Ego Blasting on the ones and twos

September 14, 2003

As a programmer I can remember the first time I created a useful program and the first time I actually made PHP script that was functional on a website. This gave me an incredible feeling and ever since then I felt as if I could program anything. As programmers that is how we should feel. Programming languages give us the power to manipulate technology the way we want to. Nothing seems impossible. That is until you actually reach a problem that does seem impossible.

Hang the Ego Up

There have been more times than I could count when I have gotten stuck on a problem. These times can be very depressing for my ego and nothing seems to be going right with the world. The easiest thing to do is sometimes also the hardest and that is having to ask someone else for advice.

I contracted for this company for a short period of time and they were doing some things with PHP that I had never seen before. I will admit that at the time I was a very inexperienced PHP programmer, but my ego allowed me to think that I was one of the best around. That is until I saw the stuff they were doing. Being a contractor you also have to have sort of an ego because the people who hire you expect you to know what you are doing. Well there were many times where I did not know what I was doing because all the stuff was new. This was damaging to me and I lost a lot of productivity just staring at the screen. After a couple of hours when I had no more ego left I got up and asked one of the lead programmers how he would go about handling the problem. He offered his suggestions, which helped me tremendously and I was on my way.

Over time I asked lots of questions and received lots of answers. I learned more in that short period of time then I ever have previously. Simply through the generosity of others. If someone asks you for help then offer them a path to walk on. Do not tell them to figure it out for themselves. You learn best through others sometimes so why not help each other.

Use Friends Wisely

Just because you know someone who is willing to help you does not mean that you should abuse their charity. Try to figure out the problem yourself. Sometimes you need to walk away. If you do go to somone do not necessarily ask for the solution, but how they would approach the problem. This helps to give you insight into how others think which is more valuable than simply knowing how to get it done.

Use Your Ego

You do need an ego though because it helps get you through the challenges. Your ego can be used as motivation to solve a problem. It helps to let you know that you are just as capable as others of getting stuff done. Although it might take longer and not be as efficient. There is a time and place to use your ego and there is a time and place to swallow your pride and ask for help.