Ask HN: On a scale of 1 to 100, how do you qualify your passion for programming?

It depends. On my personal projects, I'd put my passion at around 95. On my work projects, about 30.

In terms of programming generally, as in passion for programming theory and whatnot, I'm honestly not sure how to answer that. In my younger years, I was very passionate about such things. But as the decades passed and my skills and knowledge grew, I reached a place where I became more passionate about what I was programming than the programming process itself. Which doesn't mean I don't have passion for the process. It's just complicated.

Let me put it this way, programming isn't the interesting part of the problem. Those who are still fascinated by programming likely haven't seen the bigger picture. Hey, I used to be that guy once! But really though, all the interesting bits have been figured out by the time the programming starts.

In the high 90's... which ironically and sadly is not great for a software engineering career. I would compare this to being a passionate artist and then realizing commercial art is the antithesis of creating good art. It's a contradiction that is born from the profit driven needs of businesses. That said, it's not all doom and gloom, sometimes companies find a space in which to prioritize engineering (or art in the example), and I think these are the companies that are ground-breaking and move the industry forward.

Also, in my defense, it seems the entire education system, especially higher education, does not mitigate against this. Doing well in a CS degree basically means you are passionate about software theory, and there is almost no mention of the pragmatic elements of business, the need for people skills, or the quirks of the market in which your career depends on.

When I’m working a project I enjoy or is particularly challenging in a fun way, I’d say it’s 90. I’m basically fully into it, but I do need breaks. When it’s something more mundane or doesn’t interest me as much, I lose some of that passion. I get very excited about learning new concepts and being able to apply them to build or improve on projects.

is 1 super good or super bad?