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I have been programming for 45 years and started at age 15, the key to make it fun, forever, is just work on coding projects you love doing. Of course, you hav

I have been programming for 45 years and started at age 15, the key to make it fun, forever, is just work on coding projects you love doing. Of course, you have to be in a situation that enables you to do that, but if you are lucky enough to be there, then I can see someone coding for another 20 years or most of your life.

peruvian 7y ago
My problem is I like coding but can’t come up with projects I’m interested in. Everything that comes up exists or can be solved in a much simpler way (often a spreadsheet or an Apple note) that requires no software.
- nelsonic 7y ago
  The analogy I like to apply when answering the question “everything already exists” is restaurants. Every conceivable type of food already exists and there have never been more restaurants and yet new ones are opening all the time. Why? Because there is always scope for minor variation/improvement. In software as in food, start by making something for yourself. Show it to your friends (HN) and get their feedback. Iterate from there. Yes, often ideas can be solved with a spreadsheet or note-taking app, but the UX of inputting and visualising the data is what matters.
  - desi_ninja 7y ago
    But there is scope for major improvements in tech. Make software for fields which don’t receive a lot of attention. Alternatively, make accessibility enabled software so that everyone can use and enjoy the same resources
    - nelsonic 7y ago
      Totally agree. There's always scope for improvement especially in the field of accessibility. I was just highlighting that people should never think that "everything has already been done" because it really hasn't.
- jrumbut 7y ago
  You may want to develop deep subject matter expertise! As you become an expert on radio telescope arrays or the sport of curling you'll see the problems that are outside the scope of a spreadsheet. Meanwhile be part of the community surrounding it so they trust you and your understanding. Otherwise you need a pathbreaking stroke of genius, a mountain of cash to burn, or the willpower and charm to get the world to choose your product app over the other 50 products that are very similar.
- jammygit 7y ago
  Pick a foss project you use regularly and contribute!
- mrbombastic 7y ago
  Just start it anyway, odds are you will get ideas of how to differentiate or unlock a whole new problem you hadn't considered along the way
ChuckNorris89 7y ago
How do you solve the problem where you love coding but not the problems you have to solve at work? Where I live, every place is the same, Jira sweatshop mentality, just put out a fire or solve as many stories as quickly as possible to maintain velocity, with whatever tools someone higher than you imposed because it was convenient at the time. When I come home I'm done with coding for the day and I have no time to code stuff I like as I'm investing it in taking care of myself physically and socially to counteract the negative effects of being on a chair at work in front of a monitor with headphones on 8 hours a day.
- leeoniya 7y ago
  > Every place is the same this is false. look into smaller businesses who only need 1-5 coders. you will get paid well, do interesting stuff and have a lot of say in your stack and tools. usually these companies do not produce software as their deliverable but need good internal software. e.g. i work for < 50M/yr e-commerce company that manufactures in the DIY/home remodeling industry. i report directly to the CEO, code our full stack and admin our VPS linode server. we have internal voip systems that get integrated, physical production hardware (scales, scanners, etc), inventory tracking, fulfillment, amazon integration and a whole lot more. i get to touch it all.
  - ianlevesque 7y ago
    or at the opposite extreme the FAANG companies have a ton of opportunities for this
    - ChuckNorris89 7y ago
      I live in Europe, there not much FANG here apart from maybe Lindon or Berlin but anyway, at this point of my life, the relationships I have with the people around me are more valuable than chasing some FAANG job or hip startup in some other country, hoping that would give me more satisfaction. At the end of the day it's just a salary I need to support my other hobbies. After 7 years in the trenches I lost hope in the do what you love coding for fun mantra as I never found it and i feel that chasing it any longer will waste precious years of our limited time on this Earth I could use enjoying other things life has to offer or new experiences.
pmoriarty 7y ago
"the key to make it fun, forever, is just work on coding projects you love doing" Working with computers every day, for 8 to 10 hours a day or more, for years on end has sucked the joy out of just about anything I used to enjoy that was computer-related. Sometimes I'll get interested in something computer related on my own, like, say, emacs configuration, but nobody's going to pay me to work on that. Basically, people pay you to work on something useful to them, and if what you're interested in is not useful to them, they don't care, and you can starve on the street for all they care.
- sockgrant 7y ago
  Yes. Businesses pay people to work on business needs.

