Published on Apr 05, 2008 @ 2:04am EST
I remember back in GSP 240, Mike asked me "How did you get to be so awesome?!" Now I don't mean to brag, that's just the language Mike uses. However, I do have some tips on how to be more awesome than the average programmer. ;-)
Step 1: Quit your job. I know the first thing that you might say is, "...but how will I eat?" If you must work for survival, then go for it, I suppose. But if you are supported by parents or a fiance or some other type of sap, then by all means quit your job. Let's break this down. Working is the equivalent of selling your time. If you can do without the money, don't work in excess. When you have more hours to be productive for your own benefit rather than some business-owner's benefit, you will be building your own future. Jobs benefit others, not you. Offer to build websites for people, then learn how to build websites. Post flyers for PC help in retirement villages. Then spend all your free time hacking away at your own agenda. The best thing about programming is it's a constant learning experience.
Step 2: Take on projects you don't believe you can finish. This may sound like it would result in being discouraging, but that isn't so in this career. If you're just learning C++, make a text RPG. If you're pretty comfortable with programming, set a goal to make a huge 2D game, scrolling backgrounds and all. If you only plan projects using what you already know, you don't have much motivation to learn. Plan for what seems impossible, and you'll be Googling until 6AM until you finally figure out how to do it.
Step 3: Find people at a lower skill level than you, and teach them everything you know. It was hard as hell for you to get where you are now, so why not help a newb? I remember when I was learning the important coding concepts, one half hour IM conversation with a pro was 100 times more valuable than reading through dozens of dev articles. It's also a good way to go over all your information--the newb will likely have questions you haven't considered.
That's really all I've got right now. And I'm being honest about these. My most productive period was when I was unemployed for six months. I got C++ down, built Wallrider (and like 4 other OpenGL games for GSP 240), and moved onto the Awe+ Engine. When I started writing Wallrider, I really didn't believe I could get the cars to ride up walls. I simply nodded to Mike, and said "Uhh... sure, let's do it," and two weeks later I had it working. And lastly, I hope if you're reading this, I've at least tried to teach you something related to programming. I also like to write tutorials if I can't help directly.
Well I've been egotistical enough for this article. Go start being awesome, (and consequently poor)!