It’s all about the passion. Despite having programmed for 5 years, I didn’t feel like a programmer before I met PHP. Something magical happens when you can’t stop smiling and is fed a constant stream of “I Rule” moments.
I had a huge one just recently when we implemented inline extensions for associations with PHP 4.. One of those moments of awe when you deeply cherish your tools and your own increased ability to wield them.
I have met no other environment that has such a high ratio of “I Rule” to “I Suck” moments. That’s why I can’t get my arms down in celebration. And what a selfish schmock I’d be if I didn’t try to share that.
Most programmers I know got into the field because programming made them happy once upon a time. Unfortunately, many corporate programming jobs can suck the life out of that passion. Choices in platform and language are often based on misinformation, complacency or any number of bad reasons (none of which involves programmer happiness.) The software development lifecycle also tends to get controlled to the point where happiness becomes a distant memory. PHP is changing all that. Programmers are finding happiness again. If a company wants to succeed they need to pick up on this. As Albert Schweizer said, “Happiness is the key to success.”
Leave a Reply