Having a social life and a family doesn't preclude one from programming a lot. And you don't have to be programming 24/7. What it takes is learning how to combine the two. Meeting up with people and learning about programming (or other aspects related to programming), or joining a book club that reads books that cover elements of programming.
No one sits in front of a computer 24/7 to program. No one. Hell, Linus talks about how he spent so much time programming Linux in the very early days in the book "Just For Fun" and he even has time for socializing.
> That's not a life worth living.
For you, maybe. Don't assume your values apply to others. The other side is that it's not a life worth living if you spend 40 hours a week doing something you avoid the other 128 hours.
"The other side is that it's not a life worth living if you spend 40 hours a week doing something you avoid the other 128 hours." - Its not that you hate it. But you should not fill your life with just one activity.
You should be networking, talking, going out, learning, traveling and filling your life with a wide variety of things. Yet the start up programmer lifestyle is programming 24/7. It's not healthy. I can guarantee you a lot of start up founders, don't work the hours their programmers do.
No one sits in front of a computer 24/7 to program. No one. Hell, Linus talks about how he spent so much time programming Linux in the very early days in the book "Just For Fun" and he even has time for socializing.
> That's not a life worth living.
For you, maybe. Don't assume your values apply to others. The other side is that it's not a life worth living if you spend 40 hours a week doing something you avoid the other 128 hours.