Young New Developer. Asking for advice, own experience, and what I should prepare for.

Question

I’m 18 years old and always loved the idea of programming, it’s like creating your own world.

-Short term goals is to create front end content for websites, working with local companies in updating websites and such.

-long term goal is to work with both front and and back end development, and I wish to finish this before the end of college in 2020 (currently a senior with a couple weeks of school left)

After college I want to dwell into machine learning a little.

I ask you for advice to help in anyway

Answer 1

My big take away: Programming is far easier than office politics!

Don't confuse enjoying programming as a hobby / at home with sitting in an office 40+ hours a week, every week for decades. Most people get sick of it by age 40.

Check if your personality fits actual jobs. Almost all graduates fail to understand this. I blame ignorant school teachers and parents for that. But then, young people rarely listen to advice (you excluded), so maybe that's why they don't tell them?

Just trying to save you. If you would like a sedentary job with office politics, then go for it. If you're a people person, avoid development.

Answer 2

You can definitely learn coding. If your passion is there, you'll reach the summit.

Also, never take someone's advice totally! Definitely not mine. It has to be your choice.

Learn online!

Answer 3

Alright lol :)

Answer 4

My school didn't teach programming either. We learned at home for fun, from magazines and books (pre-internet). You can definitely do it.

Answer 5

I have played sports since I was little, always dreamed of playing college football, but since the two free year walterstate Tennessee promise, I choose not to pursue football, and to study astronomy, with that I was going to do programming as a minor, or vice versa.

I understand where your coming from, but I come from a military family, and if I begin to not like my choices in class and such, I will do enlist for a couple years, if military isn’t for me I will leave and take the free college years and hopefully know what I want by then.

Back to now-

Honestly I was worried about a reply as to what people in this community would say, but I’m going to at least east give the direction in my life a chance.

Xan- is there anything aside from that you wish to say? And if not can you answer what you think would be the most efficient way of learning this coding, and in what order?.

Understand I’m taking your advice completely, as well as whoever posts on this, cause I have no outside help, my high school doesn’t teacher programming as I live in the 3rd poorest county in Tennessee, and I wouldn’t know who to reach for, for help.

(Sorry if any typos, I’m in class rushing to fish this cause we are about o be sent to lunch)

Thanks again