Programming is a tough line of work. Not because its hard to learn or to implement, but because you constantly face failure.

The scenario feels identical each time, too.

You have an idea on how to build something or fix an issue. You get behind your computer and start working. The first solution didn’t work, neither did the second, nor did the third. Twenty minutes turns into an hour which turns into four and at this point you’ve met enough small failures you feel like a big failure yourself.

You feel frustrated, worried, scared, paralyzed, annoyed and just generally not defeated. You feel like you’re in quicksand and each move you make while in this funk only digs you deeper.

At some point you ask for help. The person you ask gets it done pretty quickly and now you’ve got two new failures weighing you down: you had to ask for help and now you’re comparing you’re failure to someone else’s success.

A lot of people say to turn these moments into a learning experience, and I whole-heartedly agree. But sometimes we also have to realize we’re scared, upset or frustrated.

The hardest part isn’t programming. The hardest part is perseverance.

The perseverance to continue no matter how much you know, how fast you’re going or how difficult the task may be.