Ask HN: Does the enjoyment of programming ever increase? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Does the enjoyment of programming ever increase?

4 pointspaki1232 comments

So I started work as a full stack developer. I attribute part of my feelings to learning ReactJS, and just starting work for the first time as a fresh grad.

I've always appreciated programming. I appreciate what you can do with programming. But frankly, I don't think I enjoy programming. I didn't enjoy it when I was first introduced to it in undergrad, it was more of a means to an end. I've had to slowly build up to programming to an hour, hour and a half from 15 minutes through daily habits. And when I work on a project that I am want to work on, I can get captivated.

But for the work I'm doing for my employed, I just don't give a shit. It's only for the paycheck.

I don't know if this is resistance manifesting itself, but I think people get a little too liberal with the word resistance.

I guess my question is once I get in a groove at work, is it likely I'll start to enjoy it? Or is this a situation where that if I haven't been engrossed by it already, chances are it's not going to happen anytime soon?

Like I said before, certain aspects interest me. But I don't get excited about the nitty gritty details, which is so odd because I am very obsessive in other hobbies.

I don't know if I'd ever use the word "enjoy" related to programming. For me, at least, programming isn't something I do, "programming" is what I am. Think of a musician. Anyone can learn to play but some people are musicians by nature. Somehow the word "enjoy" is too shallow. Some days I love it. Some days I hate it.

Some days you get nothing done. Most days you write 10 lines of (working) code. But some days you work until the sun rises (well, I work from home :-) ) and wonder where the day went.

It sounds like you took up programming for the money. That's like becoming an artist to paint factory walls.

Don't worry. By the time you turn 35 you'll either have been forced to retire into management or you'll be doing something else. To twist a saying from my youth (which was "Never trust anyone over 30")... "Never hire anyone over 30". Programming these days is a short career. Next year nobody will remember ReactJS. Enjoy it while you can.

I've been at it for nearly 45 years now and I'd rather program than eat. That said, it's not for everyone. The level of frustration can be intense. I spent yesterday chasing a "that can't happen" bug with no success. This morning I found and fixed it. Anyone can learn to program. Not everyone can handle the frustration.

Scratching someone else's itch is never as satisfying as scratching your own. That being said, it's possible to derive some satisfaction working for other people, yes, particularly if what you end up working on is challenging and non-repetitive, and you're able to see the product grow and take shape over its lifetime from a crude mock-up to a (hopefully) complete product.

That being said, you might just be in a bad position and/or at a bad company, and you'll never truly feel "happy." If you give it a few months and still aren't feeling it, perhaps consider lining up your next position, possibly in a different field or working with different tools than you are now. Maybe your next one will catch on with you better than this one.

Good luck!

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