I like programming.

I really like programming

I love programming.

Ever since I fell in love with computers fifty years ago, I have been obsessed. My bookshelves have seven shelves dedicated to computer books. I have used each book at least once; most more. I dream algorithms and visualization. I do this for fun. I also get paid quite bit, which was a pleasant surprise 45 years ago.

It is tempting to apply decision tools I have used (go Kepner-Tregoe Decision Analysis) to investigating this big coming change, but truthfully there is no choice to make. If I can work, I will, giving us health insurance and useful extra money (my disability pay is reduced). Plus I love programming

Based on CodeWars, I still have the skill, but I am horribly slow. Right now,I can finish 1-2 CodeWars katas in 50 minutes I can type about twenty words per minute using my new compact keyboard. Still working on my plan for the programmable key pad and working on using more speech to text and text to speech.

I have been learning to use AI tools to do coding in a way that speeds up coding while reducing errors, a killer combination. I am finding there is a sweet spot where I focus on controlling the AI and asking it the right things, while letting the AI manage the details. I think it is a good mix. Over the next weeks, I will try to implement a real project. So far, I have been doing examples.

Right now, I am very hopeful that this will make up for my loss of speed and leave me competitive with the young ones for a few more years.

I remain settled in, but not attached to, my desire to return to work. If I don’t, I will still program doing smaller passion projects and worrying less about production and handling all of our monthly revenue in 12 hours. It changes the stakes, but I’ve done passion projects before and I know it would be fun.