[informatimago]

He sees programming as a professional and paid for activity. Consider if you would have to get into golf professionally, working 8 hours a day on it, and having to ensure steady revenue from it.

Now golf is a physical work reminiscent of the skills needed to hunt and kill mamouths and similar game. Instead programming is a purely intellectual activity akin to mathematics or philosophy, something you can do only when you have the leisure and time for a hobby.