🦄 What does it mean to be a developer? Is it a hobby, a job, a passion, or some combination of all three?
When I first discovered programming, it was a means to an end and nothing more. I had a GitHub account that I had used in college and then it collected dust in the corner for 10+ years.
A little more than two years ago, I became somewhat obsessed with the whole concept of AI. I had played with ChatGPT before then and was less than impressed because I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to make anything meaningful happen. So I played with it on and off until I got access to Copilot at work. You can read about those adventures in GitHub Copilot Agent Mode: The Mistake You NEVER Want to Make — my personal favorite.
Then it was like a switch flipped in my brain and all of a sudden I could see worlds of endless possibilities. I was determined to bend the LLMs to my will because I knew they were capable of far more than anybody was giving them credit for at the time.
For once, my GitHub finally had something to show off besides dust mites and crickets.
Somewhere along the way, programming had become all three: my job, my hobby, and my passion.
I started writing on DEV around that same time because frankly I was repeating myself so often during training that I couldn't stand to hear myself talk — and I talk to myself all the time, so that was problematic.
The whole intent was for me to have a published copy of instructions to share. What I did not expect was exactly how much fun I'd have writing all of those articles and, even more so, all the great people I'd meet along the way.
But I've been finished writing for awhile already. For some time, DEV challenges kept me busy, but eventually the fun I was having with those fizzled out too.
I don't have one last tutorial or another challenge in me, but I did want to say goodbye. It's time I find something else to occupy my time.
So to my biggest supporters, thank you for all the great conversations and encouragement you gave me along the way. I'd have never made it this far without you: @georgekobaidze, @learn2027, @copyleftdev, @ben, @guypowell.
And to all of you who bothered to read an article or leave a like or debate with me in the comments, thanks for the memories. I'm eternally grateful to all of you. 🫶
Top comments (10)
Hey @anchildress1! Thank you for being part of the DEV community! Whatever your journey takes you, I hope you are in good health and enjoy what life has taken you.
Whatever that maybe, you are always welcome back here on DEV. See you in the next life :)
Dear Ashley! It’s sad to see decisions like this. I can totally understand reaching that point, especially when our perfectionism adds to the pressure. Personally, I think we can live quite happily with imperfection.
This has been my most active year on GitHub so far, but I looked back at my own activity:
And my advice is: take a break. I did too, quite visibly. But then I crawled back for Hacktoberfest, and I didn’t regret it. The agents had improved so much in the meantime that they took the work to a whole new level. Now you’re the architect and art director of your projects. I’ve even started digging into a GitHub project I wrote 12 years ago, and I’m breathing new life into it. So, just don’t make any drastic decisions.
To make looking back easier, I had an interactive mind map made from my dev.to articles. I find it incredibly useful, especially because I can navigate it with the keyboard: devto-post-map.vercel.app/
Didn't see this one coming! I hope you find something you enjoy even more. Thanks for the shoutout, but truth be told, you'd have gotten this far and more without anyone. You have a lot of talent, so use it, no matter what you do.
I hope we'll see you back someday. You're an integral part of this community!⭐️
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and work to us!
Ashley, first off, thank you for the kind mention. It genuinely means a lot.
One thing I've always appreciated about you is that rare balance of creativity and technical ability. You have a way of seeing possibilities beyond the code itself, and I've always admired that. It's one thing to understand technology, but it's another to have the imagination to see what it could become.
I've appreciated our conversations, your contributions, and the energy you've brought to this community. People like you remind me that software has always been about more than technology. It's about curiosity, creativity, and the people we meet along the way.
I have absolutely no doubt you're going to do great things in whatever comes next. That kind of curiosity and imagination doesn't disappear just because you decide to turn the page.
Thank you for everything you've shared, Ashley. It's been a pleasure crossing paths with you, and I genuinely wish you nothing but the best in your next chapter.
10-4 🦾 good luck on your endevours!
Sad to see you go, but this is such a lovely way to say goodbye. I really liked the part about your GitHub collecting dust for 10+ years and then a switch flipping. It’s a good reminder that it’s never too late for something to click. Thank you for everything you shared here. Wishing you all the best with whatever comes next, and I hope it brings you as much fun as this did 🫶
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and being part of this wonderful community. You'll be missed! Wishing you happiness and new adventures ahead. ⭐
Thank you for every article and every debate in the comments. Writing instructions to stop repeating ourselves makes the most relatable origin story for a tech blog, and many of us here learned a lot from it. Good luck with whatever comes next 🫶
Good Luck in your new journey, hope you have fun and enjoy it
For me, it all three... It started as hobby when I was pretty young, then became a job as well. It's my passion!!
Sad that you are leaving, but I wish the best of luck to you 🙂