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How do you fall in love with programming?

7K views 80 replies 35 participants last post by  SirWaWa 
#1 ·
Just a question that pop up in my mind. For me, I always don't have energy to improve my coding skill except I really need to use it. I want to be more energized about this.
 
#2 ·
Make programming a part of your life by getting a job dealing with programming and get paid for it. Or do personal projects and sharing them somewhere to see what people think.
 
#4 ·
I try to enjoy and see programming as a craft / skill to learn and improve even though I am using it to earn a living everyday. I am at a city where people don't think IT is anything professional, so I really need to increase my passion for this to make something good happens.
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doglivehk;14448828
Making websites is a good way too?
Sure is you can even make websites for people and get some cash, that should be a good motivation.
 
#7 ·
I am lazy. If I have to do anything on the computer more than once, I think of ways of automation.
smile.gif
 
#8 ·
I don't know if you can make yourself like programming, but I had fun coding HTML and CSS back when I was into that. You can combine it with graphical work, too, if you enjoy that. It beats making useless trivial programs that you'll never use. On that note, if you can indeed find something worth coding, that might work too.
 
#9 ·
I didn't start really enjoying programming until I did it as a job, and had the opportunity to actually solve some real problems as opposed to aimlessly programming for the fun of it and never getting better. If you can think of a programming project that would force you to do more than what you already know, completing it will be very satisfying.
 
#10 ·
I have a saying(s).

"If it was fun it wouldn't be called work"

or

"If it was fun someone would be doing it for free"

You need a driving force outside of the coding, I think they call them goals. Something you feel passionate about that you can step away from look forward to that will help you get focused again.

I wanted my own house and a nice car, worked my butt off stayed focused at work got promoted and now I have a good grasp on what I do and I have met my previous goals. I own a house and drive a Subaru Forester XT Limited, these goals can then be re-packaged and sold back to yourself as new goals such as... Now I want to pay off my house and get another Subaru for the fiancée.

I am no code monkey though so I can't help with specifics as I'm sure the language is not easy or fun to learn but neither was colour chemistry.
 
#11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by =≡G≡=Thèеdé100;14448855
Sure is you can even make websites for people and get some cash, that should be a good motivation.
I am running a website which is dixcuxx.com, have been pretty successful for me, but that is not really 100% created by me since I use forum package to do so. I actually always have ideas what to make, but I am so lazy after work...so bad.
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doglivehk;14448904
I am running a website which is dixcuxx.com, have been pretty successful for me, but that is not really 100% created by me since I use forum package to do so. I actually always have ideas what to make, but I am so lazy after work...so bad.
That looks really good. It kinda reminds me of a Newegg themed forum.
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by DuckieHo;14448871
I am lazy. If I have to do anything on the computer more than once, I think of ways of automation.
smile.gif
I feel the same way but I stop programming because I couldn't turn my brain off at night. I would lay there and dream about code. But this had a added benefit that I came aware in my dreams.
ninja.gif

So if i need something coded, I pay dudes in Asia to do the programming, and boy can I say there are cheap. Haha
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doglivehk;14448843
I am at a city where people don't think IT is anything professional, so I really need to increase my passion for this to make something good happens.
Thats not just your city. Even here anyone in IT whether your a help desk tech or a certified CCIE, gets treated like complete garbage. As far as most end users / not IT managers are concerned your at the same level as the guy who came in to fix the clogged toilet in the bathroom. Good luck getting the respect.
 
#16 ·
if you didnt like to do it from the beginning then you will never love it, haha.

maybe you should change the type of coding you are doing and see it its just the fact that the work sucks and you need to spark some interest.
 
#17 ·
Being totally honest.

I go to school for it.. and I have found that I go one of two ways.

A. I have HORRIBLE issues trying to motivate myself to do various projects. It is really pointless to make a pre-existing program you can find in under 5 minutes of googling. So psychologically, I know its pointless.

B. When given a project, I find myself absolutely loving it. There is a problem I need to solve it. I am very thankful the one project course where I have to come up with my own project is over.. I have a much easier time developing programs when I see a need, or am tasked with doing it.

The problem I have, is I don't get as much experience, because I have trouble finding things to program outside of school.

After talking with one of the guys doing the Cyanogen Mod 7 mod for the captivate, which is a complete conversion of the open source code google developed for the nexus s being ported over to the captivate...

I don't feel *as* bad about it, because the guy is a full blown software engineer and I in the next year will just be getting to classes which are more determining factors in where I go with a programming career.

I will go ahead and suggest project euler.

It gives some problems to solve which help get you thinking about things a bit more mathematically.

I am trying to get into android programming.. it doesn't help that it is summer.

One major issue.. is if you find you don't really ever highly enjoy it, there is nothing wrong with doing something else..
 
#19 ·
Unless you enjoy being "Artist", "Thinker", "Linguist", Couch Potato", and willing to work looooong hours all in the same time, forget being a programmer.

