no fun

hello /prog/
this is my 3rd year studying computer engineering, i took 5 programming courses so far.
there is something i've been trying to figure out throughout those years.. what do people find in programming that is fun? i don't see it as fun at all.. i know how to program a given task, but i don't see how these opensource terds with no formal education sit one day at home and *feel like* programming..
i've been to one fedora conference (fudcon) and i met someone who asked me what i found fun about programming.. i told him i was trying to find an answer to that question but i haven't yet..

tl;dr how is programming fun?

Programming is fun in several ways.

* The intellectual challenge when you actually try to write something complex, not braindead scripting
* The joy in actually creating, on your own, useful tools or artpieces - a form of self expression
* The satisfaction in invention

None of this you will get if you work for the average software firm, doing tasks that were solved 50 years ago. The true fun lies in trying to do things that are difficult and not clear.