The very first program I wrote was a game for the TI-83+ graphing calculator where the calculator picked a random number and the player had to guess the number.

The very first program I wrote was a game for the TI-83+ graphing calculator where the calculator picked a random number and the player had to guess the number. After each guess, the calculator would tell you if you were too high or too low. I've never had a more enjoyable experience writing a program than that. There were no rules or good practices to follow. I didn't even know what most of the TI-BASIC commands did. There was no version control, no documentation, no compiler, no wondering if I was using the appropriate framework, and no real goal in mind. It was, possibly, the only time I've ever played with a computer in the sense that a child plays with things. I didn't write another program until I switched from an unrelated major to computer science during my second year of college and at first, some of that magic was still there. It's now entirely gone. I'm not sure if I will ever enjoy programming a computer again. Luckily, I'm still young so there is time for me to do something else with my life.