It seems like everybody here was born as a legendary coder or started in their teens. I'm 24 now and just starting out.

How did you guys do it???

I started with GameMaker when I was like 8 or 9, then taught myself Java to make Minecraft mods.

But I really don't think programming is something where you have to start early. Just put in hard work getting used to the ecosystem in which you want to work and you should be able to get a pretty good job

just keep going. don’t worry about everybody else. if you treat it like a sport and train like an athlete you’ll be light years ahead of everyone else in due time.

@12bitfloat @dudeking I had stupid interests when I was that old. I finally found something that I am interested in.

@dudeking did you have a mentor or teachers?

@dudeking you are my hero now

You just have to like doing it.

Don’t be afraid to fail and you’re be ok. I started early in my childhood but earning for a living for about 11 years.

Just focus on important things like “how is that happening and why ?” not on “we introduced this awesome framework you need to check it out”.

Frameworks come and go and are just distractions, might make life easier but at the end you are stuck with data structures, algorithms, loops, conditions, threads and (design) patterns. Those are important things.

@tombatron I really do. I want to get a job in development.

@12bitfloat also gmk and java, for mc plugins tho.
eerily similar tho

I started at my engineering school, and didn't get seriously into programming before I got 20. You'll do fine, don't worry

@vane failure is the way forward.

I don't want to be 30 and then get the job. I love what I do know. But time is of the essence and I need help from all you legends. I have got untill end of the year to become a working dev.

I started with BASIC on our Tandy 1000 when I was 8, in 1986. But I didn't start really learning about programming until 2005, when shell scripting was getting too slow for the tasks I needed to get done. I'm not a genius developer, but whatever I've learned it was because I needed it to improve my life, at home or at work.

Well, I started in HS programming pascal, then C/C++ in college. I think it took maybe 4 or 5 years before I got a job doing any kind of development. In a few months you might learn your first language, but probably not to be proficient enough to get paid.

1. Study system architecture (how computers work). Like as low level as you can get.

2. Study algorithms and learn how to solve problems by breaking them down.

3. Learn a language that is actually used in a lot of jobs. I learned a systems level language as my second language and it has taught me so much about how computers work. Learn to understand pointers and other systems level stuff and nothing can stop you.

4. Try your hand at assembly language or at least debug some higher level code after converted to assembly language. You will learn a lot about how the higher level stuff gets translated to low level assembly. This is useful for debugging things if you suspect the compiler is at fault.

5. repeat

@bahua wow legend man. These frameworks and new languages don't compare to that.

@Demolishun this is great advice! I know it will take some time learning all this. But this is awesome advice thank you man !

@WeAreVenom I joined company after a ~2 years coding in one language. Joined other company switched to second language. Then contracts one company is actually my third language the other company other technologies then I did before.

You will never know enough and job might be different from what you learned that’s why I pointed the basics like data structures and being familiar with base syntax and know the data types.

As for I need a job fast:
Fast easy track is now probably javascript react/angular.
If you’re determined you can get a job in half a year or even sooner.

Add java /spring / jpa later and you end up in some enterprise with high wage in 2-5 years or can switch to manager position and give up coding.

All depends on how much soul you want to sell to the devil.

I had one semester of programming in BASIC in high school. I did a couple years in college before changing degrees and then doing other things for over a decade. Long story short I didn't become a professional programmer until my mid-30s (went back to school because I like school and had saved up money from working). So don't worry too much about age or experience, as long as you enjoy learning new things and just keep moving forward you will be fine

@jdebs I went to college but dropped out because I didn't like what I chose.. 3 times. So I am in major debt. I can't afford it to go back to college. I HATE my sales job. So I have set a goal to learn as much as I can untill end of this year and wanted to kick off the new year with a job. Also so I can provide for my family because I don't want to do anything else other than programming

@WeAreVenom one word - "Google". Think what you want to build, research on what tech might be helpful and Google the build out of it. That's the best way, sometime later you'll learn to recognise the bad code from good code and get better at this. Best of luck 🙂

Not everyone is an all-star programmer. You don't have to be. Most developers fit in a bell curve so don't worry if you are in the middle. What really matters is that you can do your job and that you enjoy it. Learn a set of tools well. If you take criticism, do the work that you are given, keep leveling up your skills, and avoid major conflict you will have a long career.

