One of the things I love about being in the field of software and programming is the fact I get to be exposed to new and exciting technologies all the time.  Learning new languages, hearing about startups being acquired by this company or that company.  So why is it almost impossible to meet other developers in Fresno that think the same?  I met a handful in the bay area within two weeks of moving there.

Most of the other people I know love their 9-to-5 job where when it’s 5:00 they are out the door, not wanting to look at another line of code again until the next morning.  Maybe this is what separates “Career Programmers” from “Passionate Programmers”.  At least that’s always been my argument.

I understand one of the big issues that arise with people here in Fresno yet alone the Central Valley is their families.  Family is a big driving factor here, and I think a lot of times people trump this over the whole process of continuing their love for programming outside of the job.  But I really don’t think it needs to be this way.  Who says just because junior or 1 or 2 years old you can no longer pick up a good ASP.NET 3.5 or Ruby on Rails book at home?  Or code up a side project for fun?

The main reason I began thinking about this was the term everyone uses today as “rockstar programmer”.  Honestly I love this term, and it gives a sense of enlightenment when most of the bullet points mentioned are similar to what I do or feel (give or take a few).  Not to be conceited in any way, I just love technology and I love learning new things both at work and at home.

But I think rarely any credit is given to programmers who try to achieve this mentality here.  They are often taken for granted and overlooked for mediocrity.