Learn a whole new paradigm of programming. For me, starting out as a CRUD web app developer, getting into game development was a huge eye opener. It blew my mind to realize that programming isn't all about object hierarchies and application structure. It can be fun and expressive. There is no single right way to do things, and there is always something new to learn.
It's so important to remember that "programming" is a skill roughly equivalent to "writing". It's not one specific "thing", but a generalized tool for solving problems in life. There are styles and domains of programming that would feel like almost a completely different occupation from each other.
It's so important to remember that "programming" is a skill roughly equivalent to "writing". It's not one specific "thing", but a generalized tool for solving problems in life. There are styles and domains of programming that would feel like almost a completely different occupation from each other.