Like many young people growing up in this era, I’ve been surrounded by technology since I was little. My first encounter with a computer happened when my mom started working at a hotel run by my uncle. There were four computers, and every time we visited, I would sit there for hours, exploring. During the early days when Facebook was just becoming popular, I was already discovering new social media platforms and creating accounts—even as a child.
One day, I stumbled upon a way to increase in-game currency: opening Inspect and manually changing numbers in the HTML code. I had no idea what those weird symbols and words meant, and honestly, I was scared I might break the whole computer. But I still tried. And the happiness I felt when it worked was unforgettable.
Around the age of 6–7, I was already making photo edits. They’re still in my archive today. Looking back, they were simple, but at that age they were challenging—and so fun. My friends would ask me to teach them too, and I never refused. I kept searching for new editing apps just to show them something new. Over time, photo edits became video edits.
Back then, online tech courses weren’t as common or accessible as they are today. Growing up in a small city also meant there weren’t many opportunities. I admired people who worked with technology, but I never really felt like I belonged in that world. There weren’t many people around me who knew about software—and the ones who did were often involved in the wrong things. Add the stereotype of “this job is only for men,” and I naturally drifted away from the idea.
Later, I began to realize I had been living like a programmer all along. I started by thinking about what I wanted for my future and made a list. I wanted to learn constantly, in every stage of life. Computer science is like an endless ocean of knowledge; you can dive as deep as you want.
If there’s a 1% chance of getting lost in that ocean, I’m the type of person who loves exploring multiple areas rather than sticking to just one. Many people might disagree with this approach, but if you plan well and enjoy what you do, you can dive deep and come back safely every time.
I’ve always lived very structured—just like writing code line by line. Whenever I face a problem in daily life, I break it into pieces, consider solutions, and work until I fix it. And that’s exactly what programmers do, but with a machine.
So if you ask me, “Why do you want to be a programmer?” My answer is: “There is no single reason.” Every story I told above is part of the reason, but there’s never been one clear answer.
I once read something: “If you need a reason to love something or someone, once that reason disappears, the love disappears with it.” That’s why I don’t want to attach my love for this field to a reason. I love it simply because it feels right. Whether now or in the future, I see myself here—because that’s where my heart is.
If you look at the photo, you can see the year is 2010... I was 6 years old.
