How do I know if I like programming?

I know it's a dumb question, but I really need some answers. 

I'm asking myself this question because I'm thinking that maybe I should pursue computer science in college, but I've read that it takes lots of perseverance, dedication, learning outside of school/work and that you should only bother with it if it's something that you'll truly enjoy.  Now, how am I supposed to know if I'll enjoy programming?   
 
Obviously, the simple answer would be "program and see if you enjoy it", but first I'd need to start by learning a programming language.  Would I know if I am one to enjoy programming by being genuinely interested in studying a language or would I only know once I've learned that language and I start developing my own applications and stuff?  Would a slight period of disinterest or frustration during the learning/execution process mean that I'd experience more boredom with programming than fun/satisfaction in the end?  

DarkBasic or UDK.  Two good places to start.  Both have free versions and you can get lots of tutorials on line.

The only experience I have with programming is with Jcreator. It takes quite a bit of patience and focus. I realized after my first year of compSci that it's just not for me. 
 
If you're the kind of person who can spend a long time trying to solve a singleproblem, then it probably shouldn't be a problem I guess.

find a book in russian. 
try reading it. 
are you compelled to figure out what this shit means? 
if yes, try programming. if no, you're a sane well adjusted person. 

Well, if you decide to try Computer Science in college and then you don't like it after the first semester or year, you can always just change degree streams. Chances are that whatever courses you took will carry over and apply for the other degree anyways. Of course you would want to make sure they did before you took the courses.
 
I would recommend trying to learn Python as an introductory programming language, its a newer language and is much more user friendly. Its also a lot easier to read and comprehend what you are doing because the syntax is a lot closer to being english sentences than most other languages.
 
If you end up liking programming then you should definitely go learn C#, from there you can start working in XNA which is what people use to make XBL Indie games and stuff.

" If you're the kind of person who can spend a long time trying to solve a singleproblem, then it probably shouldn't be a problem I guess. "

" find a book in russian. try reading it. are you compelled to figure out what this shit means? if yes, try programming. if no, you're a sane well adjusted person.  "

Python is also my recommended starter language.  The truth is that the language isn't a huge issue.  It's the ability to pick up the logic behind general programming and that is what turns a lot of people off from programming.  Once you get the logic, other languages pretty much follow the same rules. 
 
Most colleges require a basic computer course, even for majors like business.  In these courses, you'll probably do some very basic programming, usually in Visual Basic.  If you dig what you learn there, then you can figure out if you enjoy it or not.

" find a book in russian. try reading it. are you compelled to figure out what this shit means? if yes, try programming. if no, you're a sane well adjusted person.  "

" Well, if you decide to try Computer Science in college and then you don't like it after the first semester or year, you can always just change degree streams. Chances are that whatever courses you took will carry over and apply for the other degree anyways. Of course you would want to make sure they did before you took the courses. "

"  @FluxWaveZ:   You just do it and find that it's more of a fun hobby than studying. "

It is a process of extreme hard work yielding much smaller doses of short-lived gratification. You need to be in the mindset that all your hard work will create something fantastic in the long run. 
 
You can try Game Maker. There are a few really good tutorials for it on Youtube. You will quickly learn how to make a character move around and how to make killable enemies. Game Maker offers some relatively handy preset commands, but if you want a real feel for programming - and if you want real flexibility in your project - just go the coding-route. 
 
I know you said not specifically for gaming... but it's always a good place to start. After all, it's definitely more gratifying than building web pages or creating website layouts.

Well, you could just take 1 introductory course to get your feet wet. However, you should know that computer science is not really about programming. Computer science is really a math subfield. Some of the 3rd and 4th year courses that I took never involved using a computer. If you are just interested in programming then a full degree might be overkill.

" Python is also my recommended starter language.  The truth is that the language isn't a huge issue.  It's the ability to pick up the logic behind general programming and that is what turns a lot of people off from programming.  Once you get the logic, other languages pretty much follow the same rules.  Most colleges require a basic computer course, even for majors like business.  In these courses, you'll probably do some very basic programming, usually in Visual Basic.  If you dig what you learn there, then you can figure out if you enjoy it or not. "

" Well, you could just take 1 introductory course to get your feet wet. However, you should know that computer science is not really about programming. Computer science is really a math subfield. Some of the 3rd and 4th year courses that I took never involved using a computer. If you are just interested in programming then a full degree might be overkill. "

Reddit's programming community is a great place for someone to learn & ask questions like these. They've also had numerous insightful answers for questions like this, check it out.
 
Light Bot 2.0 (1.0) is a flash game that you might like that helps teach programming fundamentals. It's still best to come up with an excuse to get your hands dirty and try programming something yourself though (Python is a capable, yet simple, language and would make a great place to start).

" Even if you get discouraged while trying to learn on your own, as long as the concept of what you are trying to learn interests you I'd say take the course. "

" I had the same problem so I did some first year programming subjects at uni and found out I didn't like it so much, but luckily they counted towards my engineering degree. "

You will know you like it when you can spend days doing it and it dosent feel like any time.

I have a comp sci degree and have been a software engineer for a little under 10 years. I would caution you that computer science != programming. It is a lot of set theory and learning data structures/algorithms. Be prepared to take a lot of math classes (at least up to Calc 2), and be prepared to use programming languages to solve really hard problems. A really good example of a very hard project that usually cuts a class in half is B-tree implementation, ESPECIALLY B-tree delete.