My main hobby is basically “making cool stuff” and I honestly think being able to make something is worth it for everyone. That could mean knitting or crochet or sewing, it could mean pottery or origami.
But it could also mean programming. I’m really into gamedev as a hobby and consider it just another part of the “making cool stuff” hobby along with all those more traditional crafts.
Bonus of course is that learning to program is a massively useful life skill in general!
I’m definitely a “making stuff” enjoyer as well - whether it’s programming, woodworking, cooking. A good parallel is “fixing things”, if something I have breaks I will usually try to fix it myself before going to a professional. I discovered I really enjoy working on small engines this way - it kept breaking, so I kept fixing it and now I’m able to rebuild an entire 2 stroke engine myself.
For most things its a pretty easy jump to make. Buy something that’s already broken where the only purpose of that purchase is to learn how to fix it. That way if you accidentally mess it up it’s not really a “loss” since it was never functional for you in the first place. If you do manage to fix it successfully, the feeling of accomplishment is much the same as creating something. Bonus points if you get a really good deal on something broken that you may not have been able to afford brand new.
I started out by (accidentally) buying some broken jet skis, knowing literally nothing about engines at the time, and then slowly learning and then mastering them as different parts of them continued to break over time.
My main hobby is basically “making cool stuff” and I honestly think being able to make something is worth it for everyone. That could mean knitting or crochet or sewing, it could mean pottery or origami.
But it could also mean programming. I’m really into gamedev as a hobby and consider it just another part of the “making cool stuff” hobby along with all those more traditional crafts.
Bonus of course is that learning to program is a massively useful life skill in general!
I’m definitely a “making stuff” enjoyer as well - whether it’s programming, woodworking, cooking. A good parallel is “fixing things”, if something I have breaks I will usually try to fix it myself before going to a professional. I discovered I really enjoy working on small engines this way - it kept breaking, so I kept fixing it and now I’m able to rebuild an entire 2 stroke engine myself.
That’s really cool! I’ve not graduated from making to fixing quite yet (apart from a bit of darning old knitted socks) but hope to get there one day.
For most things its a pretty easy jump to make. Buy something that’s already broken where the only purpose of that purchase is to learn how to fix it. That way if you accidentally mess it up it’s not really a “loss” since it was never functional for you in the first place. If you do manage to fix it successfully, the feeling of accomplishment is much the same as creating something. Bonus points if you get a really good deal on something broken that you may not have been able to afford brand new.
I started out by (accidentally) buying some broken jet skis, knowing literally nothing about engines at the time, and then slowly learning and then mastering them as different parts of them continued to break over time.
Dammit as if I needed another hobby rabbithole to jump down…