the (REAL) reason I started programming
See a snippit from my recent application to get formal CS schooling (accepted).
Hi friends,
I'm Morgan, and I’m here to make tough programming concepts and the path to becoming a programmer easy to understand. My goal is to create the resource I needed when I started, to help the beginners that come after me.
Enjoy the post!
Hey there, one last thing!
Editor Morgan here for a quick peek behind the curtain: this post is actually an adaptation of my personal statement for applying to post-baccalaureate computer science programs. After diving deep into research, chatting with folks in-industry, and mulling over my own programming journey, I crafted this story to explain how I got here. Even though everyone's path is different, I hope sharing this gives you a bit more insight into my journey and maybe even a spark of inspiration for your own.
You’ll know when we get to the personal essay part when my tone becomes super formal…
Fog & Giraffes
There was a buzz of excitement in the crowd as we moved through the gates and into a small courtyard crisscrossed by train tracks, long since embedded in the concrete. The courtyard was overlooked by a massive, antique industrial crane that towered over the small space. The first rays of sunshine peaked through the fog which was burning off around the Mare Island Shipyard when my nervous conversation was drowned out by an eruption of applause. Down the old promenade came Adam Savage, the man we were all waiting for, riding on an animatronic giraffe.
The 2023 Maker Faire was quite the spectacle. People from all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life came together to celebrate our side projects, robots, prop replicas, drones, massive success stories, and prototypes gone catastrophically wrong. For the first time in a long time, I found myself among others who were just as excited as I was about tinkering with computers.
My tinkering began at an early age as a need to dissect old electronics and learn about how they worked. I started building cars, planes, and robots using these salvaged components and discovered how a computer could enable remote control by the user. Fast forward to high school and I was building computers that were powerful enough to run graphically demanding games and do the daily homework I was assigned. I began to learn HTML & CSS to build my first rudimentary websites and I was introduced to the world of Minecraft mods written in Java.
I got a sense of empowerment from being able to build a tool, whether that be a small program or an entire computer, and that feeling drove me to keep exploring in my spare time. This was in no small part inspired by my sister and I’s obsession with the Discovery Channel Show, MythBusters, that was produced a handful of miles from our small home in Northern California which starred Jamie Hyneman and, you guessed it, Adam Savage.
People cheered as Adam approached the stage, his wide brimmed hat turned up in the breeze and he wore a warm smile to contrast the chilly morning fog. Adam greeted us and expressed his gratitude, kicking off a day of exploration and sharing. But then he did something I didn’t expect. He told the story of his childhood and being a young boy that was excited about creating things, building small worlds, and seeing every piece of junk as a potential building block. He spoke of the isolation that came from being ‘the builder kid’ and spoke of the fulfillment from learning something new. At points in his speech I laughed; at points, I got misty eyed. But ultimately, at the core of his story was a boy who knew no other path in life except to build his way forward.
And in that moment I realized that boy was also me. I also have the need to create, tinker, and build my way forward. And after taking a sales job (literally, what was I thinking??) at a fintech company post-graduation, I found myself disconnected from the creation of the software programs I was selling.
But most importantly, I was no longer building.
At that moment, I made up my mind to dive headfirst into building programs. I was all in, even if it meant that I was starting from zero.
Over the next few months, I immersed myself in every bit of programming material I could find and gradually built up my proficiency and confidence. I still have a long way to go—in some ways my journey hasn’t even begun—but I am proud of how far I’ve come being self-taught.
Here are a few resources that were game changing for me at the very beginning. They’re definitely worth your time if you’re also just starting out.
Codecademy - Their Python 3 course was integral to getting me started with programming and helping me feel like I was making progress.
Udemy - There are a ton of fantastic courses out there and I’d encourage you to take a look to see what grabs your attention. You can also sort by their most popular courses related to computer science or a specific programming language.
Harvard CS50 - A fantastic intro to computer science concepts. A good way to prime the pump, so to speak. Start here if you’re unsure where to begin.
ProgrammingZero - Shameless plug time! This blog is your new best friend. Still don’t know why? Check out this post on what you can expect from ProgrammingZero going forward.
So where are we now?
In the coming weeks I will be enrolling in my first formal CS classes and going back to school. My hope is that someday I’ll get to build products that are open, useful, and are designed with accessibility in mind from the ground up. I’m passionate about software that enables anyone to look under the hood, explore, and learn—much like I had the privilege to do when I was in high school.
In my personal life, I want to keep building in my spare time. One goal is to exhibit at Maker Faire 2025 (I already have a few fun ideas) and I want to share my journey with others who come after me. I recently read John Sonmez’s The Complete Software Developer’s Career Guide which is a fantastic resource for transitioning into the world of programming.
His book inspired me to create my own blog, programmingzero.xyz (you’re already here 😃), to share my journey with others, much like John did with his book. My aim is to make complex topics in computer science and coding accessible to both programmers and non-programmers—and to create the resource I wish I’d had when I first delved into programming.
So are you with me?
I hope you join me on this journey and thanks for putting up with this slightly unorthodox blog post! And remember, it’s always okay to start from zero.
See you next time,
Morgan
PS: Here’s Adam’s full speech if you want to hear it for yourself.
His YouTube channel, Tested, is kick-ass and you should definitely check it out regardless.