Here are some questions to any programmer out there:

What age were you when you started programming?

Was it insanely difficult for you at first? Did you grasp it quick or did it seem as though you were never going to become a programmer?

What were your reason for wanting to program? Something your family does, it was there on my desktop so I played with it, I wanted to be a hacker from the movies, etc...

If it was difficult almost to the point of you giving up on it, what motivated you to keep going?

How long did you study programming from day to day when you just began? Did you just looked at some source of information or played around with a language: an hour a day? Week? Month?

If teaching/being tought programming consumed *insert here*% of your life from day to day.. what were the side effects?

Where do you see low level programming in, say, 8 or so years? Would the market for programmers be cut throat, as some people I know tell me the web design market is?

What else do you do besides program? Or do you just program?

I got a couple other questions that I thought of before but can't think of at the moment, I'll input them sometime tomarow.(041706)

--UPDATE--

Does your job incorporate programming? Or is it just a hobby? If it is a job you are doing, what do you do? (game programming, office software, networking software, etc.)

OK - this could be interesting:13It was quite easy to learn - BASIC on TRS80 - and I was hacking the machine quite early on. It was trickier to become more advanced since I was pretty much cut off from other programmers.I learned to program at school - there was a course for it and I liked to hang out with the guys who would program the things as opposed to the guys who played donkey-kong all day. I did it for the cool.The main difficulty was keeping up with developments when the 286-386 revolution occurred. Work took me in a different direction and when I started again, for a thesis, I had gone from a turbo-pascal algorithmic world to a java/c++ one ... but it had to be done or no degree.Initially, the school had one computer teacher who was actually pretty ignorant. But he hid this by also hiding all the manuals. I managed to get hold of the keys to the storeroom, in a different contxt, and discovered the manuals, system specs, and a guide to the BASIC instructions. I used to spend all the available time, every day on this... I'd say about 4-5 hours a day 5 days a week.I didn't become cool define "low level". To me, that is "machine code" programming, which I did a lot of. If you mean actually writing code for stuff - the market for programmers is likely to become specialised even more than now. (Commercially that is. OS projects will always be available to soak up surplus programmers.) However, a lot depends on developments in IP in software ... it may become almost impossibly to be a programmer in the accepted sence and you end up manipulating blocks pr proprietary code which the company has rights to... with a kind of script that controls the kinds of relationships these blocks can have to each other.I am a research scientist and a daddy.yesalso a hobbyJust stated, I am a scientist - a physicist: I use computers to make models of phenomina under study, so I can better design experiments to test the ideas in the real world.

As a point of interest: Open Source is very important in science.

1. I need to be able to use any code I design without worrying about the copywrite - scientists cannot afford licences: if a fee is required then the research usually dosn't get done.
2. My simulations usually show something weird is going to happen - I need to know that the weirdness is in the theory and not in the code. If the code is not available, I have no way to tell.

16.

I just enjoyed learning it.

It was cool to me to create my own executables.

Fun. You don't have to be a genius. Maybe some rewarding neurotransmitters in the brain suffice. I feel good when I catch a bug and when I don't, I can't sleep.

I started with a Pascal quick-reference in a math book! Pascal is a good starting language to learn. It's better to start with the logic and structure of programming than to get lost in the inner details in a language. Then C was easier for me to pick.

It depends on your own motivation. You really have to initiate yourself in the beauty of logic and the readability of code.

Sorry about that, it may be a little vague, but low level C/C++ compared to high level javascript/Python/Logo

14 when I was introduced, 15 when I was serious.

Yes, it was insanely difficult. But over time I have become to be somewhat confident in programming in c++, but I am jealous that a nerd like me aren't as smart as others when it comes to grasping the concept of programming, but has not stopped me.

It was for a variety of reasons, but just to address a couple:

1: I didn't want to become an ignorant of his/her own ignorant high school student who watches the day pass by instead of passing with the day.

2: I had hated waiting for games and desktop applications that functioned close to the way I would have wanted it to function.

That I have access to people mingling about in these forums that may answer a question of mine. And also, I noticed that the more time I put my mind to understanding a concept, I begin to understand it even if I still feel I don't. It usualy results in me finding out that I understand after several days/weeks of frustration.

I have to changed this question for I am still learning to program efficiently, but since the majority of my day is wrapped around school (3 hours) and work (6 hours), I then squeeze as much programming in as possible, whether it be 15 minutes, or 2 hours. When the weekend comes I push people out of life for that time being and work on computers+programming.

Think. Tinker with OS's/Computers. Spend time with my dad. Browse wikipedia. Read up on history. Watch history channel. Play a computer game. Though lately I have been thinking about programming when it is not programming time.

I started data input at about the age of 8. This was in the form of games; i.e. you buy a book or mag and there would be pages and pages of code which you would copy and hopfully have you name printed across the screen. These where the days when I would get a syntax error and not have a clue what was wrong.
See above. It may of well been written in latin for all I could understand.

It's a constructive medium.


I'm a highly motivated, self driven person where quitting is not an option.

When I began it was a few hours here and there, a while ago I could code for days without sleep (not a good idea).


I find there are many potential traps such as, withdrawing from society, becoming a super nerd; but the biggest is something which noone ever warned me about. As programming is constant problem solving it is possible to not be able to stop looking at things and analysing them; so much so that your mind can not switch off.


[QUOTE]
Where do you see low level programming in, say, 8 or so years? Would the market for programmers be cut throat, as some people I know tell me the web design market is?
[QUOTE]
Very much so yes.

Escapism through drink, drugs etc.

What age were you when you started programming?

16 (in 1965)

Was it insanely difficult for you at first? Did you grasp it quick or did it seem as though you were never going to become a programmer?

