I was wondering, and maybe this has been asked before, but what was it like when you guys first started programming?

Did you initially enjoy it or not?

What did your family think? For example, did they criticize you or did they praise you?

How old were you when you started?

Is it a hobby, a way of getting money, or both?

If you've been doing it for a while, what advice would you give a noobie like me for learning programming?

As for me, I started programming at 12 or 13. However, due to my non-existant work ethic at the time, I never got far with it or enjoyed it until I started high school (usually, I don't like to do what I'm not good at). I'm in a computer science program.

My predicament is that I don't know how to learn. I'm above most of the kids in my class in whatever we've learned in class but I want to learn outside of class. I want to pass everyone up, master Java as my base language and move on to other languages. It seems, however, that I can't learn outside of school. All the tutorials I find online require that you had this or that previous knowledge and when I try to learn what I'm supposed to, the stuff behind that requires previous knowledge. When I think I know something and try to implement it, my mind goes blank and I have no idea how to do what I want to do. It's really strange. What do you guys think?

When started programming:
About 6 months ago I started learning C++

Did you initially enjoy it or not?
I have enjoyed it most of the way but their were some annoying parts

What did your family think? For example, did they criticize you or did they praise you?
Family really thinks nothing of it. They see it as something I am doing for school. I see it as a great life skill and that also fun

How old were you when you started?
18

Is it a hobby, a way of getting money, or both?
Its more fun fun but also my degree and hopefully work at some point.

I normally learn better on my know but with programming I found being in a class to be very beinifical. Even know I felt like I could do things quicker and understood things faster it help me stay on target. When learning I have a problem of going to fast threw things and not getting the big picture which a class helps control. Either way I have found learning it to be a very good thing in life and something I can uses for awhile.

This post has been edited by lockdown: 29 Dec, 2007 - 07:12 PM

When I was 11 we got our 1st family computer. Back then everything was read & do. You had an intstruction manual (Dos3.3), & if you didn't read how to do something, then it didn't get done.


I got into real programming when I 1st got into computers. C++/Assembly. Seeing something that I created with a compiler, that ran off an .exe that I created, & acted like all the neat programs that I've baught, downloaded, or obtained (not that I would ever condone such a thing) just made my day. The more I learned, the more fun it got.


Read, read, & read. When you are done reading, re-read what you've read.

i felt like i dove of a 50 foot clif into infinitly deep water. i did not just start programing but started with computers all to gether i was learning the basics like what a hard drive is and what a CPU is and Ghz, Mhz ect.... i got a free computer of a friend and it begane. i will tell you this though it was amazing the mysterys and ideas i was learning were so engrosing i would stay up all night till 2 in the morning and wake up at 6 am for weeks in a row. mark twain explains it in his book life on the missippi(good book). I would quot it but i cant find my book anywher so pretty much this is what he is saying. there is somthing magical in learning somthing new(in his case the missippi riverand how to piliot boats) its like a whol new world begins to open up all at once. he uses the river talking about its buity and grace and most of all the mystery. but when a man learns more and studys it he finds that somthing is lost. that magic in the beggining is lost. but he finds somthing els and gains a love for it.
all i can say is it is worth learnig to proggram and i have enjoyed every bit of it. i have mainly tought my self but i have wonder full help from my dad and others i actualy did tack a class on it. but so far have not realy learned much from that.

enjoy!!!

This post has been edited by Jingle: 31 Dec, 2007 - 04:25 PM

I started programming when I was in High School, probably when I was 15 or so. I really liked it, and I would always write little programs to do little tasks. And I found problem solving with computers to be really fun. Initially programming was a hobby for me, and it still is, but now since I am in college I have been able to hone my skills and actually start working. And what can be better, I mean I like programming, so why not get paid for something you like to do. And my advice to newbies would be to, a) learn the syntax, and how things are done, and just keep practicing, write as many programs as you can. Practice makes perfect, cannot stress that enough.

I started programming when I was something around 6 or 7, that was copying and combining some basic sample programs on Commodore machines (C64, C16 and Plus4). I enjoyed it, it was fun, however probably I did not have much clue what I was doing. I think my family was not really interested in it, my dad was a bit hard to get on with, because he wanted to get his kids out so they see the sun sometimes. By now this is my profession. It was not easy, because I was supposed to become a doctor or lawyer, but finally my decision was accepted.

If you want to learn Java simply start at Sun's site, they have very good basic java tutorials. I think they pretty well describe basic concepts as well. If something is not clear, or some basic ideas are not there, look on google/wiki and I'm sure it will be there.

