When I studied web programming we had a lot of coffee breaks. These coffee breaks were a way for us to ventilate frustration we had or progress we’ve made. Sometimes just explaining what’s bugging you to someone helps you get that eureka moment.


During one of these coffee breaks a friend of mine was telling us about the progress he had made on one of his projects. After which someone told him “Cool, I wish I had your talent”. Instead of being flattered he got irritated and said: “Toka koka bitches!”.

A few of us burst into giggle, while the others got that “wtf” expression on their faces. “Toka Koka” means “equal exchange” and is a quote used quite a lot in a manga called “Full Metal Alchemist”. Basically it is about two brothers practicing the art of alchemy. The first rule of alchemy is: “To gain, something of equal value must be lost”. It is a great manga which brings up deep questions like “what is the value of a human life” and I highly recommend it. Back on topic, the reason he brought up “toka koka” is that in order to gain success in the project he sacrificed a lot of time.

If you want to be a successful web developer (or whatever your profession is) I think you have to be willing to sacrifice a lot of time. It is not always easy to put in all the effort. Sometimes when you code, you get sucked into that momentum where you feel on top of the world and the hours fly by. Sometimes nothing goes your way. You attack the problem from a thousand angles but on every attempt you just fall flat to the ground. When this happens it’s important to not give up. Just stand up, dust off and keep attacking. Stubbornness is great quality when things are getting tough.

In my opinion talent is pretty meaningless if you don’t have passion for what you’re doing. I’d much rather work with an idiot with passion than with a genius with indifference.

// Johan