As a new developer myself, I come across lapses in motivation that push me into idleness, and although pushing through in these moments is what I should be striving for on every occasion. Sometimes, I cave and I give into that part of my brain that is whispering things like, “you can finish it later” or “don’t worry about it”. In these situations, I’ve found the best way for me to “get back on the horse”, but fulfill some level of wanting from my brain, is to fill that time with tv shows centered around programming. I love tv, but I know that watching television is wasting time. Yet, I love tv all the same, so when I want to compromise I try and make it serve some purpose. Which I feel these tv shows help do by reinforcing things like why I program or what programming can accomplish.
TV Shows..
First off, we have one of my favorite tv shows called Silicon Valley, this comedy series follows the misadventures of introverted computer programmer Richard and his brainy friends as they attempt to strike it rich in a high-tech gold rush. They live together in a Bay Area startup incubator loosely run by self-satisfied dot-com millionaire Erlich, who lets them stay in his house rent-free in exchange for a stake in the projects they invent there. But when Richard develops a powerful search algorithm at his day job, he finds himself caught in the middle of a bidding war between his boss — whose firm offers Richard an eight-figure buyout — and a deep-pocketed venture capitalist.
Silicon Valley, has always been a motivator for me, I love the idea of working for a startup where you’re a “big fish in a small pond, rather than a small fish in a big pond”, and you get to build something that could potentially be huge. There is obvious risk there, but that’s where I ultimately want to be, working for a fortune 500 company would be great. However, a small company where I’m more valued and can make a bigger impact is too attractive. Silicon Valley depicts exactly that, and it’s the first tv show I recommend to people when the topic comes up.
My second recommendation, is a show called Halt and Catch Fire. It’s the early 1980s, and the spirit of innovation in personal computing is about to catch fire. Hot on the trail is a renegade trio — a visionary, an engineer and a prodigy — who risk everything to realize their vision of building a computer that can change the future.
Halt and Catch Fire, gave me a real appreciation for the engineers who “work with the metal”. They also do a great job depicting IBM as this overwhelming shadow that strikes fear in the heart of it’s competition and who isn’t afraid to lie, steal, and sue to maintain that status. In one of the scenes IBM’s lawyers walk into the office and you get an idea for what level of risk the Cardiff Electric team is taking challenging such a giant. Overall, IBM plays a very minor role, but the main story line follows the stages of bringing an idea into reality. Also, if you’re interested in game development this show will also take in that direction at some point.
Lastly, we have a show called Mr. Robot. Young, anti-social computer programmer Elliot works as a cybersecurity engineer during the day, but at night he is a vigilante hacker. He is recruited by the mysterious leader of an underground group of hackers to join their organization. Elliot’s task? Help bring down corporate America, including the company he is paid to protect, which presents him with a moral dilemma.
Mr. Robot, is a great example of the sheer power programming can have. It also has a rich storyline and Elliot is constantly solving problems using programming and other pieces of technology. One of the greatest things about this show is that the majority Elliot’s hacks or exploits can be duplicated in real life. I spent a lot of time contemplating whether or not I would take the plunge into cybersecurity, and all of that digging was because of Mr. Robot. If you’re interested in anything related to cybersecurity this will probably end up being your favorite show.
I know this is a small list of only three tv shows, but quality > quantity. Also, on a funny note, I often ask people if they’ve seen Mr. Robot and if they say yes I can kind of tell what level they are on. Thus far, I have only met one person who has seen the show and that one question lead into hours of conversation about Tor, Kali Linux, the Dark Web, etc.
Thanks!