Ask HN: Why do you code?

Recently: To pay the bills.

I like solving puzzles. Often that puzzle in my world is "How do we make sense of all this data for business users" or even as simple as "How do we make this faster?".

Also, its well compensated. If this was a 50k/year job I'd have found a new career by now.

I mostly code so I can save time doing things at work. I work in IT and am able to save many man hours by automating tasks. This makes me much more productive and valuable than other members of my team that don't have these skills. I'm really surprised by the lack of coding by IT people in general. At least the people I know.

I code that people can buy some more crap.

Originally because it was fun and helped pay the bills. More and more recently I code to better understand things I'm thinking about or build small tools that are useful to me.

When I was younger, the first real thing that grabbed me was magic (after reading, of course!).

To me, programming is like magic. It's that aha moment that you can induce in people (and yourself), that leaves them baffled and amazed (the sanskrit word for this is ascarya, wonderment).

Unfortunately, computer programs share two unfortunate aspects of magic:

    (1) The trick, once repeated, rarely evokes the same reaction in the audience.[0]
    (2) The implementation details are often mundane and boring (to laymen) when compared to the effect produced.

[0] i.e., I don't experiences moments of amazement every time I do a Google Search, but I certainly did the first time!

edit: formatting.

I like creating stuff. If money (and time I guess) weren't an issue, I'd do more than code: electronics, machining, etc. Hopefully one day I can afford a nice lathe.

because it is fun!

Because I love software engineering and computer science and besides many other things that involves coding too.

Originally? I got out of grad school and needed a career.

I had previously tried to learn to program and hadn't really gotten anywhere (attention span and lack of determination), so I was already interested. But without the external impetus, I have no idea if I would have ever started.

Now, it's because I'm fascinated by the process (and also because I need to be paid...).

I code for the thrill and pleasure of the creativity involved. As an add-on, it provides for my family.

I write code because I like solving problems and being intellectually challenged. A past co-worker summed it up best, "I don't want to be promoted, why would I want to manage people? I get to build cool shit, all day, and get paid for it. 8 year old would think my job is awesome."

Because it's my special way of expressing myself.

I love the thrill of solving a particular problem with code. I also like being able to create useful things from simply hitting a keyboard for a while.

I think its a great technical field that also rewards creativity. I'm also and hobbyist musician and I feel that the two skills really work well with each other.

Although I love that coding is a means of creation, problem solving, and user experience. I feel that my primal reason for wanting to code isn't any of those.

Honestly, I don't even become interested or inspired to solve a problem until I experience it for myself (unless it's a job).

I feel that my interest in coding stems from the fact the I enjoy challenging conventions. I like asking why things are the way they are, and then breaking the rules to better the creation process & product.

The fact that I can learn on my own (as opposed to lectured) is what also drives me to code more. When I finally find something I want to build, I can learn how it's been done in the past, and develop my own opinions on how it should be done.

Also, coding is probably the first thing that I've ever felt I could do with my life.

It's evolved over the years:

Age 9: It's fun

Age 13: It's fun, and my parents won't buy me any games for my C64 so I have to write my own

Age 24: It's fun, and I can automate all this boring repetitive business stuff to get my work done faster so that I can play more Freecell and Tetris.

Age 26: It's fun, and The Internet just happened and suddenly everybody wants to pay me three times what I'm worth to do it. Woohoo!

Age 31: It's fun, and if I do just one day of it for freelance clients each month I can live on this beach indefinitely.

Age 37: It's fun, and if I put up a credit card form on one of my side projects, people seem to be willing to pay me money every month just to use it.

Age 43: It's fun, and I seem to still be doing it even though I could probably pack it in and live off that SaaS income.

There seems to be a common thread there. I suspect I'll still be doing it in another 10 years.

Because it's the only thing I'm good at.

Many reasons, best presented in list form, in no particular order of significance.

* Enjoyment. I like constructing intangible things inside computers such as data structures, and manipulating them.

* Problem or task solving. I like making tools that do things to take away burden from my and others' lives.

* Self-fulfillment. I like guitar but I'm terrible at it. I like snowboarding but I'm mediocre at that. I love rock climbing but again I'm not remarkable. I'm not very good at lots of things, but I'm pretty good at coding.

* What else is there to do? As someone who has leanings towards existential nihilism, eventually one sees no value in anything. So one might as well do something to pass the time. Writing code ticks that box.

It's a passion.

I originally started because I was fascinated by what could be done with code. Creating things from start to finish is still exciting even after 14 years. After taking on a management role, I still code when I can because I enjoy it.

Being able to go from nothing to something is fun.

I like(d) it a lot. Recently I changed job due to an internal company change and I am in a terrible technological situaton. Working with a lot of stuff I don't like with colleagues I don't like. But my passion for coding didn't leave me. I love it and I try to write as much code for myself as possible.

Probably at the age of ten, the moment when I got to understand the concept of a loop, be it a while or a for loop, I started to realize the endless possibilities one can do with coding. 20 years later, with more sophisticated tools in the pipe, I'm still looking for the boundaries of what is possible and what isn't.

> Why do you code?

I'm decent at it and it puts food on the table. Sorry ...

All the turnkey solutions for my line of business are garbage. I used to be a data scientist and moved into sports science, and wow, you should see what passes for "good software" in this industry.