I'm 18 years old and female, so growing up my parents never got me into computers but instead more "girly" ventures. But now I'm starting to become more interested in the field of programming but I'm worried that if I choose to make it my career I won't be able to compete with people who have been programming since their early teens. Is it too late to start? If not, where should I start? I'm interested in HTML and CSS mostly... More web design.
2013-09-04T00:18:50Z
Seeing as I'm a complete beginner... Would you say programming is more like a learning how to work a mathmatical equation or like learning a language?
AnalProgrammer2013-09-04T00:20:55Z
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Oh, you are sooooo young!!!
If you want to create a web page then just do it. You can create one on your own computer. Once you have done this just double click on the file to view. If it is any good then you can look at domain names or free sub domains.
Some colleges do adult education classes you can join in the evening if you don't want to do full time education.
I gather that a lot of professional programmers with computer science degrees didn't do any programming before they reached university. So if you can learn fast, 18 is not too late to think about taking up software development as a career.
If you want to go for web programming first, you can learn HTML, CSS, Javascript and PHP on W3Schools: http://www.w3schools.com/ In my experience it's better than Codecademy. On the other hand, if you want to get into program logic with a faster, more challenging learning curve, you can go for something like Java or C to start with (the necessary software is available for free on the web).
Programming is kinda halfway between mathematics, language, and engineering. You eventually get a feel for what it's about.
No, not at all. I didn't go to college until I was 33 years old (I don't recommend waiting that long). I got my degree in CIS (Computer Information Systems) and now, 2 years later, I have a great job doing .NET development for a large healthcare corporation. Before I went to college, I knew very little about computers. Now, I am considered a "guru" by my less knowledgable friends. I would suggest going to school and getting a degree in the field. I would also suggest either getting a part time job in a helpdesk style position somewhere, or volunteering or just doing some tinkering on your own to get to know hardware and troubleshooting skills. Contrary to what some people believe, those skills are very helpful to me as a developer. It's never too late to start. Good luck to you : )