My first introduction to software development was at university, around 2013. This was during an Introduction to Programming module that lasted for a single semester and was intended to teach the necessity of computer pogramming and the logical patterns behind it. I loved it from the onset and knew that this was the career journey I would embark on. I eventually enrolled onto a Software Engineering course over the subsequent holiday period where I was introduced to HTML, CSS, MS Suite and Notepad++ as the editor. I probably still have a copy of my first project sitting on a drive somewhere! I can still picture myself trekking for miles to a friend’s house because he was the one person I knew who understood programming. Every step felt worth it just to learn something new.

As time went by, I worked my way up and was blessed with my first job in software engineering. The reality of working on commercial code within a team setting was a dream come true. I was privileged to learn and be mentored by some phenominal engineers. The standards were right and high. A junior engineer was expected to learn his trade and be comfortable with the core technologies that the company relied on: .NET Core, C#, WinForms, MS SQL. It wasn't a 'nine-to-five' thing for me, which was a mindset engrained in most engineers I worked with.

The reality today is different from what it used to be. The shocking reality is a lack of commitment and engineering brilliance in most teams. The emphasis on learning to code by hand is no longer enforced. The mindset now is "It's fine to

it, it can just be done without much thought, we have deadlines to hit." Really? There always have and always will be deadlines to hit. We forget that one doesn't just solve problems by coding, but one gains important skills like logical thinking, efficient resource management, architecture, networking and adopting secured patterns by writing large systems. Junior engineers aren’t being properly mentored anymore because many of today’s ‘senior’ engineers are simply juniors with a few extra years of experience, and not true mentors. Others simply don't care, and see the career as nothing more than a golden ticket to a financially stable lifestyle. How have we allowed this? The standards have dropped far below the belt and sadly this isn't being recognised or being called out.

Software engineering is more than just

and I don't dispute that. However, we shouldn't down-play the importance of programming by hand. To me this game is not just a career, it's more like a hobby and a passion, it's God given. I’m committed to raising the bar for quality and delivery in every team setting I find myself in. My standards are heavily influenced by my Christian Faith, as The Bible instructs me to be the very best I can be to the glory of my maker: .

I’ll end this by encouraging you, myself, and everyone reading this to push a little harder, learn a little deeper, and never stop improving. Blessings!