(My) Experience and Growth

As a programmer, I moved through different companies and, like everyone else, understood that commercial projects were where I could learn the most. Without business use cases, our work would not be nearly as interesting, absorbing, or inspiring. That is why I built my development mainly around solving business problems. At first, these were websites and online stores. Later, web and mobile applications. It gave me a lot of knowledge and a lot of fun. In that assumption, however, I missed one very important aspect: sharing knowledge.

At some point, I noticed that the knowledge I was gaining would disappear quite quickly and be replaced by something new. My horizons were expanding, that much was true, but I was moving so fast in my own development that I sometimes forgot the basics. Sharing knowledge lets you keep reinforcing what you know, return to it regularly, and develop other traits that are just as necessary in our profession.

Booster

December 2016 arrived. During a breakfast break at work, I saw an ad from a programming school looking for mentors. I thought that I already had a few years of experience, so I might as well try. I applied. I filled out the test and ... I became a mentor.

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I never expected that moment to create such a storm in my professional life. My first student, Paweł, started an avalanche. I felt that this might be something for me. I learned a lot from my students. Many of them asked very sharp questions, which forced me to sit down with the documentation and dig deeper and deeper until I really understood certain processes.

After some time, I understood that learning programming is not only about learning languages. Learning programming means learning a certain way of thinking. It is an attempt to understand the directions in which the world of technology is moving. It is self-discipline, persistence, and sometimes a bit of masochism. Because of that, I started teaching my students the history of programming, opening our sessions with stories about how things used to work. I wanted them to understand how long a road we had traveled to be able to use modern tools. I wanted them to be aware that, one day, they too might have their own part in developing this world. I instilled in them the need to maintain the highest possible quality. I tried to explain that you can always write something better, and that it is worth striving for excellence - understood as a path, not a destination. I taught them to read, search, ask, and not give up.

154

October 2020 arrived. Almost 4 years had passed. During that time, I had been a mentor to 154 people. When I heard that number, I said to myself: wow. That is a lot. And you know what? I remember each of them by name, and with almost every one of them I built a friendly connection. I pushed these people, supported them, tried to listen and advise them. Sometimes I was a psychologist, sometimes a picky teammate, sometimes a boring lecturer, but I always wanted to be a colleague and a source of support.

I made the decision to step away and look for a new path. My last student is Piotr. Our journey is coming to an end. His has lasted almost a year; mine, 4 years. After more than 2200 hours of individual conversations, I came to the conclusion that teaching allowed me to grow like nothing else before. Developing yourself by developing others is a wonderful thing. It gives an enormous amount of satisfaction.

Was It Worth It?

There are three aspects to whether it was worth it. The developmental one, which I mentioned above, was the most important to me. Here, I really achieved what I had set out to do, and even more. I grew as a developer, as a person, and as a teacher. The financial one - let us be honest, most of what we do should bring us measurable financial benefits - also worked out. The third aspect is the human one. I met wonderful people, full of passion, with vision and seemingly endless energy. Working at the school was an additional activity for me, but more than once it gave me more joy than my regular professional work.

In this profession, the most beautiful moment in a relationship with another person is when you can thank them for great collaboration and commitment, and wish them good luck. I have already done that sincerely 154 times. Today, I say thank you once more. To the whole team I worked with over the last few years, and once again to all my students, who taught me the most.

What Next?

I would still like to teach, but the "north wind" is blowing now, and it is time to begin a new journey.

Summary

There are many ways to grow. In my opinion, the two best ones are working on commercial projects - sometimes as a one-man army, sometimes in a team - and teaching others: reading their code, explaining the simplest concepts, learning patience and perseverance. It was a beautiful adventure.