids like me who still love to build with Lego.