The nature of programming has changed so much since then. Back then, you could get going by knowing a very limited set of building blocks (BASIC keywords, all described in a single manual). The challenge was to build something meaningful out of those building blocks. Programming could be hard, but never too complex. Problem solving at its purest. That's what got me hooked!
Today, the set of building blocks is unlimited. The challenge is to find the right building block for what you want to do, using the infinity of resources available to you (all the APIs, libraries, Google, GitHub, StackOverflow, blog posts). You're drowning in complexity, even if what you want to program is straightforward. And you are constantly mindful of writing idiomatic code, always wondering if there's a better way to do the same thing, which is normally a good thing but can be time-consuming and getting in the way of the fun part that is the problem solving.