If you read my last post, you know I’ve made it a little further in my coder’s quest. This post, I’m switching it up a bit from Joseph Campbell to Chris Vogler, who’s 2007 take on the Hero’s Journey, The Writer’s Journey, inspired nearly all of my writing. When we last met our hero, she had just composed her first bit of code and couldn’t turn back. She. Was. Hooked. But now in the heart of the challenge of coding, where would she go? How would she do? This is the second act of our hero’s journey.
Tests, Allies and Enemies:
The hero explores the special world, faces trial, and makes friends and enemies.
Our coder is immersed. It’s 4:45am. She has a triple shot of espresso–make that a double shot now–next to her. She types. Hits run. Nothing happens. The sigh of frustration. Types again. Run. Nothing. No shots of espresso left. Types again. “Waaaaa!” A baby cries. “No.” She clicks the twitter tab. “When the baby wakes up right when you’re about to solve this button problem. Sad face. #coding”
She brings the baby back to her station on the couch. Two more kids. “Mom, we’re hungry.” One more, “Mom, something smells in my room.”
Approach to the Innermost Cave:
The hero nears the center of the story and the special world.
She’s been in tutorial land for almost a year. She gets it. She’s where she needs to be. She has a message on her linkedin: “I’m in need of a freelance front end dev. Can we connect?” Hell, freakin’ yeah. And now, she’s not just a student; she’s a freelancer.
The Ordeal:
The hero faces the greatest challenge yet and experiences death and rebirth.
Our coder is on her own. She’s at a desk, probably been there for three days. The kids sit on a couch behind her watching Beauty and the Beast. There are three stacks of pizza boxes. Her hand shakes as she picks up her espresso cup. She reloads the page. “Noooooo.” Obviously not doing what she wants it to. Clicks on Stackoverflow. Submits her question. The responses are in. They all personally hate her.
She jumps out of her chair. Throws a shoe at the tv. “We’re going out!”
She piles the kids in the car and drives to the nearest coffee shop. “Four Iced hot chocolates, and a large frappe with extra whipped cream and extra bacon.” Barista: “You want bac–” Our coder: “EXTRA BACON!”
The barista hands her a caddy with the iced hot chocolates, and a frappe with four strips of bacon coming out of the whipped cream. Our coder sips and crunches.
There’s a woman across from her. They make eye contact. Woman: “You’ve got your hands full.” Our coder: “I know. I never should’ve taken on this project. I’m not ready. This shouldn’t be that hard. I’m done. I’m going to keep my job. My old life wasn’t terrible. It’ll be fine.” Woman: “I meant with the hot chocolates.” Our coder: “Oh, right.” She hands them to her kids. Woman: “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but for what it’s worth, we all have moments where we want to give up. You’ll make it.”
Our coder tucks the last kid in bed and lays down. The code has invaded her mind. There’s no sleep.
Reward:
The hero experiences the consequences of surviving death.
After a sleepless night. DING. A notification from Stackoverflow. Ugh. Should she look at it? She gives in. “That’s it! That’s exactly what I needed.”
The trumpets play as she types in some code. It works! It works!
The Road Back:
The hero returns to the ordinary world or continues to an ultimate destination.
Our coder opens her gmail and types. “Dear Boss, Please accept this as my two weeks notice. I’m ready for a job that challenges me and values my progress.” Send. Her head hits the desk and she’s asleep.