Artist: you need to know designs, patterns, usability, coding styles, etc (these include programming languages, databases, etc).

Thinker: problem solving will drive you mad, you go home to your wife and kids, and your head is filled on how to solve this specific problems, and you are itching to try and solve it at home, which will drive your wife to other men arms.....

Linguist: documentations (especially frameworks), books (thousand of pages), new programming languages, client interaction, these will drive you mad soon enough. Eye strain and glasses usually accompanies, and fast reading skill is a must.

Couch potato: almost self explanatory, you will need to sit in front of the computer a long long time. Project is looming on the horizon? expect no sleep and erratic sleep schedule.

Building architect only needs to know design and structural engineering. Civil engineer only need to act on the design from the architect, and structural engineering knowledge. On the other hand, programmer need to know the design, the implementation, the documentation, and you responsible whether the program is running or not. They will blame you for crash, incomplete documentation, bad design, bad implementation, unreadable code, natural disaster, security holes, end user confusion on how to use, low sales because it's not attractive or useful, missed deadline, client anger on how much it cost to implement, your boss anger because he missed golf with the director of the company because he accidentally delete database, and anything you can think

programmer is really a thankless job lol --_--
 
#20 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by lunan1t4
View Post

Unless you enjoy being "Artist", "Thinker", "Linguist", Couch Potato", and willing to work looooong hours all in the same time, forget being a programmer.

Artist: you need to know designs, patterns, usability, coding styles, etc (these include programming languages, databases, etc).

Thinker: problem solving will drive you mad, you go home to your wife and kids, and your head is filled on how to solve this specific problems, and you are itching to try and solve it at home, which will drive your wife to other men arms.....

Linguist: documentations (especially frameworks), books (thousand of pages), new programming languages, client interaction, these will drive you mad soon enough. Eye strain and glasses usually accompanies, and fast reading skill is a must.

Couch potato: almost self explanatory, you will need to sit in front of the computer a long long time. Project is looming on the horizon? expect no sleep and erratic sleep schedule.

Building architect only needs to know design and structural engineering. Civil engineer only need to act on the design from the architect, and structural engineering knowledge. On the other hand, programmer need to know the design, the implementation, the documentation, and you responsible whether the program is running or not. They will blame you for crash, incomplete documentation, bad design, bad implementation, unreadable code, natural disaster, security holes, end user confusion on how to use, low sales because it's not attractive or useful, missed deadline, client anger on how much it cost to implement, your boss anger because he missed golf with the director of the company because he accidentally delete database, and anything you can think

programmer is really a thankless job lol --_--

Yeah the coding itself is mechanical, but if you apply your own idea and build something, then it is much more than just mechanical work.
 
#21 ·
I love programming, I do it 10 hours a day at work and then sometimes come home and do it as a hobby as well. Started when I was 7 years old and have been doing it ever since. The one constant that has always been true is that I've almost always been programming something that I truly enjoy, video games. I get to create an architecture upon which almost anything can be done (within the confines of a game at least). So I guess my recommendation is, what would you like to create if you could program anything? As long as it's something that could make you money, then I would pursue that.
 
#22 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by lordikon
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I love programming, I do it 10 hours a day at work and then sometimes come home and do it as a hobby as well. Started when I was 7 years old and have been doing it ever since. The one constant that has always been true is that I've almost always been programming something that I truly enjoy, video games. I get to create an architecture upon which almost anything can be done (within the confines of a game at least). So I guess my recommendation is, what would you like to create if you could program anything? As long as it's something that could make you money, then I would pursue that.

That sounds like a very good mind set. I am at a place where game programming is a very poor industry since almost no company makes games here so the few companies exist can only pay like minimum salary in this place. Web programming should be good for me.
 
#23 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by doglivehk
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That sounds like a very good mind set. I am at a place where game programming is a very poor industry since almost no company makes games here so the few companies exist can only pay like minimum salary in this place. Web programming should be good for me.

Generally if you're in a place where game programming doesn't pay much, then most other programming jobs won't either. Relocating might be the best option, many programmers in the US have to relocate to find the best opportunities. However, I'm not sure I would relocate if I wasn't sure I would even like programming, but either way it can pay the bills if you find the right place.
 
#24 ·
Reading through the whole thread, thinking I should just continue learning PHP, and then learn HTML.
 
#26 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by lordikon
View Post

Generally if you're in a place where game programming doesn't pay much, then most other programming jobs won't either. Relocating might be the best option, many programmers in the US have to relocate to find the best opportunities. However, I'm not sure I would relocate if I wasn't sure I would even like programming, but either way it can pay the bills if you find the right place.

I am living in a financial city. The "best" job people consider in IT industry over here would be IT in Investment bank, but actually that is just a support role except very few people who can work in front office and create programs directly for trading floor.

Most of the IT jobs here are support roles in different companies, IT companies generally pay lower because just provide cheap softwares to the local market, big foreign software companies mainly sale their made products.

Anyway, demand supply, too many demand but not enough supply, then cheap.
 
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