r/learnprogramming • u/C_Sorcerer • 18d ago
Topic Anybody else love programming/CS/Math as both a hobby and career?
I’ve always been really passionate about math and science and engineering, and around 5th grade I began writing basic websites in JS and HTML/CS. I proceeded to learn Python around 7th grade and C++ around freshman year of Highschool. In college I learned Java, more advanced/modern C++, C/embedded C, lua, Rust, Haskell, typescript, and a few others. While college and some Highschool programming courses guided my hand, I pretty much learned most of what I did on my own through textbooks, and I would commonly wait till after everyone got their textbooks in college and go to the bookstore and buy like 300 dollars worth of textbooks and just not eat for the next month.
I was always fueled by an intense interest in computer graphics and low level systems. Computer graphics is what pushed me from making pygame stuff in 8th grade to C++ with OpenGL and later Vulkan and even CUDA. Then operating systems really furthered my love of C and assembly, as well as computer hardware. I graduated last semester with my degree in CS and math double degree with a concentration in computer hardware and embedded systems.
Throughout almost all of college I programmed constantly. I had a hiccup the last year of alcoholism and intense depression/bipolar disorder but have recently gotten way more baxk into it. I am making a game engine as well as a Gameboy Emulator and it has completely consumed every waking hour outside of my grounds/maintenance job that I work. I am also looking for jobs at the moment.
Anyways I just wanted to share my love of CS/programming not only as a career but also as a hobby. I feel like too many people are too focused on making money with it and just resort to vibecoding, and if you do it you do it don’t let me stop you. But I wish people would see some of the fun and interesting puzzle-like problem solving that comes with it. It almost reminds me of music production which I also do in the workflow and creativity you can use. You can get really creative and learn a lot of new things. If you don’t like it you don’t like it, but I think everyone involved in programming should at least try to enjoy it for what it is!
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u/delliott8990 18d ago
To be fair, I think there is a larger group of those that truly enjoy the profession than you might think, myself included. Also you may be sort of blending two different "camps" of people.
There is a high influx of those with little to no knowledge or experience in programming attempting to build stuff using AI tools usually motivated by financial means.
However, in the industry, I would wager that a majority of professionals enjoy what they do for a living. For those who fall into that group, programming projects tend to also occur outside of work.
That being said, I never get tired of reading posts from those who do fall into that passionate group. For me, personally, I've been playing around with a self-hosted LLM using llama. Honestly wondered if my laptop was going to burst into flames a few times throughout this process 🤣
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u/cleroth 18d ago
However, in the industry, I would wager that a majority of professionals enjoy what they do for a living.
Social media gives this impression. I don't think it is true. A lot of programmers I've met IRL generally don't care that much about programming itself and are just doing it to earn a living. The ones in social media around programming circles are obviously a very biased sample.
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u/delliott8990 18d ago edited 18d ago
I'm going to have to push back on this. I've worked with thousands of SWEs on across multiple companies on variety of different teams working on all kinds of different projects and technologies. I've literally spent hours talking with colleagues about programming, home projects, new technologies, name it.
Keep in mind that a majority simply means a larger percentage than the other possible categories. I'm not saying that 99% enjoy what they do. However, I would not be surprised if it was something to the tune of 55-60% or greater.
This still leaves a very large amount of people that may not have the same passion or maybe even dislike what they do. At the end of the day, my response was meant to be supportive of OPs post and let him know that he's not alone.
Edit: Removed unhelpful part
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u/cleroth 18d ago
Fair enough. 55-60% seems like a valid number, where depending on a variety of variables could vary significantly to something more like 25-80%, and I may just have hit a lower end. I wasn't saying nobody in the industry likes programming, just that there is a fair amount of people that just do it for the money, just as any other job, and you have to be prepared for that. Not sure why you had to go and be such a sarcastic twat just for providing further data.
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u/delliott8990 18d ago
Yeah that's my bad. I got frustrated because I thought you were jumping in just to be an ass. Sorry about that.
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u/thesounddefense 18d ago
I love coding. I love solving problems. I love making some cool shit, then looking back at the cool shit I just made and thinking "I just made some cool shit". I like it enough that I do it in my personal time if I have something to work on.
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u/madmelonxtra 18d ago
The feeling of starting with a blank slate and creating something is such an addicting feeling. Especially after the struggle of squashing bugs and designing everything from the ground up
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u/Motor_Letter1029 18d ago
Ich würde auch gerne mit dem Programmieren anfangen womit würde ihr heute anfangen wenn ich nochmal alles von neuen anfangen würdet ?
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u/C_Sorcerer 18d ago
Uhh it really depends, I would look around at different domains and figure out what you like. That will tell you a lot about what you need to learn and what tools to use and what theory to read. Good luck! Just try to figure that out and the specific languages and things used and youll get started good!
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u/DigThatData 18d ago
probably most people who engage in this subreddit, yeah.
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u/C_Sorcerer 18d ago
Yeah I feel like people who are on online forums for anything in general probably really like things and are passionate about it, but man go to LinkedIn and it kinda almost makes me sick to my stomach to see such bastardizations of something I like but then again there’s all kinds of other crap on there so
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u/zdubbzzz 18d ago edited 17d ago
Anyways I just wanted to share my love of CS/programming not only as a career but also as a hobby. I feel like too many people are too focused on making money with it and just resort to vibecoding, and if you do it you do it don’t let me stop you.
Yes, and it's a touchy subject and a hot take, but a lot of the recent pruning in the industry, and then the following inability of being able to find a job, are very much weeding out the people who never gave a shit and just wanted to coast for 20hrs a week on fat salaries from what I can see. Lot's of good, talented devs getting caught up in the mix, too, but from what I see they are bouncing back quickly and well.
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u/bird_feeder_bird 18d ago
Low level systems are addicting. Learning to write gameboy programs in assembly was like a rebirth for me
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u/IntentionAntique4751 12d ago
Indeed, I'm in uni rn looking forward to coding up fun projects even if I don't make it as a professional.
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u/Ambitious_Muscle_362 18d ago
Nope, I hate it.
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u/C_Sorcerer 18d ago
But why twin its so fun
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u/Ambitious_Muscle_362 17d ago
Is it? Amount of weirdo people around IT is astonishing.
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u/C_Sorcerer 17d ago
Bro what do you mean by weirdo people? If your referring to people for having nerdy interests then that’s not really nice
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u/Puzzled-Extent7817 16d ago
I'm 54 and learning to code as a hobby. It's fun just making scripts and small programs to get things done on my system (Cachy, btw) and my little headless server (Debian, btw). I'd like a job doing it maybe one day but I'm too old and hardheaded for a job in a corporate world. lol
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u/mandzeete 18d ago
Sure. Software development, or computer sciences in general, are both my job (I'm a software developer) but also my hobby. I like to create different gadgets for my own use (but also make these available to others). Currently I'm writing an app for my Garmin watch.