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I just want to code (2023)

(www.zachbellay.com)
288 points SCUSKU | 4 comments | 27 Apr 25 20:08 UTC | HN request time: 1.099s | source
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alkonaut ◴[28 Apr 25 06:48 UTC] No.43818348[source]▶
Do many people hobby code with that entrepreneur mindset thing? Or sit down to play guitar thinking they want to make a hit and feeling bad if they just noodle some cover songs? What a miserable existence that must be. How do you get that way? Should we blame LinkedIn or what is it?
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1. onion2k ◴[28 Apr 25 11:54 UTC] No.43820338[source]▶
What a miserable existence that must be.

This ignores the fact that people are motivated by different things. If you're someone who thrives on the intrinsic 'do this for the love and joy of it' motivation then you should absolutely just write code for the fun of it. But not everyone is like that. Some people need an extrinsic motivator to drive them to do things - that's usually money, or praise, or a punishment for failing. There is nothing wrong with either approach. Neither is better.

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2. spicyusername ◴[28 Apr 25 13:03 UTC] No.43821092[source]▶
I mean... one is definitely better...
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3. 59nadir ◴[28 Apr 25 14:07 UTC] No.43821677[source]▶
While it's not wrong to be extrinsically motivated (it's not morally wrong, or a value judgment), it's definitely worse and more fickle (it will produce worse results in most cases). Intrinsic motivation is much more likely to lead to long-term growth even in the face of adversity and in general be more resistant to changing circumstances.
4. retropragma ◴[28 Apr 25 15:16 UTC] No.43822430[source]▶
Important to note that it's not a dichotomy as long as you're not an "extremist" of either side. Build for yourself and a big market. Take pride in competing at a high level. If you view "hustling" as an 'all work, no play' experience, you're engaged in absolutist thinking.