Wait... I can do that? Becoming an Apple Developer

I had an interview last week, and in it I had a revelation. The job was a front-end position with some .NET thrown in. From the get-go I knew I would not get the position as they were seeking someone with more seniority.

After a quick look at my resume, my interviewer asked a question that has changed the direction of my career. "You say here that you're an Apple power user. Why aren't you doing Apple development?"

As I've mentioned before, I am not an agnostic technologist. Windows sucks out my soul. I yearn for a real command line and hate the GUI and multitude of problems and slowdowns that pop up. I've learned that I cannot overlook aesthetics. For example, even fluorescent lights can deflate my mood and productivity. So what was I doing pursuing all of these Microsoft stack jobs? It just does not make sense!

I'm an Apple nerd, and nothing is going to change that. My kindred souls are the Viticcis and Sparkses of the world. Oddly, it never occurred to me that I can ditch web development as my main focus and .NET altogether and concentrate on native Apple experiences.

So despite my credentials and resume leaning toward JavaScript and .NET, I've began to turn down recruiters who offer me these roles. I'm not going to settle for something I do not love.

I'm making quick progress. I read Big Nerd Ranch's Cocoa guide, and made a tiny OS X menu bar utility which I'm looking to flesh out and sell. Meanwhile, I'll be starting Big Nerd Ranch's iOS guide, digging back into Ray Wenderlich's videos, and am currently designing a really nifty iOS app that makes CBT logging fun.

In addition to my personal preference, moving on to Apple development makes a lot of sense. I've mentioned before that the state of modern JavaScript frameworks is a total shit show. Too much is in flux, and I'd rather be keeping up with advancements that I'm excited about rather than npm package changes and arbitrary toolchain switches that are just a total chore. That doesn't mean I've abandoned web development. It's just that I now have the guts to express what I want and find my niche.