On March 23rd, 2010, I was in a bar with a couple of my friends. After a couple of beers, I began ranting about how I wanted an app on iPhone OS that could help me keep track of the beers I was drinking, along with tasting notes and ratings. It’s possible that I had maybe one beer too many, but when one of my friends suggested that I just build the app myself, I laughed it off and went on with my night. But when I woke up in the morning, it was still there in the back of my head. So on March 24th, 2010, I opened Xcode, started a project from a template, and started teaching myself Objective-C.
What I knew I’d get out of that project was a silly hobby that might make a few dollars. What I hoped for was a basic understanding about how to make applications, and maybe a nice challenge for weekend hacking. What I ended up with was a career change, and a newfound passion.
1 year ago today, I started as a professional iOS developer at thoughtbot in Boston, MA. In that past year, I have grown tenfold professionally. I started attending my local CocoaHeads chapter in January, and attended my first professional conference in April. In June I attended my first WWDC … kinda. And at the end of July, I started to co-host a podcast with my good friend and colleague, Mark Adams.
It’s been a hell of a fucking year. I’ve been almost unbelievably lucky over the past 12 months. My co-workers are easily the smartest group of people I have ever met in my entire life. The projects I have been able to work on have been incredible learning experiences that have forced me to become a better developer on a daily basis. And for the first time in my life, I’m working in a job that I’m proud to call a career.
Can’t wait to see what happens next.