The synergies between programming and entrepreneurship

I am a serial entrepreneur and an avid computer science expert, mainly focusing on programming and artificial intelligence. Over the past years of employing people within my companies (Kanon Gaming and Math Epic), I have always tried to convince ‘rising stars’ from different departments to start a career in programming. In this article, I would like to touch base on what I believe is the secret to success if you plan to create your own online business.

I have met many people who desire to become entrepreneurs, mainly online entrepreneurs, but with the attitude that making money is easy. Of course, with the right idea, and the right project, everyone can build success; however, if you do not possess strong technical skills, creating a business online will make you dependent on programmers and online experts. Moreover, outsourcing your project idea is not easy, especially if your technical requirements are not precise; you might run into confidentiality risks, management difficulties, and quality risks.

My success is mainly based on my affinity for software development, and combined with an entrepreneurial skill set, the opportunities are endless. However, when I ask individuals why they never got interested in a career within I.T., they usually get similar answers, such as “It’s too complicated” or “I am not good with computers.” It all boils down to an outdated educational system, which will take years to change, if possible.

Interpersonal skills are what educational systems need to focus on first. A career in programming and development should not be entirely based on textbooks, tutorials, and other formal ways of education.

The primary skill you need to possess to become successful in development and entrepreneurship is to become an autodidact. All successful programmers that became business owners are autodidacts to a significant extent. What makes programming hard is not the formal study at schools or universities but the ongoing changes that languages go through. Programming is like a craft, where practice and a significant amount of self-study are necessary.

Start with a review of what coding and software development generally involves. Then, when you have started learning programming basics and have gained the necessary grounding, take what you have learned and create a couple of projects, for example, set up an online shop. Programming is a vast subject, so do not stress about knowing everything; just focus on what is needed to create your pet project. There is absolutely no need to learn things that are not interesting to you (this is the significant advantage when you are an autodidact – study what you require and keep out the necessary fluff). You don’t have to attend universities or schools to become a programmer; self-teaching yourself through YouTube videos and other free online courses is all you need to develop the skill. Anyone can do it.

Studying programming will definitely help you become a better problem-solver. So, take a practical approach, and instead of focusing on complicated computer science topics, get rolling with your pet projects and practice creating algorithms. Slowly but surely, you will start thinking like a programmer, and within no time, you will start seeing opportunities and gaps within different industries where you can make money.

Your mind is now set on becoming a programmer; the next step is to teach yourself how to become an autodidact. Let me give you a personal example. I am currently the CEO of Kanon Gaming, where my main focus is to handle the proper execution of my business within the iGaming world. However, I am constantly working on other projects in my free time, hoping they become a business one day. Being an avid gamer (not a gambler), I practice game development daily, trying different tools and languages, learning new methodologies, and studying successful projects from conception to market. My other affinity is toward artificial intelligence, so I am constantly looking at how machine learning is evolving and finding practical approaches to applying A.I. to data analysis.

To conclude, if you desire to become an online entrepreneur, try giving programming a shot, whichever background you come from. If you are looking for a mentor, feel free to contact us, and we can guide you with your project. If you are already a programmer, we are constantly looking to expand our team, so look at https://kanongaming.com/vacancies/ maybe a career change is what you need.