I was asked this question by someone today and it kind of caught me off guard. I never really have reflected on this seemingly obvious topic. Because I was caught off guard with the question, my answer was straight from the gut and therefore I trust that probably more than a well thought out answer after much reflection.
The single thing that I enjoy the most about my job is the ability to create solutions to complex problems.
I first was going to say just create but then realized that if what I am creating has very little impact or is something that has been done plenty of times before, then I really don’t get a thrill out of it. It is just not nearly as satisfying as creating something totally unique and/or that solves a big problem.
As time goes on, the nature of problems that are enjoyable to solve become more and more complex as well as in many cases more and more abstract. I guess this is the nature of learning and adapting to challenges. It’d be kind of like putting the same jigsaw puzzle together more than once. Some folks really enjoy that. It’s just not for me.
There is a lot of junk in the day-to-day that gets in the way of realizing and understanding this truth about me. Topics that are all well in good like SDLC choices, tool and platform options, policy and process issues, even office politics (in the best sense of the term).
While these topics are important to take interest in as a software professional and technologist, they are a means to an end, not the end. Sometimes we, at least I have the tendency, to get so wrapped up in them, that I loose site of what gives me the greatest satisfaction in my work.
I would imagine that doesn’t make me all that unique as I would imagine that most people find that truly rewarding as well. I think that is in large part in how we are created beings and not only that but created in the image of God. Who is more creative than the Creator? That’s the cool part, I think, about this recognized desire that goes to my core. It’s put there by God, fashioned after Him. What greater challenge is there than creating all of Creation? He defines the meaning of the word.