How to keep motivation when learning programming?

In "How to keep motivation when learning programming?" I answer a programming question.
A podcast version of the channel can be found here: anchor.fm/fredrik-christenson

[@GTaichou]

This got long so TL;DR - "Passion" isn't all there is to it.
I disagree. I was just having a conversation with a mentor this week, and burnout can kill your motivation even on something you love or at very least don't hate. She felt like she wanted to quit in the last semester of her Master's degree, and she definitely had no dislike for her area of study. The advise she gave is "find the thing that brings you unadultered joy" and that can be something completely unrelated, but you need *something* that brings you joy. This, paired with remembering your WHY will help you through dark moments where you feel overwhelmed. Now isn't forever.
IMO this talk of "you have to have passion to make it" is such a privileged and, dare I say, survivor-bias take that I hear so much. There is a danger to making your passion your work - it can kill your passion. And some of us just don't necessarily have full safety while we are studying. You can't thrive while you are just trying to survive in the meantime. (Not even to mention bad professors that can actively kill your motivation) For example, I'm already very aware that it's my team environment that affects VERY STRONGLY how much I enjoy the process of learning and code. If I'm left to fend for myself in the dark with no leads and no one to bounce off of, I lose my motivation immediately. But I can take on immense challenges in the right environment - and ENJOY it!
EDIT: Sorry, coming back to add an important point - there can be so many reasons WHY someone loses motivation, and some of them might not have to do with the subject of study at all. The person asking the question really needs to spend some time finding what is at the center of their loss of motivation and address that. Is it mental health? Is it a bad experience? Is it imposter syndrome? Is it lack of agency in their projects? Do they not have a robust enough support network? Do they need to connect with their peers? Do they need to change their working environment? Do they need to make a change that pairs something rewarding with when they study? There is SO MUCH MORE at play than just "passion"

[@xyczz]

Countering with another chapter. TL;DR - Passion covers most of it 😉
Definitely more too it than passion but you won't have to make it more complicated if the passion is there. With passion you arguably don't even need a degree or anything, just start building your own projects constantly learning what you have not tried or want to learn and picking up pieces as you go along. Learning how to solve problems I would argue is key and never be afraid of asking questions but also try your best at actually remembering the answers and why. When you can talk from your heart about all your projects and what you learned explaining key concepts and showing your passion, you will find a job eventually - because those individuals (passionate junior developers) are what companies are really looking to invest in.
There are many paths to becoming a software developer but the people who try to switch or start in this field with no real experience, attending a bootcamp and think they are ready in a few months or years will likely have a very rough time, especially without passion. But then again there are facets and of course you can make it work - but will you be happy? will the company be happy with you? will your colleagues be happy with your performance? they all relate to each other as well and if a developer needs someone else to be there for you at all times, one can start wondering if it's the social aspect, the lack of knowledge or simply wanting to learn from more experienced people that is the issue.
Passion in the end makes it a lot easier - if you think you will be ready when you graduate doing bare minimum and don't really want or have the time to continuosly learn new things, you're going to have a bad time.

[@GTaichou]

@@xyczz The unfortunate truth is that MOST people don't have clear passions or drives though. The minority that do are truly lucky, and this needs to be recognized. The standout examples that do a lot of speaking like this channel, as much as I truly value Fredrick's level takes? They are, in the end, OUTLIERS, and we need to keep grounded in this fact.
You are correct that passion HELPS but it is not and never has been a requirement. You can still get value from your work if it fulfills your needs (creativity, problem solving, feeling knowledgeable, etc) without being the standout, life-consuming, high-on-the-sauce person.
No one said it would necessarily be easy. Some of us have to work to sustain ourselves. (Depression is a beast and a half)