Arthur C. Clarke, he actually said that any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic.

One of my most prized possessions is this 128-bit magnetic core memory module from a Soviet Union computer in 1967.

I'm Ken Johnson.

I'm a software developer.

I prefer software developer because I think it's important to focus on producing software.

There's many different kinds of software, games, apps, operating systems.

The main purpose is to produce instructions that the computer can understand to perform the function that you are trying to get the computer to do.

Let me show you the lab.

The most important characteristic of a software developer is being an independent thinker.

I was probably about 12 when my father brought home a computer for me to use in school and I kind of fell in love with it.

I did schoolwork on it.

I learned some word processing programs, a little bit of spreadsheets, and I started putting together graphs using only simple text characters for some of my school projects.

Once I started showing some proficiency getting the computer to do the things that I wanted it to do, my father realized that that was probably the way to go for me and I ultimately enrolled in a computer engineering curriculum at Virginia Tech.

Lots and lots of people have come to me with ideas for apps.

They think because an app is easy for them to use it must be easy to program and unfortunately that's just not the case.

Writing software is probably the smallest part of the job.

There's about 10% programming, 90% thinking and designing.

The thing that I love is starting with nothing but an idea and then seeing that idea turn into reality.

It's a very, very powerful and addictive feeling.

In software development, simplicity is a prerequisite for reliability.

It's great to know that people are using your app, that they're serving a purpose, that you're doing something useful for people.

There are people who are adamant that a college degree is required and there are other people who go to a coding boot camp and both are valid approaches.

You have to enjoy learning.

You have to always be improving your skills, learning the current technologies.

This tiny chip here uses basically the same technology as that one only it's 32,000 times more storage capability.

You have to learn your customers needs.

Learning is super important.

The fundamentals will never change.

The basics are going to prevail.

There's never ever going to be a substitute for using your own brain, your own judgment, and your own mind.

That is magnetic tape that used to be used on mainframes and mini computers.

Remember that what you're doing is really nothing short of miraculous.

Do whatever you can to sharpen your skills and then when you do make your career move, you'll be in a much better place.