Endings and Beginnings

The year is coming to an end, which brings the annual reflection as we begin a new one. This was an XL year for me, reaching 40. Cause for additional reflection, as my 30s comes to an end and my 40s begins. This was a transitional year for me, after what felt like a few stagnant years, sitting around my house, not feeling as productive as I would like to be. I transitioned to a new role at work with a new technology stack to learn, but I settled in there quite quickly, and since my new role does not involve coding I have felt more able to code in my free time. This occurred at a transitional time in software development, as the arrival of proficient AI coding agents earlier this year immediately changed the coding landscape, accelerating the potential for a developer. I feel like I have the means, motive, and opportunity to code new and wonderful things, the perfect storm of unprecedented potential. I feel so lucky to be alive right now at the most exciting time in human history. I feel like I'm riding the wave of technology, which started as a ripple with stone tools and has built into an unstoppable tsunami. Generative AI is really just the next step on this incredible computing journey we are on, Moore's Law continuing in strange ways, accelerating humanity to our technological future. While I go through life stoic and scowling, deep inside I am incredibly excited about the future and what technology will bring. Productivity becomes easy, but building new things becomes harder, and proper Computer Science foundations, and coding fundamentals become more important than ever. My 40s becomes about looking forward, using the knowledge and tools I've gained so far to build new things and reach farther than ever possible before. Whether you are here enjoying it now, or looking back from somewhere further on, I hope you share my excitement for this incredible journey.