Do you ever try to explain how fun programming is?

Question

As you all know, there is nothing more fun than writing software. I guess we all remember occasions where we had to force ourselves to get up from behind our monitor to get something to eat or to go to bed. The odd thing is, non-programmers (mere mortals ;-)) often see programming as the most boring thing a man can do for a living. They sometimes even feel sorry for me!

Sometimes I try to explain how fun programming really is. I then compare it with playing with Lego, having an unlimited number of bricks. But somehow, they don't believe it or don't grasp what I mean; some people even didn't like Lego as a child!

Do you ever try to explain how fun programming is? And if so, can you convince them?

Answer 1

I never try to do this. IMO software development is for people who enjoy assembling castles from tiny LEGO bricks where one needs to learn a lot to even get started (like what to do when the compiler sees the source code and complains that bricks descriptions severely mismatch).

That requires constant learning, planning and eternal problem solving and most people are just not into that. They want something simple and they want instant gratification and that's why they get bored by software developent immediately. I feel they and me just think different and I don't even try.

Answer 2

I often tell people programming is the closest thing to real magic a person can do. I sit down with nothing and produce a valuable product out of it.

Answer 3

Well, for me it is like mixing fantazing when I make a drawing or scatch on a paper and playing with lego bricks when I was younger. Its like magic and passion. And yes - development is only for those who are fighters in their hearts - if you encounter problem and dont have solution on-the-fly, then it feels heel of a great if you can google / syntisize a solution. Its almost one of things worth to live and programm.

Answer 4

I usually explain how I love solving problems and that programming is a great outlet for that desire, and how addicted I am to the feeling of satisfaction I get when I've conquered a really hard problem. I've found that most people can actually understand that on some level, even though it will hardly convince them to take it up themselves.

Answer 5

Sometimes people wonder why I spend so much of my free time working on software. I explain to them that its a lot like building a model, carving wood, putting a puzzle together, gardening or any other relaxing hobby.

However, only another programmer can fully appreciate the sound of keys being clicked in an otherwise quiet room while working on something neat.

Another thing I say (to those who wonder why I spend years working and refining my hobby programs):

"Its a talent, a lot like drawing .. either you can do it well and fluidly or you can't. Sure, you can take drawing classes, but if your only interest is in the results, you've completely missed the point. Its more fun to write the program than it is to use it."

Still, people often think I'm a little strange for not seeing sunlight very often. But hey, segmentation faults are much more fun than skin cancer :)

Answer 6

I don't want someone trying to convince me that gay sex is all the rage, so I try not to push what I like on anyone else.

If someone isn't interested in something, who am I to push it on them ?

Answer 7

almost all of my friends are in construction, so I try to use that analogy a lot, i.e. try to get them to see that the satisfaction they get when seeing a new house complete is the same for me when some piece of code I've been working hard on is finally working. ANd they seem to get that, some of them even expressed the wish to try out some HTML programming :-D.

Answer 8

Don't say that you'r a programmer. Say that your a Software Architect, System Developer or something like that. The word programming triggers a built in mechanism in some peoples brain that subconsciously make them think booooooooooring.

Answer 9

I have a magic wand (a Harry Potter prop) next to my computer and when people ask about it, I tell them it's because I'm performing magic on my computer. :-)

Actually, people have stopped talking about programming to me. They've learned that once I start to talk about software development, I won't stop. It does show them that I think it's fun.

Answer 10

I tell them that programming is EMPOWERING. I can DO something. If I want to solve a problem, I'm EMPOWERED to make it happen. Non-programmers aren't. It's like being a mechanic or a carpenter or a plumber. Imagine being able to take a skill anywhere and MAKE STUFF.

I ask if they've ever done an Excel Macro or a Word mail merge...if they have (they usually have done something like that) I tell them that it's the same sense of victory TIMES A MILLION.

Answer 11

If I get asked this question, and I rarely do, because normal people dont ask me anything. I tell them that it's a religion and I'm a priest.

I think that, programmers are productive, innovative and open minded people who in their path for knowledge and self satisfaction embrace every little bump that comes along the way. Many people are not productive and open minded and thus dont understand how people can sit 20 hours in front of a heap of plastic-metal-crystal-flashing components.

P.S. I loved Legos as I child and still do, I'm currently building a huge galaxy out of Legos with a fellow geek. If someone says that they didn't like Legos as a child, I find them strange and outcast.

Answer 12

Ussually I just wink "normal" people who asks me about what I do away with a "I'm a computer engineer - Yes, I know it's geeky, but I like it :)"

If they insist on knowing why I enjoy something that must be "oh so boring", I ussually tell them that programming is a craftmanship. Just like a carpenter can build a house in 10.000 different ways, I can create an application in just as many ways. However, I'm not bound to the same limitation a carpenter is: I don't need to consider the cost of wood. Programming is actually the ultimate creative playground. It allows you to create more or less anything you want (virtually).

Answer 13

I've given up trying to explain to my girlfriend the programming is fun and she's given up trying to explain to me that shopping for handbags is fun.

Answer 14

I've never done this, but I think I would try to impress on them the vast flexibility via analogy: Say you could use a knob to adjust the radius of the wheels on your car? Not very useful maybe, but what if you had a thousand such knobs - For adjusting the weight, grip, color, and width of the tires, the power, torque, consumption, size and weight of the engine, the number of seats, whether it has catapult seats, airbags, rocket launchers, and cup holders? Imagine having that sort of power over data - All the world's web sites, maps, TV, radio and other signals, family photos, telescopic images, and anything else that can be quantified can be modified in any way imaginable, as long as it can be expressed clearly enough for a computer to understand it. That is what programming is all about.

Answer 15

I gave up trying. Somebody that could have been convinced at my age is already a programmer anyway. Others will just look at me like I look at accountants.

Answer 16

I'm probably not the oldest guy here, but I remember times when running

10 PRINT "Hi! What's your name?"
20 INPUT name$
30 PRINT "Hello " + name$

made people awe. Imagine telling them about creating it!

Answer 17

Programming is not fun. Solving problems is.

Answer 18

If you really love something you don't need to explain to others.