In 1980, I entered college with dreams of being a pro tennis player.
A semester later, I discovered computer science. I landed my very first C ever in that class. I was humbled and angry. But I was also hooked. Controlling a machine with code was pure magic to me.
In 1981, I traded my tennis racket for a computer keyboard and never looked back.
In retrospect, it was the smartest financial decision, short of marrying my wife, that I ever made. It’s funny how some of our smartest long term financial moves aren’t motivated by money at all.
From the day I stepped out of college until 10 years ago when I founded FamZoo, I was compensated generously for something I absolutely loved doing. And that’s one of the key reasons I’ve been able to combine my beloved craft with an important social mission for the last decade without accepting a dime of monetary compensation.
According to a recent study by a software trade group, there are 223,054 open positions for software developers in the US. Those openings span every state with no slackening of demand in sight. The average salary for software developers nationwide tops $104,000. That’s nearly a quarter million opportunities for people to follow a trajectory of financial security and professional fulfillment if they discover a passion for software like I did.
As Marc Andreessen says, “software is eating the world.” It has relevance in virtually every field — from art to genetics.
So if you have any opportunity to expose your kid to writing software. Do it. There’s no downside. Who knows? Your kid just might love it. Just like I did.
P.S. There are only a handful of new tennis players who crack into the financially viable tier of the pro circuit each year. I think I made the right call.
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