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I have a passion for programming but I need something to drive me. I'm useless when I try and make stuff on my own. But if I've got someone telling me "I need a

I have a passion for programming but I need something to drive me. I'm useless when I try and make stuff on my own. But if I've got someone telling me "I need a system that does X", I just get highly motivated in delivering it. Like I need requirements.

markus_zhang 5y ago
Damn you sound exactly like me...when I work for my own projects they usually die off quickly once I figure out how to do it (without actually implementing it but I'm pretty sure it can be implemented in this or that way). But if it comes from a friend, or a colleague then I'm super focused on it until it's done. It's almost as if I do projects to show off to other people or I like to serve other people.
- Philip-J-Fry 5y ago
  Yeah, showing off or feeling helpful. That explains it almost perfectly.
  - taxcoder 5y ago
    For substitute or for and.
- blacktriangle 5y ago
  Part of the issue is that it is difficult to come up with problems worth solving. I think Joel and Fogcreek is a great example. He started out with the premis that you don't need an idea for a successful software company, you just need to find great devs and create the best working conditions and then success would come. This was a novel idea at the time since Apple was the only FAANG that even existed and this was their "beleaguered" period. As should come as no surprise to anybody, they ended up creating...bug tracking tools and a kanban board, albeit quite good ones. Another thing that helps, since the problem is not your own but somebody elses, you don't get bogged down trying to figure out the best way to solve it for yourself, you just solve it for somebody else without all the emotional attachment to the problem. This lets you instead be emotionally attached to the process. Point being, I think you're selling yourself short.
  - my_usernam3 5y ago
    > you just solve it for somebody else without all the emotional attachment to the problem This rings very true to me
  - nyanpasu64 5y ago
    Is having deep knowledge of the problem domain you're solving a blessing or a curse? Personal attachment to the problem domain?
    - salawat 5y ago
      Neither. It's a sign of time spent navigating an information gradient. Nothing more, nothing less. Encyclopedic knowledge of obscure topics isn't good or bad, just a data point as to what is capable of holding your interest.
- w0m 5y ago
  I feel this.
- galaxyLogic 5y ago
  Yes if you do it for yourself you rarely thank yourself for doing it. In a way that would be absurd, because giving thanks to someone means you are giving something to someone. But you can't really give anything to yourself because whatever you give you already have. So it is quite natural that we prefer to do things for others. It makes you feel great when others thank you for it.
bcrosby95 5y ago
Yeah, I'm the same. I got into programming because I like solving people's problems. The hardest projects for me are the ones where I'm stuck in a cave for months working on a greenfield project that no one is using yet.
suzzer99 5y ago
Same here. I'm motivated by being on a team that I don't want to let down, and getting a pat on the back when I deliver something great. I think it's because the early stages of a new project, where you're doing a ton of googling and head-scratching, are kind of painful for me. I need that team or client or business owner counting on me in order to push through that part. Then I can roll on my own when I get to the fun stuff (for me) - creating features with well-understood tools, and refining and organizing code.
therealdrag0 5y ago
I feel similarly, but I think working on a product that is used like this game is might be enough for folks like us. There are probably lots of features requests and bugs to focus motivation and the human usage driving emotional meaning of the work.

markus_zhang 5y ago

Damn you sound exactly like me...when I work for my own projects they usually die off quickly once I figure out how to do it (without actually implementing it but I'm pretty sure it can be implemented in this or that way). But if it comes from a friend, or a colleague then I'm super focused on it until it's done. It's almost as if I do projects to show off to other people or I like to serve other people.

Philip-J-Fry 5y ago
Yeah, showing off or feeling helpful. That explains it almost perfectly.
- taxcoder 5y ago
  For substitute or for and.
blacktriangle 5y ago
Part of the issue is that it is difficult to come up with problems worth solving. I think Joel and Fogcreek is a great example. He started out with the premis that you don't need an idea for a successful software company, you just need to find great devs and create the best working conditions and then success would come. This was a novel idea at the time since Apple was the only FAANG that even existed and this was their "beleaguered" period. As should come as no surprise to anybody, they ended up creating...bug tracking tools and a kanban board, albeit quite good ones. Another thing that helps, since the problem is not your own but somebody elses, you don't get bogged down trying to figure out the best way to solve it for yourself, you just solve it for somebody else without all the emotional attachment to the problem. This lets you instead be emotionally attached to the process. Point being, I think you're selling yourself short.
- my_usernam3 5y ago
  > you just solve it for somebody else without all the emotional attachment to the problem This rings very true to me
- nyanpasu64 5y ago
  Is having deep knowledge of the problem domain you're solving a blessing or a curse? Personal attachment to the problem domain?
  - salawat 5y ago
    Neither. It's a sign of time spent navigating an information gradient. Nothing more, nothing less. Encyclopedic knowledge of obscure topics isn't good or bad, just a data point as to what is capable of holding your interest.
w0m 5y ago
I feel this.
galaxyLogic 5y ago
Yes if you do it for yourself you rarely thank yourself for doing it. In a way that would be absurd, because giving thanks to someone means you are giving something to someone. But you can't really give anything to yourself because whatever you give you already have. So it is quite natural that we prefer to do things for others. It makes you feel great when others thank you for it.

bcrosby95 5y ago

Yeah, I'm the same. I got into programming because I like solving people's problems. The hardest projects for me are the ones where I'm stuck in a cave for months working on a greenfield project that no one is using yet.

suzzer99 5y ago

Same here. I'm motivated by being on a team that I don't want to let down, and getting a pat on the back when I deliver something great. I think it's because the early stages of a new project, where you're doing a ton of googling and head-scratching, are kind of painful for me. I need that team or client or business owner counting on me in order to push through that part. Then I can roll on my own when I get to the fun stuff (for me) - creating features with well-understood tools, and refining and organizing code.

therealdrag0 5y ago

I feel similarly, but I think working on a product that is used like this game is might be enough for folks like us. There are probably lots of features requests and bugs to focus motivation and the human usage driving emotional meaning of the work.