Programming has been my hobby since I was age 14. It's been a part of my life for a long time now, and I don't regret it one bit. I think most people find programming to be a laborious or boring topic. Why? They don't understand how intricate and beautiful it is to create a piece of software, like something they use almost every day.
The sense of success after making a well-developed program is unparalleled for me. I feel like I've built something timeless, an idea or a method that anyone using a computer could benefit from in my situation.
Trying to explain why a computer program is beautiful is like trying to describe how a computer generated flower is in many ways much more incredible than an actual flower. By making it so intuitively realistic, it is a feat in itself to reflect what we know is real.
I feel bad for the programmers who learned only in the classroom how to perform their trade. The rigorous deadlines and fast pace of an academic environment don't really make programming seem like a fun and fascinating puzzle which only gets more complex as your expectations rise. Programming as a hobby means programming for its own sake, because it is enjoyable, and having this tool means something more.
A programmer should make at least one program that they themselves use.
