Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#1

Post by peter_l_downs » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 3:59 AM UTC

I'd love to hear why you started programming. It would be especially interesting to see how many people had similar reasons. Me? I was inspired by a Foxtrot cartoon.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#2

Post by swasheck » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 4:02 AM UTC

I had to solve a problem with which nobody would/could help me while working at the university help desk. I coded up my own little solution in php (3) and MySql (3). Yeah. I was one of those.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#3

Post by bitops » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 4:27 AM UTC

swasheck wrote: post #2

I had to solve a problem with which nobody would/could help me while working at the university help desk. I coded up my own little solution in php (3) and MySql (3). Yeah. I was one of those.

I think the hardest part of getting started as a programmer is finding that first paycheck which rewards your work as a coder. If you're serious about building your skills, it can definitely be done! A CS degree can absolutely help get you more money. (And introduce you to different methods of organizing your work).

All that matters is your attitude and your personal ethics. If those are in order, it doesn't matter how you get started.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#4

Post by TheDoctorWho » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 4:29 AM UTC

I wanted to build the Terminator so I decided to start learning programming.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#5

Post by mcarrano » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 4:34 AM UTC

I wanted to create my own website.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#6

Post by FredBrach » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 4:34 AM UTC

It was around 1996. My brother had a friend who gave us a phone call and say: "hey my 3D engine is lagging on my computer, may I come and test on yours?" Sure... He came and start running this 3D engine: http://fredbrach.posterous.com/engine4

It was so fast, I fell in love and started programming.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#7

Post by thoughtsimple » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 4:41 AM UTC

It's fun

Re: Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#8

Post by damian2000 » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 4:46 AM UTC

Back when I had my first computer (an 8 bit micro called an Amstrad - around the time of the C64 and Vic20) computer magazines used to publish games as entire listings in BASIC ... so by definition if you wanted to play their 'published' game then you had to type the thing in on your computer, debug it and run it (and then save it to a cassette tape for replay later) ... This got me hooked and I went on to develop my own small games, and also a musical (piano keyboard) application when I was 14 yrs old.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#9

Post by the-come-ons » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 5:03 AM UTC

I created a menu based text adventure game about the colonists from England who sailed to America in the 1600s for my history class in middle school. It was created in the basic language built into the TI-83+ calculator. My teacher was extremely impressed and I was awarded an A+.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you start programming?

#10

Post by a_a_r_o_n » Fri, Feb 03, 2012, 5:19 AM UTC

At my job in the early eighties we had to maintain paper forms of engineering data, and when one value would change due to external reasons, we had to update all the fields by writing the forms over or with whiteout. I hated that, so I taught myself to program the department's mini-computer. Discovered I liked that more than my job, so I quit and went to school.