As an NYU English major, what fascinates me most about programming is its similarity to creative writing.
Web development involves using language to create different pieces of code in different files. The developer uses different syntax and different languages to solve various problems depending on what’s needed in the app, and only when combined do the files turn into a full application.
This, to me, is like a novelist combining chapters into a novel. An author must use different syntax to solve the various storylines that appear in the course of her novel. She cannot rehash the same content over and over again in each new chapter – each new book - and must adapt to the changing nature of her plot and characters if she wants to express her vision.
This strikes me as a lot like what a web developer must do.