Being on the top of the pile is actually really crappy. People call you at all hours. Management splits you between too many projects because you are a subject matter expert for everything which makes time recording terrible. You do not get paid proportionately for your effort.

If you end up being super talented then you will get opportunities after you gain a bit of experience. So just do a thing for a while and see where you land. Don't stress.

I started at 27. Im 31 now with a proper job and no actual it studies.

I have a philosophy degree.

If you have the profile and the motivation there is no reason not too manage.

You need to be curious，be motivated to go through tunnels or swimming pools what ever they call it in your country and dont be discouraged about the geniuses. There is a shit loads of very smart devs but there are a lot more bad ones too. Lean towards the best.

Also get on irc so you can ask questions at any time to people live. Kiwiirc is pretty good.

I like my work but im not passionate or crazy about it but you have to thrive towards doing things right and being precise.

I feel that if you follow those directions you cant go too wrong.

Good luck ;).

I started over 5 years ago and still don't know anything...

Went to a "programming" school after 3rd grade.. it taught me what I already knew.

I'm really confused if I'm very good but impatient or these schools taught me basically nothing in multiple different languages over the span of 9 years, or I'm just bad.

I was 24 when I got my first IT job. 27 when I got my first dev job. Don't worry, if you do things right you'll be kicking youngsters' asses in no time

I have failed a lot...
I touched things that shouldnt be changed. I programed in the ways that would make programmers question their lives. I crashed, I destroyed and I sucked.

And now, because i know what i shouldnt do i know how to do things propely.

Started when I was about 11 or 12 with basic and just went from there, was cool to change the color of panels and make random stuff happen.

The only way I got better was just by doing it everyday, getting rid of my attitude, listening and testing everything I wrote over and over.

when i started coding, i sucked, even though i liked it a lot. eventually, something clicked and now it's a lot easier

I was 31 when I got m first IT job. I'm now working as a self taught front end developer. I spent most of my time working on stupid "beginner" projects. Now that I'm actually coding for a living, I'm realizing how much I still don't know. My advice, pick a language or framework and stick with it. Get to know it and use it to make things you find interesting. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions no matter how dumb they may be.

@andrewprohde I started learning frontend a year ago. Thought I was job ready. Applied and got rejected over a 100 times. Was devastated. Nobody believed in me. Everytime I had an interview they gave me an assignment that was made for people who had over 3 years of experience. I applied for junior positions...

@WeAreVenom Is there any local dev groups that pro devs attend? I go to a group in my area twice a month. I hang out with devs who own businesses and devs who have similar job as me. Something like that could be a great resource.

@WeAreVenom I got lucky with my position. I started with the company as a tier 1 network operations technician. After a year and a half I started working on a project to make my life easier and eventually turned that into my current position.

@Demolishun I live in Amsterdam. A lot of Dutch devs they just rejected me when I reached out. I could attend a meetup I guess..

@andrewprohde after so many rejections I prayed for a little luck. My gf who had no experience, didn't like tech at all, has no degree, got hired as a frontend dev. She has what I want at the first try!!!! Do I have to build the next Amazon or Google to get hired :/

@WeAreVenom Is being a dev some kind of status symbol there? That seems like a dick thing to reject people who are trying to learn. Yeah, I found my group through a meetup.

@Demolishun I suppose. Ego is a big thing here. If they earn more than you they feel some type of way I have this sales job where we sell phones with a plan. We have to ask customers what their income is. And they shit on me because they know it's more than I earn. Everytime.

@WeAreVenom most of life is all about luck and / or being first

@vane Kinda like beating out the other 2 million sperm at conception?

@Demolishun exactly but I am more likely to believe in karma. It never disappointed me.

I was 32 when I started, now I’m 38. Never had any problem getting either job nor keeping up with things.
It’s much up to your own ambition and focus.

@HughRant how did you do it?

@WeAreVenom I took time off work for two years to study software development. I made sure to network with companies during that time and it ended up with an internship that turned into employment six months later.

Try not to get stuck at one company too soon in you carreer, keep learning and keep moving. Obviously give it your best everywhere you go.

@HughRant how do you network with companies? You knew people at these companies?

@WeAreVenom It’s pretty common that tech companies host events covering various topics. I started attending some of those, showed interest and staid in contact with the people I connected with there.

@HughRant Big companies or startups?

@WeAreVenom They were all small companies (10-20 people). Not necessarily startups.