As a programmer, you are in possession of a very powerful skill that can help you achieve your dreams as well as financial freedom. The possibilities are limitless and are only limited by your imagination and willingness to do something great. If you are really passionate about programming then you can really make a difference.
Best part of it is that, programming is a concept. So, if you are good at any specific language (e.g. Java) then you should be able to pick up any other programming language in very short time. The reason is, programming is only about instructing a machine about how to perform certain tasks to achieve something meaningful. So, you are basically communicating to a machine through a specific language designed by humans. If you can efficiently communicate in one language then it is very likely that you will be able to talk to a machine any other language. Learning the basic programming concepts is the hardest part. Learning specific syntax of a specific programming language is not that tough if you have really mastered the concepts. Programming concepts are like principles that hardly changes very often.
So if you are a good java programmer, you can learn iOS or Android programming very quickly and become a mobile app developer. If you don’t have a unique idea about which type of app to develop, don’t worry about that too much. Select an existing app category in App store that you use regularly and you know the use cases very well from a user’s perspective. There must be some features even in the very best app that annoys you or lack of some good feature, which you probably think, would have been a great addition. So, you can develop an app having all the feature that you expected from your favourite app. I would suggest an app with not too many complicated features to start with.
Best part is that you need zero or negligible capital to build a software product. Even if your app does not become highly successful, you will not incur huge financial loss. Apart from that whatever you would learn from a project will add to your experience and you will be better positioned to be successful in your future projects. Basic point I want to emphasise here is that, you have the chance to produce a good software product from the comfort of your home without having an office and crew. Is not that incredible? If a side project gives you enough financial freedom, you might even be able to leave your full time job to pursue your dream projects. Always remember that if you are working for someone else, your efforts and achievements are only taking them to realise their goals. They are only using you as a ladder to climb their success.
Programming can also help you to automate most of your daily tasks at office and home. Python programming language is the most helpful language in this regard. Python is easy to learn and has a vast set of modules available which will help you to interact with most of the popular software you use daily (e.g. Microsoft Excel, Word, PDF etc). A large portion of the work we perform everyday can be easily automated so that you can only focus on cognitively demanding jobs. I will discuss about automating repetitive and manual tasks in more detail in my future posts to help you in this regard.