peruvian 7y ago

My problem is I like coding but can’t come up with projects I’m interested in. Everything that comes up exists or can be solved in a much simpler way (often a spreadsheet or an Apple note) that requires no software.

nelsonic 7y ago
The analogy I like to apply when answering the question “everything already exists” is restaurants. Every conceivable type of food already exists and there have never been more restaurants and yet new ones are opening all the time. Why? Because there is always scope for minor variation/improvement. In software as in food, start by making something for yourself. Show it to your friends (HN) and get their feedback. Iterate from there. Yes, often ideas can be solved with a spreadsheet or note-taking app, but the UX of inputting and visualising the data is what matters.
- desi_ninja 7y ago
  But there is scope for major improvements in tech. Make software for fields which don’t receive a lot of attention. Alternatively, make accessibility enabled software so that everyone can use and enjoy the same resources
  - nelsonic 7y ago
    Totally agree. There's always scope for improvement especially in the field of accessibility. I was just highlighting that people should never think that "everything has already been done" because it really hasn't.
jrumbut 7y ago
You may want to develop deep subject matter expertise! As you become an expert on radio telescope arrays or the sport of curling you'll see the problems that are outside the scope of a spreadsheet. Meanwhile be part of the community surrounding it so they trust you and your understanding. Otherwise you need a pathbreaking stroke of genius, a mountain of cash to burn, or the willpower and charm to get the world to choose your product app over the other 50 products that are very similar.
jammygit 7y ago
Pick a foss project you use regularly and contribute!
mrbombastic 7y ago
Just start it anyway, odds are you will get ideas of how to differentiate or unlock a whole new problem you hadn't considered along the way

ChuckNorris89 7y ago

How do you solve the problem where you love coding but not the problems you have to solve at work? Where I live, every place is the same, Jira sweatshop mentality, just put out a fire or solve as many stories as quickly as possible to maintain velocity, with whatever tools someone higher than you imposed because it was convenient at the time. When I come home I'm done with coding for the day and I have no time to code stuff I like as I'm investing it in taking care of myself physically and socially to counteract the negative effects of being on a chair at work in front of a monitor with headphones on 8 hours a day.

leeoniya 7y ago
> Every place is the same this is false. look into smaller businesses who only need 1-5 coders. you will get paid well, do interesting stuff and have a lot of say in your stack and tools. usually these companies do not produce software as their deliverable but need good internal software. e.g. i work for < 50M/yr e-commerce company that manufactures in the DIY/home remodeling industry. i report directly to the CEO, code our full stack and admin our VPS linode server. we have internal voip systems that get integrated, physical production hardware (scales, scanners, etc), inventory tracking, fulfillment, amazon integration and a whole lot more. i get to touch it all.
- ianlevesque 7y ago
  or at the opposite extreme the FAANG companies have a ton of opportunities for this
  - ChuckNorris89 7y ago
    I live in Europe, there not much FANG here apart from maybe Lindon or Berlin but anyway, at this point of my life, the relationships I have with the people around me are more valuable than chasing some FAANG job or hip startup in some other country, hoping that would give me more satisfaction. At the end of the day it's just a salary I need to support my other hobbies. After 7 years in the trenches I lost hope in the do what you love coding for fun mantra as I never found it and i feel that chasing it any longer will waste precious years of our limited time on this Earth I could use enjoying other things life has to offer or new experiences.

pmoriarty 7y ago

"the key to make it fun, forever, is just work on coding projects you love doing" Working with computers every day, for 8 to 10 hours a day or more, for years on end has sucked the joy out of just about anything I used to enjoy that was computer-related. Sometimes I'll get interested in something computer related on my own, like, say, emacs configuration, but nobody's going to pay me to work on that. Basically, people pay you to work on something useful to them, and if what you're interested in is not useful to them, they don't care, and you can starve on the street for all they care.

sockgrant 7y ago
Yes. Businesses pay people to work on business needs.