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Consider that "being in love with programming," is an odd thing to say. Love is an emotion best reserved for the people in your life that you could never live w

Consider that "being in love with programming," is an odd thing to say. Love is an emotion best reserved for the people in your life that you could never live without. The act of programming is a means to an end. The act of creating art is a means to an end. It doesn't keep you up when you're down, it doesn't check in to see how you're feeling; creating something is often emotionally draining. You have to dig deep inside to create something, take the risk of putting it out there in front of others, be vulnerable, realize that your first attempts won't live up to your expectations, that the real work begins once you start editing and refining... and the final result may never be what you initially imagined; and so you seek to put yourself through it again, one more time. Don't fall in love with this process! It's way easier to remain impartial and you will retain a lot more of your creative energy when you do. You will be able to take constructive criticism and be more productive with it. It will help you refine your work and get closer to that ideal form you envision. Programming is very much a creative endeavour. It has similar ups and downs. Don't fall in love with it! It seems to me that you're not giving up on programming but perhaps are not enjoying something about the process. It could be the tools! It could be that you don't see that what you're building is worth the effort. Maybe you need a new project? Maybe you will enjoy embedded programming or systems programming more? Maybe there's some problem you would rather be working on?

saulpw 4y ago
I agree with you when it comes to programming-as-work, but hard disagree about not being in love with a process/activity. People fall in love with playing/creating music, writing, gardening--whatever it is that nourishes their creative and nurturing spirit. In fact I would say that if you don't love the process and are only interested in the outcome, you're doing it wrong. "The journey is its own reward" and etc.
- agentultra 4y ago
  I've been programming since I was a kid. My professional career is more than twenty years long so far (and counting!). I still program every day. I stream myself programming once a week. I enjoy programming. Sure, there are those who enjoy programming from a purely intellectual point of view just as their are mathematicians who focus on pure mathematics. It can be rewarding in and of itself. But I still reserve love for relationships. I don't believe you have to love programming to be good at it, to enjoy it, or to do it properly. It's a technical skill, there is plenty of research to do, etc: but it is something you do because you choose to. Framed in this perspective, when you are not satisfied with programming, it is not because you are, "falling out of love." It is something else: the work, the process, the tools, the project: something is not giving you a sense of satisfaction, reward, etc. Not enjoying it is not a moral failure or a breakup. It's because the tools are crap, you don't believe in the project, or you simply enjoy programming different things than what you are being paid to develop. No need to go off into the woods with these romantic visions of becoming a cabinet maker in a small commune. If you want to continue to enjoy programming you have to compartmentalize your feelings, manage it, and nurture it like a skill for the long term. Sure, I remember programming on the Amiga 500 in the late 80s. It was neat. Fun. But also severely limiting, frustrating, and lonely. It took a lot of work to get machines from that era to do basic things we take for granted today. The first programming language I learned was not the first language I used professionally. The first language I used on the job is not the language I use today. The technology changes. Things develop and programming today is a lot more open, free, and accessible than it was when I was growing up! If you fall in love with programming and it doesn't reciprocate those feelings for you, you'll be waiting around forever. You may end up frustrated or hurt. Annoyed even. Jealous when it seems like it comes more naturally to others!

saulpw 4y ago

I agree with you when it comes to programming-as-work, but hard disagree about not being in love with a process/activity. People fall in love with playing/creating music, writing, gardening--whatever it is that nourishes their creative and nurturing spirit. In fact I would say that if you don't love the process and are only interested in the outcome, you're doing it wrong. "The journey is its own reward" and etc.

agentultra 4y ago
I've been programming since I was a kid. My professional career is more than twenty years long so far (and counting!). I still program every day. I stream myself programming once a week. I enjoy programming. Sure, there are those who enjoy programming from a purely intellectual point of view just as their are mathematicians who focus on pure mathematics. It can be rewarding in and of itself. But I still reserve love for relationships. I don't believe you have to love programming to be good at it, to enjoy it, or to do it properly. It's a technical skill, there is plenty of research to do, etc: but it is something you do because you choose to. Framed in this perspective, when you are not satisfied with programming, it is not because you are, "falling out of love." It is something else: the work, the process, the tools, the project: something is not giving you a sense of satisfaction, reward, etc. Not enjoying it is not a moral failure or a breakup. It's because the tools are crap, you don't believe in the project, or you simply enjoy programming different things than what you are being paid to develop. No need to go off into the woods with these romantic visions of becoming a cabinet maker in a small commune. If you want to continue to enjoy programming you have to compartmentalize your feelings, manage it, and nurture it like a skill for the long term. Sure, I remember programming on the Amiga 500 in the late 80s. It was neat. Fun. But also severely limiting, frustrating, and lonely. It took a lot of work to get machines from that era to do basic things we take for granted today. The first programming language I learned was not the first language I used professionally. The first language I used on the job is not the language I use today. The technology changes. Things develop and programming today is a lot more open, free, and accessible than it was when I was growing up! If you fall in love with programming and it doesn't reciprocate those feelings for you, you'll be waiting around forever. You may end up frustrated or hurt. Annoyed even. Jealous when it seems like it comes more naturally to others!