'''Programming''' can be a very frustrating thing to do at any level. There are a few things that have kept me going: * Be excited when little things work * Realize that from little things big things are built * Everybody is still learning (even Knuth) * Focus on being the best programmer you can be, rather than as good as someone else * Realize that holy/language wars just bring upset and the best thing to do is to fix the problem than complain * Don't be intimidated by 500+ page books (almost everybody finds them frustrating) * Remember your past difficulties when helping new programmers Please extend this list. ---- ''Martin Weber'': In fact I '''love''' 500+ pages technical books :) * Enjoy bugs. Remember, they are there to be fixed by you - be excited when you fix that thing. * Enjoy interaction with your users: They will show you ways to use your program you've never thought about before. * Expect credits for minimal, ridiculous changes you do, but don't for abstract flexible frameworks: You get cheered on for what they see. ---- ''[DKF]'' - It's books that are over a thousand pages that are intimidating. Especially when used on cow-orkers... ;^) ----