Another World is Also Possible.

Hello 👋

When I started my career, I was full of energy and saw endless possibilities ahead. But after 13 years in the same profession, something changed. Now I often wonder: Am I running out of challenges? Has my passion faded? Should I try something completely new? What’s holding me back from growing? Why do I lie awake at night? Am I focusing on the right things? If these questions sound familiar to you, keep reading.

I want to share my personal journey with you. While my experience might be different from yours, I believe you’ll find something valuable in this story I won’t give you a list of rules to follow or tell you when to wake up or exercise. Instead, I’ll simply share how I changed and what I learned along the way.

If I hadn’t gone to university, I wouldn’t have become a self-taught programmer. I know this because I know myself.

Let me explain how I got into this field. Growing up, I wasn’t particularly interested in computers, but I knew I wanted a career involving them. Although I didn’t score well on the university entrance exam (ÖSS), my family supported me in getting into my chosen school. During my studies, I discovered my true passion and learned to set goals and make plans to achieve them.

Developing software is nice, but another world is also possible.

I’m naturally outgoing and enjoy connecting with people. Spending time together and sharing experiences brings me joy. I’m honest about who I am - I enjoy recognition for my work. What makes me truly happy is public speaking, organizing groups, taking the lead, and achieving goals with others. I discovered these things about myself during my university years.

This self-discovery in college proved valuable for my career. School played a crucial role in my life, particularly in learning English. Though I sometimes questioned why I needed these skills, they’ve become incredibly useful. Today, I can talk to people around the world. I have friends across the globe for two main reasons: my career in technology and my ability to speak English.

After five years of university, I graduated with a diploma but felt uncertain about my future. What I knew for sure was that I wanted to enjoy my work. I’m the kind of person who prefers to avoid unnecessary stress and complications. I believe in working in a way that feels natural, not like a programmed robot - even though that’s not always appreciated in today’s business world. While I believe in working hard and achieving goals, I’ve learned that I need to stay true to who I am. This approach might not make me the most successful person in my field, but it lets me live honestly. Yes, being myself has sometimes caused problems in both my career and personal life, but I’m okay with that. Through my mistakes, I’ve learned valuable lessons.

I wanted to show people what I had done and receive their praise.

Near the end of my university years, I found a programming tool called Ruby on Rails. While I had learned other programming languages like C and Java in school, Ruby on Rails was different. It let me create things quickly and easily share them with others. This was perfect for me because I loved showing my work to people and getting positive feedback.

Through Ruby on Rails, I discovered the Ruby programming language and connected with people from all over the world online. Even before graduating, I was working on exciting projects and getting help from a wonderful community of developers. They taught me new things and made programming fun again. The best part was working together with others.

Back in the 2010s, using Ruby on Rails on Windows computers was very challenging. To solve this problem, I started using UNIX-based systems - first Linux, then Mac OSX. This led me to spend more time at my school’s computer club.

The computer club turned out to be a great opportunity. I got to lead projects, work with others, and be part of a community. That’s when I realized something important: I could combine my love for technology with my passion for bringing people together. I hadn’t known this was possible before, but once I discovered it, I found it incredibly rewarding.

I will be a man who deals with Ruby in Turkey and my name and Ruby will somehow be side by side.

As I was about to graduate, I needed to find a job. My family wanted to help and suggested various corporate positions, but I had different plans. The big corporate world seemed too rigid and boring to me. Instead, I wanted to work at a startup where I could use Ruby on Rails and be part of a more dynamic environment. I also had a bigger dream: I wanted to become known as a Ruby expert in Turkey and make a name for myself in this field. This became my personal promise.

Looking back, I realize I haven’t shared many technical details yet. But that’s because I understood something important: to succeed in this field, I needed to prove myself technically first. I knew I had to work hard and show my skills before anything else. This approach helped me in every job I had - I would first demonstrate my technical abilities, and then I could also showcase my other talents.

I’m outgoing and direct. When I want something, I simply ask for it. This approach has worked well for me, especially in startups. I take charge of projects, follow through, and create results. I loved working with Ruby programming, and I just needed to prove myself. I’ve been lucky to work with kind and supportive people who value hard work. By staying true to myself, I’ve achieved my goals.

While I enjoy technical work, I’m not just a technical person. Working with people energizes me. I need human interaction and leadership opportunities - I can’t thrive working alone in isolation.

To help grow Ruby programming in Turkey, I helped build a community. We’ve accomplished a lot together, and we’re still going strong. This community work complements my regular job perfectly. My people skills help me connect with others in the community, where I meet people from many different backgrounds. I don’t believe in isolating myself - it wouldn’t make me happy. I love being part of this community and helping others learn programming. I get positive feedback regularly and feel confident about my path.

I mentioned that I love public speaking, and there are many chances to do this in tech. When I first started presenting, I was worried about what people would think. But instead of criticism, I found opportunities. Speaking led me to meet new people and opened many doors. Now I share knowledge in different ways - through talks, podcasts, videos, and blog posts. While this isn’t part of my official job description, I believe in creating new possibilities.

Beyond my main job, I’ve found joy in other activities like mentoring, teaching coding bootcamps, and working on open source projects. Yes, my job is to write good, reliable software - and I do that well. But why stop there? I’ve found ways to add more meaning to my work while staying true to who I am.

If you’ve read this far, think about what makes you happy. Maybe you love coding, and that’s great! But consider exploring other options too. Sometimes we get stuck in our routines and miss opportunities around us. Take time to pause and listen to your inner voice. Keep trying new things and learning. There’s always more to discover.

❤️