Exactly. I love what I do. If I had to work a job that didn't involve programming, I'd still do it after work (I've played an amazing 3d game that as written by

Exactly. I love what I do. If I had to work a job that didn't involve programming, I'd still do it after work (I've played an amazing 3d game that as written by somebody who worked a summer job at a gas station). I regularly program outside of work, I've stayed at work for long hours. When I'd have a day with multiple meetings, I'd frequently stay late to write code as otherwise I'd feel unsatisfied. At the mean time, some days I'd prefer to have dinner with my girlfriend after work. On weekends I'd occasionally prefer a get away outside of Silicon Valley. Exercise is an absolute must. I also have interest outside of computing: reading (history, philosophy), photography. Pursuing them only helps re-invigorate my passion for computing: occasionally ideas would come to me when I'm reading an unrelated book, working out at the gym or taking photographs. Many times there's a direct link: I'd write my own photo gallery software and host the pictures myself, build creative ways to backup my images, research ways to do interesting image manipulation from Linux (photo manipulation libraries, etc...) etc... Pursuing photography as a hobby while on a budget as a college student meant I had to do "casual programming" quite frequently to get what I want done (now, however, I've shelled out for Aperture). It's important to understand that performance requires maintenance, good ideas come form outside. At the mean time, there's nothing wrong with working long hours if you want to do so: it's only healthy and pleasant if you actually have a passion for what you do (as long as you don't go to the extreme of forgoing maintenance and ignoring other sources of inspiration).