Why I created MBAHacks.com, or Why I am learning to program
I started MBAHacks to document my journey of learning how to build web applications.
January 2011 was the beginning of the winter quarter at Stanford. That was the quarter I decided to take CS106A, Stanford’s Intro to Programming class based on Java. The class was challenging for the sheer volume of time I had to put into it. Nonetheless, 10 weeks later I knew how to program in Java, although I was still a noob.
Prior to January of 2011 these were the most technical things I had done:
- Programming my Ti-83 calculator using BASIC in high school
- Building my excel hack which earned me some respect from other hackers at SVI Hackspace at Stanford. (you’d have to see it to understand why it’s an excel hack)
- Disassembling and rebuilding my laptop (pictured above)
- Replacing the LCD screen of my brother’s IBM Thinkpad
After graduating from business school, I decided to continue learning how to program and immerse myself in all things related to building web apps. Why, you might ask? Well, I also thought long and hard about that question. Here is what I learned about my motivations:
For the love of learning. I enjoy learning new things. Even more, I like understanding how things work. A little bit of tech knowledge goes a long way. For instance, I was able to customize this Posterous blog using the HTML and CSS that I know.
To bootstrap. I should note I’ll never be the main developer for my company and don’t ever expect to be a 10x programmer. However, it’s ridiculously difficult to find and recruit talented developers in this frothy environment. Maybe I can learn enough to build my own prototype and use that to recruit a team. Once my team is in place, they can throw away my old code and start from scratch.
For R-E-S-P-E-C-T. One of the most valuable things I learned at business school is that in order to be influential, you need to be influencible. Well, learning how to program shows respect for the work of developers. In exchange, this might just earn me some respect from developers. Learning any language (spoken or computer) serves as a signal to others that I give a damn. I care enough to put in the immense effort required to learn the language. When my wife and I were traveling around the world, the first thing we did before we got to a new country was learn two words in the local language, “hello”, and “thank you”. These two simple words transformed us from “tourist” to “guests”. You’ll be surprised at just how few tourists bother to even learn how to say “hello” in the language of their host country. In this sense, immersing myself in technology is a gesture of humility to my future teammates. I don’t just expect you to speak my language; I’m willing to learn your language, too. This brings me to the next benefit…
For the obvious. Speaking the same language as another person dramatically helps with…hold your breath…communication! :) This applies equally well to technology as to spoken language. Today, I can have a conversation with a developer that goes beyond simple concepts. I can now discuss the tradeoffs of straight HMTL/CSS vs. HAML/SASS or ask whether our web app should be built using Ruby on Rails or Node.js.
For hiring purposes. Whether I find a technical co-founder or hire a CTO, I now know what to look for in a good developer. Should I ever need to hire a team of developers, or outsource a project, I have a much better idea of what to look for and how to work with them.
For the challenge. I love a good challenge and building a web application from scratch is tough as nails. I’ve done more difficult things in my life, so why not this?
Because I can. Through the course of my journey I’ve learned of other business people that have successfully learned how to program. Proof that it is possible! Here are a few examples. Do you know of others?
Technical co-founders are overrated (great post, provocative title)
Learning to program: Everlater’s story
Can’t find a technical co-founder? Do it yourself.
Conclusion. Is learning how to program the best use of my time? It doesn’t matter. I’ve learned over the course of my lifetime that I can spend my time analyzing such questions or I can go out and make it happen. For years, the main essay question for admission to the Stanford Graduate School of Business has been “What matters most to you and why?” In my essay, I wrote about perseverance and determination. While I can rationalize why I am learning to program, at the end of the day it comes down to a gut feeling that this is what I need to do. I am determined to learn how to build a web app. Nothing can stop me. …I hope never have to eat my own words. :) In short, MBAHacks was conceived as a way to chronicle my technology journey and share what I learn with others.
Check out my follow up post, Zero to Binary in 60 days, to hear how I went about immersing myself in technology.
(Source: codedmonkey.files.wordpress.com)
