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John_Maxwell_IV comments on Learning programming: so I've learned the basics of Python, what next? - Less Wrong Discussion
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Not recently. Honestly, though, I'm not sure typical programming work is the sort that people who think they like programming enjoy... think writing glue code and tracking down other people's bugs.
I decided a while ago that I'm an extrinsically motivated person and trying to figure out "what I loved" wasn't going to be a good strategy for me. My impression is that careers like doctor, lawyer, and banker are typically pursued by extrinsically motivated people who aren't actually passionate about doctoring/lawyering/banking.
Cal Newport wrote a book called So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love. 80,000 hours has a summary on their blog: 1, 2. Other blog posts.
Why do "typical programming work" then? Do more interesting programming work. Have you spent significant time trying to find a programming job you'd like more?
I used to do "writing glue code and tracking down other people's bugs" type work, as well as building new features (in a system I already knew well, not learning much) based entirely on someone else's designs and priorities.
I changed jobs in January and the new one's much more challenging and fun. I have creative input, leadership opportunities, and mostly do my own tasking, working on whatever I think is important or interesting. I also have more variety in tasks, which I enjoy. I probably only spend about half my day coding now and spend the other time project planning, learning new stuff, designing and architecting new features, or doing other non-coding tasks. The new job also pays better :)
I'm a lot happier, and I feel like I'm actually learning and improving, whereas I was kind of stagnant before. The good programming jobs ARE out there, and IMO it's worth trying to get them.