Here are some reasons I believe people do CP:

• Enjoyment
• Preparation for job (coding) interviews
• Preparation for Competitions

CP seems to be a low priority activity. For example, school and job responsibilities usually take higher priority. It’s not possible (realistically) to make a living from CP. Thus, people taking part in CP usually have good reasons.

The nihilist viewpoint says CP is just solving contrived made-up problems. Who cares? There’s little/no benefit to society. Unlike CP, programming for a job creates services (value) for people. Unlike CP, Computer Science research pushes the boundaries of knowledge of the field (value). Why spend time in an activity which doesn’t product relative value? Again, it seems the people doing CP must have good reasons.

I’m wondering what people’s reasons are for doing CP.