   Why do you like programming
  Personally I like solving challenges and working my way up. The feeling I get when compiling and testing my programs is... sexy.Why do you like it? Do you like creating things? Is it for the money? ;)   
  Because when you write something, you can (most of the time) execute it right now and see live direct results. Also, when something is wrong it's always all logic, no things like thousands of external factors and dumb people getting in the way.   ;  To tell you the truth, I can't do better. I can imagine so many things I would do instead, but I can't do most of these at the moment. But I feel kind of good/glad/sometimes_even_excited when I can create something from nothing with no help at all.   ;  Programming is, imho, one of the few things where you can create something, from nothing, with only time as the cost.  It's not like building a physical product where you have to continually purchase supplies whenever you need to rebuild it.  So, you can be a creator without ever needing to spend a dime.That's why I could never be a mechanical/robotics engineer - I simply cannot get my head around the cost of the parts just to make something silly :)   ;  That's what it is for me too. Taking a very controlled environment with a simple set of tools, to create. I get the same comfort out of other scenarios like that. For instance, music, is very logical most of the time, and I have very basic building blocks from which to create.   ;Quote:Original post by GrafalgarProgramming is, imho, one of the few things where you can create something, from nothing, with only time as the cost.  It's not like building a physical product where you have to continually purchase supplies whenever you need to rebuild it.  So, you can be a creator without ever needing to spend a dime.That's why I could never be a mechanical/robotics engineer - I simply cannot get my head around the cost of the parts just to make something silly :)Hey!I'm a mechanical engineer. Sure, you can't fully create stuff, but if you can, or your stuff gets build somehow then, well, you can have your own freaking car/tank/spaceship whatever. Those are some real things (and you can even code stuff for them). (more likely you will design shit-pumps, never-be-seen-valves, but anyway...)And yes, if someone dies because of your design fault, you get jailed.So engineering is lots of fun too!   ;  That would also be the other reason I can't be a mechanical engineer.  I may very well turn evil ;)Heck, for the longest time I was (seriously) contemplating building little robot with a motion sensor and an ice-pick.  Whenever it detected movement it would simply go toward it and upon impact would stab it.I thought this would be particularly fun if released around the office ;)   ;  I feel "programming" likes "video games mission" when you complete it you become happy and proud with yourself :)   ;Quote:Originally posted by Grafalgar:you can create something, from nothing, with only time as the cost.This is a beautiful thing, making something from nothing but time.  Time is one of the most valuable (and non-renewable) resources a person has, but if a person is efficient in their development process and chooses quality projects, programming can be an incredibly valuable use of such time.   ;Quote:And yes, if someone dies because of your design fault, you get jailed.So engineering is lots of fun too!We were recently debating the professionalism of the IT industry at work. One of the main points raised was if engineers had the kind of quality control(or lack of) that most development teams have you'd get all kinds of craziness going on in the world.I actually really don't like coding that much any more, I do it now because I've been doing it since I was really young, it's the only thing I'm good at and now after 4 years of uni it's my career. In fact before I got my iphone I hadn't written code in my spare time since I started uni.   