Passion doesn't need to be about programming. Passion and curiosity can be targeted at other areas.
The one type of candidate that I will almost always turn down when interviewing is the one that can't answer the simple question of "Tell me a story about something you enjoy and why. It could be a project you worked on, an outside hobby, anything." We all have our different strengths and interests, but the people I've found that I work with the best can talk about something they enjoy.
As for myself, I've spent many years working in the industry. Sometimes I take on side projects just to noodle around, sometimes I take on consulting projects to learn something new (or help out a friend). Given my drothers, I lean towards non-programming pursuits these days -- cooking, gardening, mountain biking. In their own way, all stimulating and, at the same time, allow my mind to relax away from the computer.
> Passion doesn't need to be about programming. Passion and curiosity can be targeted at other areas.
Of course. However I think this particular thread is about programmers who are passionate about programming, and how that relates to their ability as programmers... :]
[AFAICT, passion in general is good for mental health, and I'd even wager it's correlated with intelligence. It's indeed a good thing to have, but passion in general won't have quite the same effect on one's profession as passion about that thing in particular will have...]
The one type of candidate that I will almost always turn down when interviewing is the one that can't answer the simple question of "Tell me a story about something you enjoy and why. It could be a project you worked on, an outside hobby, anything." We all have our different strengths and interests, but the people I've found that I work with the best can talk about something they enjoy.
As for myself, I've spent many years working in the industry. Sometimes I take on side projects just to noodle around, sometimes I take on consulting projects to learn something new (or help out a friend). Given my drothers, I lean towards non-programming pursuits these days -- cooking, gardening, mountain biking. In their own way, all stimulating and, at the same time, allow my mind to relax away from the computer.