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This sounds pretty accurate to me. I personally got into programming because I wanted to create a website to share my knowledge online, and then felt like adding more and more interesting features to differentiate it from the crowd. I also learnt a lot about it due to wanting to code games as well.

Wouldn't be surprised if something like 60-80% of programmers got started because they either wanted to make a website about something or they wanted to make a video game/video game mod. After all, nothing drives you to learn more than having a clear goal in mind and needing to find solutions for how to achieve it.

I got into programming through making small games. It was very much a means to an end, a solution oriented path. I personally can't imagine trying to learn programming now in a similar manner to high school math courses, where problems are presented so abstractly. If I can't see a reachable and tangible end product in sight, it tanks my motivation to learn.

Yeah, same here. I like to know what I'm actually working towards.

Also that said thing is actually interesting to me. That's a problem with a lot of teaching, the example problems they give are so utterly boring that it saps your motivation to work on them. Like the reminder/notes/shopping list apps that seem to be the default course/tutorial subject for every language and framework now.

> we eventually reach a level of AI where you can just ask AI to implement stuff for you – I don't know, port this program to linux or whatever – without you having to learn how to code

it will not happen unless we reach AGI. You need to know programming (please don't call it coding, I hate it) to verify the generated program works as you expect and won't fail at 12am on a Saturday in production because the AI added a buggy code block that only get triggered in specific conditions. It's like making a plane without QA. Not gonna happen. And the very low risk programs already have alternatives today that don't require technical skill

There will still be those of us who did get into programming because they like programming. The day I played around with a Tandy Level I in 7th grade, I knew what my career was going to be, though I didn't think of it in those terms until later. So even if AI can create me something, I wouldn't use it unless it's for some really boring thing I've done a trillion times already.

I do admit we're rare, though.