> Three years later, I am still very much the apprentice. I used to think I’d get to the point where I could just sit down and breathe out perfect code, but th

> Three years later, I am still very much the apprentice. I used to think I’d get to the point where I could just sit down and breathe out perfect code, but that doesn’t happen. As I’ve thought about the reasons why, I came up with the following reasons: 1. Writing code is an act of inventing. If what I’m trying to build already existed, I could just go buy it and save myself a lot of time and money. It doesn’t exist though. I’m being paid to create something new and unique. This requires thought, trial and error, and multiple iterations to get right. 2. The software development landscape is not a static one. I used to build commercial buildings with my dad. Once I learned that studs should be set at 16” on center, how to measure and cut complex angles, and how to finish cement, I never had to learn those things again. They were pretty much static and I got to where I could breathe out a plumbed wall without thinking about it. In the software industry, developers are constantly having to learn new things. New languages become popular, companies jump on things like Kubernetes because everyone else is, the JavaScript community cranks out new libraries and frameworks on almost a daily basis. While the fundamentals of recursion, looping, and conditionals remain the same, the syntax, idioms, and best practices are constantly shifting. After 30 years of programming, I don’t think I’ll ever stop being an apprentice in at least some aspects of my career.