I started programming when I was in the womb...

These types of posts always crack me up. No matter how many times the question is asked, people seem to be chomping at the bit at a chance to talk about themselves and how young they were when they started programming. If you do even a cursory search, you'll find posts like these and, undoubtedly, you'll find everyone's story of how they started (even mine). But, rather than repeat myself, I'll skip the gratuitous autobiographical bit and skip to the advice.

1. To heck with what people think (family or whomever). If you love to program, then do it. Life is too short to care what others think. But, don't be fooled that it will always be fun. When you get a job you will occasionally be tasked to do things you may not enjoy. That's life.

2. Your goal of "mastering" Java is an ambitious one. Before you take that road, however, do a little research and you'll discover that Java is more than just the core language. It's several large APIs (J2ME, J2SE, J2EE, etc), many specifications, and countless 3rd party frameworks and specification implementations. Long story short: it's huge. So, do your research and get a plan of attack. Obviously, starting with the core language is advisable. If you need some guidance on what to learn, look at the Java certification objectives for SCJP. They will give you a good idea of what Sun considers the important entry-level topics.

If you're having trouble learning outside of the classroom, pay attention when you are in class to what things the teacher does that help you understand. You might even talk to him/her and try to identify what type of learner you are. I'm mainly a book learner. I can read and absorb pretty easily. Secondarily, I can also learn from live examples. But, non-interactive lectures rarely do much for me, aside from help me sleep. Once you identify how you learn, you can use that information to help you learn outside of the classroom. I will say tis, though. Whatever type of learner you are, you will require practice (lots of coding practice) to master an particular language. When you're practicing it should be fun, challenging, and maybe a little frustrating at times. But that will make you better.

Good luck.

This post has been edited by Programmist: 7 Jan, 2008 - 03:42 AM

Winner.

I started programming in 9th grade with little bits of QBasic here and there, and soon moved on to VB6, then C++, then Java. I also learned a little C in order to make money, but the rest of it was for classes and for fun. I do more web design now than anything, but I'm looking to return to programming.

I recently found an excellent book called Head First Java and I can't stress how good it is. It doesn't start at the absolute beginning of programming knowledge, but it does go over those subjects and makes sure you are interested and entertained enough for the learning to stick. Check out some reviews on Amazon of it and see if anyone was in the same situation as you and found the book useful.

My first experience was on a Commodore 64. I got more involved with programming in 1998 learning a few mark-up languages HTML, CSS and then took up PHP, JavaScript, C++ and Java. Right now I am learning Python and liking it.

I started when I got the first MSX Computer, the problem was that I got it when every body in the world passed it over, anyways that was all what I can pay for..
So when you have MSX all you can learn about is MSX Basic.
I have a lot of fun learning Basic especially when friend of mine gave me an MSX Book as a gift.
At the same time I was trying to learn QBasic with friends PCs. (the both has the same syntax) so it was piece of cake.
Ok, I think that extends my knowledge of how PCs works, Logics, analyzing and seeing things from different points.
Then with my first real PC I was able to learn vb6 and now vb.net.
I have a lot of fun when learning a new programming languages if I find something I can do it easily comparing to other language.
Right now I’m enjoying with javascript, php, actionscript.
But as Programmist said “When you get a job……”.
Unfortunately we don’t have a pc classes here and PCs and Internet was so expensive, so you have to satisfy what you’ve got and learn every thing you can get for free.(that’s the life)

My advice to you is to focus on one basic programming language and don’t do like what I did, I completely crazy when it comes to learn about new language.
Just focus and you will reach your goal.

Good Luck

[quote name='spullen' date='6 Jan, 2008 - 12:04 PM' post='294726']
I started programming when I was in High School, probably when I was 15 or so. I really liked it, and I would always write little programs to do little tasks. And I found problem solving with computers to be really fun. Initially programming was a hobby for me, and it still is, but now since I am in college I have been able to hone my skills and actually start working. And what can be better, I mean I like programming, so why not get paid for something you like to do. And my advice to newbies would be to, a) learn the syntax, and how things are done, and just keep practicing, write as many programs as you can. Practice makes perfect, cannot stress that enough.
[/quote]

I just started an IT program and are learning the syntax and how things are done. I feel like I am sooo lost at times. I am taking this program online, so it is really hard when one does not know anthing about computers except for the very basic. So, I am determine I will get through this alive!! We have wrote 2 very basic programs (psuedocodes) at first I was pulling my hair out, then I finally started to understand it a little better. So yes, keep practicing!!
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