Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Kevin McCarthy @mccarthy_kp / Instagram

Let me begin by stating this was, by no means, an easy decision.

In 2014 I got accepted to the University of Cincinnati for architectural design under their D.A.A.P. (Design, Art, Architecture and Planning) program.

I was a strong calculus student, acknowledged for my artistic ability, and architecture seemed to be a nice common ground between technical skills, analytical skills and design.

After about a year, I’d begun questioning my decision. Frustrated with the process — abnormally long nights of hand-making moleskin sketchbooks which went ungraded, and dozens upon dozens of movie-themed collages that had seemingly no relevance to what I perceived education in modern architectural design to be.

I can appreciate the method and approach to the programs, and I do believe it’s necessary for those willing to put up with the ominous process of design school, but after a long period of retaking courses, taking semesters off and finding work outside of school — I knew it was not where I wanted to be.

D.A.A.P. Building / daap.uc.edu

This is when I discovered coding.

I was introduced to programming through my girlfriend, who is a computer engineering student. She’s completed numerous projects, such as a program to create 2D fractals, a Bob’s Burgers variation of Flappy Bird she called Flappy Tina, the game of Battleship and Breakout among many others.

While these were all smaller class projects she’d worked on, I’d felt I’d been introduced to software in a way that utilized creativity and maintained the technical skills it requires.

I got excited.

I felt motivated to learn.

While a career as a developer isn’t always creating small applications, mobile games or interesting abstract objects using mathematical equations, the idea that each and every project is only limited by the imagination of the coder is what excites me the most.

There’s an infinite number of ways to solve a problem, and coding allows you to explore your way while examining other’s creative solutions as well.

I’ve formed this belief that computer science is much like architecture — I can design, build, and solve real world problems.

However, architects seem to have a singularity to their persona — known architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Meier, Louis Khan, Ludwig Mies van der Roh, etc. You never heard about the construction teams on their projects, the engineers, or the interior designers in most cases. Only them — the architects. A single entity.

Within coding, there’s an entire community — a developer community.

These are people from all backgrounds and all walks of life who are willing to work together to solve problems, provide feedback, and share their techniques and experiences with other developers.

Alex Kotliarskyi / Unsplash

One of the best ways to grow as an individual is to surround yourself with like-minded people, and the developer community allows you to do just that.

There’s this idea that computer programmers are introverted, awkward, nerdy hermits who sit in the dark and type away at their computers.

In some cases this is true.

However,

great developers are the one’s who are collaborating, communicating, making connections, sharing work and giving feedback.

The ability to learn, research, collaborate, consult other developers and discover new projects is endless.

There are tons of online sources available for personal growth.

Something I love to do is learn, and programming is such a vast, growing and changing field that educating yourself on a consistent basis is a necessity.

Having the ability to get online and search answers for nearly any question you have that may open up the gates for you to move forward is a powerful tool.

The more you learn as a developer, the more freedom you have to turn your ideas into a reality.

Code allows you to do that,

and it’s really f*ckin’ amazing.

Ultimately, my decision to leave design school to become a developer was predicated on being self-aware — knowing that my current situation wasn’t making me happy, and finding an alternative solution that highlighted a path I knew would not only challenge me in an enjoyable way, but give me the ability to utilize my skills in the best way possible.

While it may seem like my choice was rather binary, for many people it is not — especially in the realm of education, where a significant amount of money is being thrown around, and the stress is on to choose a path that seemingly decides the fate of your future.

Regardless of your current situation, I encourage you to reflect on your experiences and what makes you happy. Become more self-aware, and have the intrinsic motivation to act on your intuition.

There is no right or wrong way, but there is your way.

If you enjoyed this story, please click or tap those clappin’ hands (👏🏼) so others can enjoy it too! You can even do it more than once. 😉 Feel free to contact me on Instagram and Twitter @mccarthy_kp. I’d love to hear from you!

Why I left design school to become a developer was originally published in Prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Why I left design school to become a developer

Cool stuff, every week

More Articles