Yes, it was difficult. No, I did not grasp it quick.

What were your reason for wanting to program? Something your family does, it was there on my desktop so I played with it, I wanted to be a hacker from the movies, etc...

It was like magic. There was a beautiful order and power to the computer.

If it was difficult almost to the point of you giving up on it, what motivated you to keep going?

Somehow I knew this is what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

How long did you study programming from day to day when you just began? Did you just looked at some source of information or played around with a language: an hour a day? Week? Month?

I took a one-week FORTRAN course, then I was on my own, reading manuals, bugging more experienced programmers for information.

If teaching/being tought programming consumed *insert here*% of your life from day to day.. what were the side effects?

Divorce.

What else do you do besides program? Or do you just program?

Manage a software development company.


Does your job incorporate programming? Or is it just a hobby? If it is a job you are doing, what do you do? (game programming, office software, networking software, etc.)

Program genealogy graphics for a small company. And it's still insanely difficult.

14 or 15, whatever age you are in the summer between grade 8 and 9.

I started w/ VB, so it was pretty easy.

Not sure really. My dad's in IT, and he had all these VB books lying around, so I decided to give it a shot. It turned out to be really fun. But, I actually started making web sites a couple years earlier. A few of my friends got kind of competitive (who can cram the most "cool" features onto a web page... you know, embedding 3mb wav files and things like that ). I guess I got interested in programming then and the web stuff just wasn't sufficing.

Programming is really as hard as you make it. I mean, you can stay in the "shallow end" as long as you want really, just making little, semi-useless programs, or you can start moving out a little deeper. I guess you don't get that if your thrust into programming in a University context or something, but for those that started in high school, the only pressure to get into the harder stuff would be from other programmers, and there really just wasn't any at my school. There were sometimes I really did feel completely stupid, and completely intimidated by someone who was just a far better programmer than me. But you'll get that in any field. If your a computer nerd, and have been programming since grade school, it can be very personal, and you may see it as defining a part of you, so finding people, especially a whole lot of people, that are better than you is hard to take at first. But, you have to remember your still learning, and yourself 2 years ago would probably feel inferior to yourself now.

I've also had a lot of "Ah Ha!" moments. You know, where something suddenly clicks, and you just get it. Everyone will get this w/ pointers, recursion, etc.. Just like everything else, you will get it, you just need to stick w/ it.

A lot... Not sure how much exactly. I didn't watch much TV, but was always on my computer. I'd say at least a couple hours a day on average.

It really started to impact my social life, especially in grade 11, so in grade 12 I stopped programming on Fridays and Saturdays. I'm in University, and I'm still on my computer too much for my own good. I'm also currently in Comp. Sci. at Univ., which I'm happy w/, but a lot of people bashed me for.

I've always loved assembly. I still program in it often, and C as well (if you consider that low-level???). Assembly will always be around. Recently I've got into microcontrollers and stuff like that, which is mostly assembly (though they do have C compilers for some of the better chips). It's fun, and there really isn't a better way to do it

I'm a student in Computer Science (Software Engineering), so not much Most of my classes are programming, or programming concept oriented. And all of my workterms involve programming. I like cars, and enjoy tinkering w/ mine when I have extra money.

I'm doing web development for my current work term, but I only have 2 weeks left

About 19No.Very easy to learn and use.The IBM 740 had just been installed in the Math Department ant the UO where I was matriculated, and they let us play with it.FOTRAN is very easy to learn.Never stoppedRead the language specifications and started using it. Abut a hour to get my first program running.By the time I got to graduate school, I was earning more that $10K/year for a few hours a week programming. (That was very good money in 1962. Apartment in Greenwitch Village, MG sport car, private garage, etc.)Hardware will always need programs to work.No, but talent is necessary.Well, I was a professional statistician and DBA for a number of years, but I'm now retired.I'm retired.Yes

Started around 14 years old

If it would have been difficult I would have choosen another hobby. Stated with small dos bat's first but almost same time started looking if could get something nice out of basic (installed with dos).

Well this was back in early 90's. Wanted to create something nice. Like paying Lego's but 4-D. I always (and) still like to create and develope new ideas.

Goals between my ears motivates most. If I _MUST_ do something, it motivates least. If I can't get something working, I try until running out of ideas and then do something else for a while.

Started paying around with source code. That's the best way to learn. I'm bad with reading books! Makes me feel like I'm still in school.

Too much around computer makes me wonder, why my desk looks like hit by hurricane, why my clothes lay around the house, why my car does not get oil changed...

I see programming to be more specialized to sectors. No-one can keep up with all leads on hand anymore. If you are good on one thing, you propably fall behind on two others.

I also play drums, some sports, and lots of other stuff. Can't say I'm nerd in that sence.

I'm working on other industry, but do programming for extra income. That way with no pressure on programming makes it more fun and hobbylike.

Good luck with your coding.

11
I started with Pascal and it was hard for the first year, after that it is easy.
It is a compulsory subject in school in VN so I have to learn.
For the first year (when I was programming with Pascal), I did it any time, anywhere I can. After that I don't learn much, once you grasp the basic of programming, all other programming languages (and a large number of technologies) are very easy.
No side effect.
Low level programming will still be there but probably will not be used as much as it is now (although not many programmers do low level programming exclusively now - probably none, but most programmers (I think) still know a little bit of low level programming).
A lot of thing. Shopping, watching movie, having sex,... muhwahwa
I'm working on some contract projects doing office softwares and currently attending university major in computer science so most likely I will be a professional programmer in the future. I also have a Vietnamese Input Method written in JavaScript (so you can go to any website using my script and type Vietnamese without any extra softwares installed on your computer) and a few other softwares. Working on a mail client (GTK+ & C).