Why do you enjoy programming? Do you do anything in particular to make it fun? Do you ever feel useless, or that your little bit of help doesn't matter? If so, how do you counteract those feelings?
The feeling that you could create something which has a sort of personality (program behavior), something that can evolve rapidly (next version, program collected more and more data), something that can reach millions of people in few seconds across the globe (hmmm... this depends on the type of program you wrote). All this is just amazing, there is no other creative field in the world which can have all these together. NOTE: For me programming is not about just 'coding', it is much more then that, it is a way of thinking, a way of creativity.
Do you do anything in particular to make it fun?
Keep learning. I just keep learning new stuff (programming languages, platforms etc). Almost 95% of worlds programmer build so called CRUD applications, which are your typical web/native apps which does these CRUD operations. This kind of programming is very very boring but that's what most programming jobs want you to do, unless you are very lucky to be working on some RnD project.
I never feel useless, it's the exact opposite that makes me love programmaing. You have endless possibilities, you can do whatever you want, you just need a little of will power.
I love keeping my brain active and I always try to learn something from everything I do.
Also I love the users, I love the idea of being able to create something that people use every day and find useful/funny/nice. I think one of the things that give the biggest booster is the users feedback. Those few lines from a thankful user are worth a lot to me.
Anyway what I said might be also because I am in a different situation from you, from your post I suppose you are stuck in a company that makes you do the "code janitor" or something that seems not to add value. I can only suggest to try to find the something in what you do that gives you pleasure. I too work for a company but I enjoy every moment I work, each time a part of my code goes live and works I feel like I did a good job and I find a lot of gratification in it.
The feeling that you could create something which has a sort of personality (program behavior), something that can evolve rapidly (next version, program collected more and more data), something that can reach millions of people in few seconds across the globe (hmmm... this depends on the type of program you wrote). All this is just amazing, there is no other creative field in the world which can have all these together. NOTE: For me programming is not about just 'coding', it is much more then that, it is a way of thinking, a way of creativity.
Do you do anything in particular to make it fun?
Keep learning. I just keep learning new stuff (programming languages, platforms etc). Almost 95% of worlds programmer build so called CRUD applications, which are your typical web/native apps which does these CRUD operations. This kind of programming is very very boring but that's what most programming jobs want you to do, unless you are very lucky to be working on some RnD project.