“Fizz … Buzz… FIZZBUZZ!” My dog yelped in surprise and pure terror as my 24-year old self swept him up and started parading around the house screaming the name of a drunken bee. Except there was no bee. There was a glass of wine, but it was untouched. A budding programmer didn’t have time to breathe, let alone sip, for I had been completely engrossed in computer world for the last hour. 

I had done it. I had built the “weed out” program that employers use to make sure a developer knows what they are doing. There was nothing more satisfying. I could do it.  I think I speak for my entire class at Tech Talent South, when I say coding is awesome. It may be a little out there, it may sound crazy, but it is an incredible rush.  The rush of satisfaction you get from finishing a crossword puzzle or winning tic-tac-toe…on steroids.

Now we can not only fill in 9-down or get three Xs in a row, but we can build an application and play on the computer. In fact, in the second week of class at Tech Talent South we built a program for Rock, Paper, Scissors. Even cooler, we could control it. Did we want to beat the computer every time? Did we want to play Rock, Paper, Garden Shears? The possibilities were endless.  Suddenly, anything was possible.

I’m not going to lie. It is frustrating at times and you may even want to give up. But aren’t the best things worth working for?  I have always wanted to do something that has an impact on the world. Well, I now have the tools to do that. Coding isn’t just about numbers and letters on a screen or another language to learn, it is about making things happen.

Do you have something that you have always wanted to do? Do you ever wonder why something is the way it is and have ideas to improve it  It is possible. All of it.

In class, a current of inspiration and entrepreneurship electrifies the air. There are constantly idea bulbs popping up, “Ah ha”s being exclaimed, high fives clapping—and countless “EUREKA!” moments to come.  Let’s hope our dogs survive!

P.S. You know you’re in deep when you are writing a blog and all you want to do is see Microsoft’s code and wonder how they did it. I’ll have to grill my teacher (and friend!), Louis, next class.