One of the biggest steps anyone can take in proclaiming their worthiness for freedom is to set aside their propensity for being a consumer and take the noble path of the producer. This is one such story that I hope inspires you as much as it has me.
It’s not every day a student who’s willing to learn finds a teacher worthy of their attention. A couple years ago I met such a teacher. And I decided to follow him. It meant changing my major but I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity he represented. So for the last couple years I've been taking every computer programming class I could where Charles Bryan was teaching.
The truth is I probably haven’t been his best student. I tend not to work well with structured learning. My ability to stay on topic long enough to get an ‘A’ is severely diminished by my need to learn other stuff. But Mr. Bryan at least keeps things challenging and varied enough for me to scrape a ‘B’.
One of the things that makes him such a good teacher is the fact that he is a programmer first. He works on real world projects and he uses that experience in the classroom. He also expects a level of proficiency from his students that lesser teachers might shy away from. You might say Mr. Bryan is the antithesis of the old saying that those who can’t, teach.
One of his professional projects over the summer break was an android app called “Z is the End.” It’s a game that combines all the best aspects of 2048 with the fun of word games. And by fun I really mean addicting. I find myself regularly hoping that playing his game is sufficient excuse for late assignments. If you want to check it out you can find “Z is the End” on the Google Play Store, it’s free.
Now just developing an app and sticking it on the play store doesn't make a great teacher. What Mr. Bryan did was share the experience. He shares with the class all the real world complications involved in creating a great app. He shares things our text books can never teach. But best of all, he sets the bar. He makes sure we have the foundation needed to ask the right questions and then shows us the standard to aspire to.
One of the greatest lessons I've learned from his successful creation, development and marketing of ‘Z is the End’ is the need to realize nothing happens in a vacuum. He has stressed many times that he purposely sought out others with the talent needed to test the game, bounce ideas off of, write out understandable instructions and offer unbiased critiques to name just a few. But I think the best lesson I've learned is that if you want to do something cool you just have to do it. There’s no dream, no matter how perfect, that can come to life without well directed ambition. Mr. Bryan has that ambition, and he expects his students to find it.
My challenge to you is to find a way you can be a producer too. But first you should go to the Play Store and check out his game. And if you like the game as much as I do then go ahead and like it on Facebook too. Who knows, you might get as inspired as I have.
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