[jhall1468]

I agree 100%. I used to code all the time, prior to my CS degree, in High School, etc. But now I'm a professional programmer. I don't code outside of work, because coding is what I already do 4-6 hours a day. Now that it's my job, I've taken to other hobbies (and raising a family). I love what I do, but I don't live for it.

[reallydude]

I've written code for fun since I first taught myself how to do it. After decades of work, I still do it for fun.

[jhall1468]

Which is fine. But that doesn't mean you should be favored in an interview and it certainly doesn't mean you're a better programmer than I am. My point was: favoring people that code for fun is just as bad as favoring people who only received formal degrees.

[reallydude]

I didn't get that "point" from your post. I was just trying to assert the oft-ignored type of person (I am not an aberration) that still likes coding, after a lifetime. Even when I am inevitably confined to a hospital bed, I will code in my head.