Hello everyone! Here is my interview with Darren Field, an Information Technology programmer.
> – As a programmer, what do you find most interesting?
Programming is the type of job where you can learn something new everyday, and that’s what keeps me interested. You could think of it as a problem solving adventure for each piece of an application that you are building. There are endless possibilities for how things are put together, and each programmer could come up with a unique way to solve the puzzle.
> – When you code, what is the most frustrating thing?
There are times when things just don’t work the way that I think they should. I have to go back and read about the libraries or third-party controls I’m using to figure out how they are intended to be used. It’s usually something very simple that has to be configured correctly. Once you gain the knowledge of how to make it work, it’s much easier to implement the next time.
> – If you could code for any company, which would it be? Why?
I think it would be fun to code for a gaming company like EA Sports that creates some of the well known titles for XBox or the PC. On the flip side of that though, the game programmers have a huge amount of pressure on them to finish the game in certain amount of time and they work way too many hours for my liking.
> – When did you start to program and what got you into it?
One of the first computers I ever saw was a Commodore Vic 20 in a mall when I was about 15 years old. Not too long after that I got a Commodore 64 that connected to a 19 inch TV that I would program in BASIC for hours and hours. I really enjoy building something that can be used to make life easier or help to organize and display information. Database programming is another big interest for me.
> – What is the one thing you would tell people trying to learn to code?
From my experience, a person really takes to programming or they don’t – simple as that. For those that like it and want to be good at it they have to be patient to learn all of the quirks about coding. It usually takes a few years of being immersed in a particular language to get really efficient at it.
> – Do you see more people beginning to program in the future? Why?
It does seem that more and more aspects of life demand a little knowledge of programming. Take for instance the explosion in cell phones. Everybody has one these days, and even though it might not seem like it, you do have to “program” it at a simple level to make it do what you want. From a pure coding standpoint though, less and less people are pursuing this type of career.
Information Technology has been a great career path for me, and jobs are available in almost every industry if you choose this type of work.
– Darren Field
Thank you Mr. Field! I hope you guys enjoyed the interview.