During my childhood I was told by many that I was what they called an --- 'introvert'. As far as my side of the story was concerned; I found human beings; to be these hugely complex creatures who were very difficult to understand and establish a connection with.
If I can be honest here; it was not the human race that was a problem. I actually liked interacting with other human beings. It was just the first five minutes; the small-talk; the how-are-you-doing or how-is-the-weather-there discussion along with that phony smile that I found hugely complicated and pointless.
Computers and compilers on the other hand; were hugely different. At times they were unpredictable too but they came nowhere close to human beings; besides there was no small-talk; weather-talk; and phony-smiles involved.
Armed with my programming skills; I entered a profession where interaction with human beings was just as important as interacting with the compiler.
Then as I grew and morphed into a better programmer; something funny happened. My quest of becoming a better programmer started making me interact with other fellow-programmers and I; dear reader; started connect to them. Then there was the ability to explain technology to explain technology to clients and business folks; that started getting developed as I worked more with people who were not very technical.
Put simply; as I grew up as a programmer; I realized that I was not the 'shy' or 'introvert' character I was told I was.
I just had a slightly different medium; way and approach of connecting with people.
As a part of my job; this blog and my online presence I think on any given day the number of human beings that I interact with; is probably more than any typical social lawyer or insurance agent out there; and I love it.
Having said that; for the programmer within me even today; connecting to random strangers is not easy; and yet; every time I get an opportunity to connect to people; I try my best to do so.
Michael Lopp in his post about 'Your People' explains why I make a conscious effort to interact with people through twitter; blogs; and conferences every time I get an opportunity. Michael explains:
There are two types of networking. Basic networking is what you do at work. It’s a target rich environment with co-workers, your boss, and those of interest in close proximity. It’s work, but it’s easy work because your day is full of those you depend on and you’ve learned that professionally befriending these people keeps you comfortably in the know.
The other type of networking I’m going to call people networking and it’s harder work. This is when you put yourself out there. It’s attending a conference where you know no one. It’s driving to the city to sit in a coffee shop with ten strangers bonded by a programming language. It’s a leap for the socially awkward, but the infrequent reward is that you discover Your People.
While Michael's definition of 'your people' is a definition that I would rather use to describe close friends or colleagues; he makes a point that is rather valid. As programmers; it is easy for us to interact with our compilers; talk to other fellow programmers and completely miss out on opportunities that allow us to connect; share; and learn from other smart individuals around the world.
My Point?
Look around. Connect with other human beings whenever you can.
If you are a programmer; who finds peace by being in flow and talking to his compiler; my advice to you dear reader; is that you go out there and start a dialog with smart people out of your current workplace.
If small talk makes you nervous; find other way of communicating with people. If constant ongoing conversation is your medium on conversation; start a twitter account. If you like a coherent stream of organized thoughts and discussions around those thoughts sign up for a blog. If personal one on one communication makes you happy; start attending conferences.
Whatever it is that you do; connect to people every time you find the opportunity to do so; because at the end of the day; that is what will make you a better programmer; a better professional and a better human being.
I wish you good luck.
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