Pain vs. Suffering

Welcome to the Code Fellows 401 Python course in Advanced Software Development.

Over the next 10 weeks of this course, you’ll learn far more than most people learn in 2 years of study in a University setting about software development, web app development, best practices, and the Python language overall. That accelerated learning environment is great, but it does come at a price that is felt in all spheres of life: physical, mental, and emotional.

That price is pain, the pain of growth.

Pain does not feel good. Duh.

The pain that you’ll experience during this course is no exception; most times it won’t feel good. You won’t feel good.

You’ll be pushed mentally, having to think your way through problems that you had only even heard about a few hours beforehand.
You’ll have to forge your own path toward a solution.
You’ll have to research for hours on end, fleshing out the skeleton that we discuss in class, piling information on top of application so that you can reach your goals.
You’ll be pushed emotionally, constantly confronted with your own lack of understanding of a topic.
You’ll Constantly be having to figure out how to collaborate with new people and deal with their (and your own) emotional quirks.
You’ll Constantly be thrust far outside of your comfort zone with the expectation that you’ll survive for the next push forward.
You’ll Constantly be dealing with uncertainty of what awaits you at the end of the 10 weeks, and whether or not you’ll make it.
You’ll be pushed physically, and while sitting in a chair and staring at your screen isn’t the most strenuous exercise in the world, the consecutive hours of it will take its toll.
You’ll lose sleep, you’ll forget to work out, and you’ll feel exhausted all while being filled with information day after day.

These are all painful.

They are also the ways in which you grow.

All growth comes with some degree of pain, as it pulls you out of your comfort zone. The greater the growth, the greater the pain. But pain in the service of growth is a good thing, as long as that pain is what’s necessary to achieve the growth that you’re aiming for. And even better than that, this pain is only temporary. It’s what will launch you forward into the next phase of your life.

Do not confuse this with suffering.

Suffering is pain without purpose. Pain with no higher goal. Pain with no dreams, no ambition, no aspiration.

Suffering is dependent on the story that we layer on top of our pain

As you work through feeling the pain of growth over the next 10 weeks, consider heavily the story that you attach to it.

What’s your perspective?
Why are you doing this?
Do you want what comes at the end of this journey?
Are you doing this for you?

As you experience pain, seek the remedy! Ask questions that bridge the gap between what you know and what you need to be able to do. Research! Build your resources and your community! Don’t experience the pain in silence—that slides toward needless pain and the realm of suffering.

Find the common thread that makes the pain worthwhile, that puts the pain into perspective. You’re here because you chose to invest in a different life. A better life.

You’re in this class so that you can become not just a competent Python developer, but a spectacular craftsman of software with Python as your tool. The pain that you feel? Those are the callouses that you build while learning to use that tool.

It’s not easy, nor is it common. This is why such skilled people are highly-valued in the industry. You are building your value. You are experiencing the pain of growth. Live it, love it, and take it forward into your future as a full-stack software developer capable of meeting all challenges with a clear head and strong heart.

Welcome to Code 401.