I've been programming for about 25 years or so, but I only really count the last 5 years as actual programming. I started with a Dick Smith console, programming in a language similar to Basic, before moving on to C64 Basic. I found that the programs I was writing were starting to exceed the 64kb of memory the C64 had, so then moved on to Amiga 500. After about a 10 year hiatus in programming, I then did a little HTML and a touch of Javascript, but it never really took. I also dabbled in C, but never found my footing there. About 5 years ago I started creating interactive Excel spreadsheets with VBA code, before finally getting back into web programming once again. This time I learnt HTML properly, as well as Javascript, PHP, MySQL and XML. I also started programming in MS Access, and did a little work in C++ as well. I now own my own website, which has been up for about 3 years, and I work as a contractor doing Business Intelligence and Reporting, working in VS 2005/8 and SQL Server 2005/2008R2. I am entirely self taught, and have managed to create a nice career from it. I highly urge anyone interested in programming to pursue it, as it does pay off if you are dedicated to learning and applying the lessons