Lets outline our journey to becoming software developers based on milestones/events

lets outline our journey to becoming software developers based on milestones/events

>learn html css, learn about writing clean markup, styling, etc.
>learn php, javascript, sql
>learn python, try to learn c++ no thanks
>jump back to php, spend next 2 years focusing on php
>mess around a little with nodejs and other javascript memes
>quit gayming, install linux over windows
>start distro hopping while using ubuntu as daily driver
>start seriously reading about web dev topics like security and performance
>learn meme topics like PSRs and start studying code design
>building my own apps, no longer reliant on youtube videos and usually resort to official documentation now for learning
>have 2 full apps im working on, own 3 websites, 1 self hosted on LAMP stack
>studying logging and error handling now, also contribute to OSS

i remember my first days i felt like a complete noob and im probably still a noob to many but i definitely feel good about how far ive come. i've been programming on and off for maybe like 4 years now, although i had my first taste in high school about 7 years ago, but didnt start seriously programming until like 2 years ago (23 now). spent my entire childhood gaming, literally, and now im trying to make up for lost time.

for those who are still unsure of themselves, just keep at it. it takes a lot of dedicated time to get really good. i could be a lot better now if i actually seriously programmed from the start but i didnt really try until college and since i started seriously, i've come a long way imo. i used to only copy and paste code and make minor edits and forget everything i did the next week.

Install gentoo

You probably didnt expect much from posting this, but this post really helped put me in a better mental state. Just was about to quit because I feel like a stupid mongoloid when I try to code, but this gives me some hope.

>take Intro to Prog course in college, learn rudimentary C++
>next semester take intermediary C++ course alongside 2 classes called Design & Implementation of Software and Data Structures
>take next advanced courses for those 3
>coast along through all of these
>drop out
>do zero programming for 4 years
>have decent understanding of concepts but struggle to so much as write hello world now without reference material
cautionary tale Sup Forumsents

Since Im 21 I hardly have any milestones, but anyway
>join college
>learn basic programming
>drop most games, keep VNs
>learn basic web dev in java
>realized I have to do something more than just finish college
>switch to linux, make a server out of my old desktop
>struggling because I have no teacher guidance or pression to continue doing things
Im literally top of my class in a shitty college of a 3rd world country, so basically a brainlet on Sup Forums
I feel like a fucking joke, many times I dont have any idea of what people here talk about

It's never too late to go back to school. If you don't enjoy programming then do something similar like Information Systems. Nothing is stopping you from working on small personal projects from home. There's so much documentation available now, that any project is doable.

>be me, in year 11
>take software class
>learn c
>get pretty good at it
>teacher finds out he won't have the class next year, instead we'll have oldfag head teacher
>who demands that we use visual basic
>whatever.jpg
>try it
>holy fuck this shit is retarded
>use c# instead because fuck oldfag teacher
>it is not like C at all
>do not finish last project, get 60%
>decide to learn java bc friend suggested it
>going well so far

>spent entire childhood gaming
>is only 23

lol fuck off, you're still a child

Correction: it's never too late to learn. College is an expensive scam that will do nothing for you if you have the slighest bit of intelligence.

>java

>College is an expensive scam
>paying for college
Why are your taxes so shit?

???
Once you hit 20 everything becomes harder to learn, and so, you no longer have the neuroplasticity of a child

>graduate high school knowing a little c++
>Spend 3 years at community college, take two semesters of java, don't get an associates.
>Work at k-mart and make employee of the region by being competent.
>transfer to cheap state school,2 years later almost have my bachelors, now linux autist and know c,sql,basic web stuff,java, and wrote some cool shit .
>Have a 2.0 gpa because hate school
>School job program offers practice interview with real employer, ace it with HR lady
>Get interview with 3 engineers at once for summer internship. Company writes print servers in c and sounds pretty cool with tons of benefits.
>Fuckers don't ask about my gpa and think I am smart.
>Hire me.
Wish me luck hooooly fuck I think I'm gonna make it.

oh also I am debt free so suck it jews.

The value of college isn't merely learning, it is a fast track for moving unambitious smart people directly through structured training and into the industry.

If all you do is go to class and do your homework you are wasting your money.

So you can't learn C# because it isn't like C but you can learn Java?

dont worry user, learning programming/tech is unique because there are lots of small bits that you learn overtime and it gradually adds up. it's not like math where you spend ages trying to understand a single concept and you reach a singularity. it's just a constant absorption of small bits of info that add up. you'll start debugging programs and youll notice something small and it sticks with you, and before long you'll have picked up all these small bits from trying new things and youll eventually have a big ball of gum from 10,000 small pieces.

you can't just sit down and learn everything you do that day. day 1 will be rough since youre in a whole new ecosystem. youll be copy pasting for a while and not knowing what half of the things do. but youll remember small bits and you keep doing it and you keep learning. youll read error messages and they mean nothing at first but you eventually keep seeing the same error messages and you eventually start picking up.

tinkering is really helpful. open up a fresh file and just start messing around. ive been messing around with functional programming in my free time and just seeing what i can do. try and recreate functions in other languages (python's zip is a handy function that doesnt come with most other languages) or do code challenges like fizzbuzz, prime numbers, lcd, or some other tricky function

i have probably over 15,000 hours logged on all my vidya in my life. 5000 alone on counterstrike, another 1k on runescape probably, another 1k on wow, 2k on rust, 2k on path of exile, and more split among a bunch of other games in my life. ive played my fair share of gaymes, even if im only 23

I hate faggots who can look other people in the eye and speak, literally living life on easymode

>trying to make up for lost time
Bitch how is enjoying your childhood lost time? You've got the rest of your life time to work, you won't ever have what you had in your childhood and youth again, so you better enjoyed that shit.

Started with game development in high school. Lua for game events, editing ArcEmu, running databases and a PHP site for accounts/auth.

Stop because of reasons.

Interested in programming in high school, get back into it and switch to CS after almost failing out of college. Build a ton of web apps, games, get interested in Linux kernel development.

Get multiple degrees (+MS) all CS/CompE while completing internships every year and doing some contract work. Continuing to build personal portfolio, going to networking events in the Silicon Valley, building my name and skills. Study about six hours daily on average, actually loving my life.

Teach a course at my university.

Ace some interviews in SF, get to tell my folks (very poor family for US standards) that I just accepted a full-time software engineer job in SF at a top tier company for ~180K first year total comp. Rejected another company I was very interested in.

Feels good to make it.

>Nothing is stopping you from working on small personal projects from home.
other than a total lack of ideas you mean
all of you guys say to build a portfolio but there's really nothing most people can make that isn't laughable shit

>Graduate early from high school, we didn't have any programming courses
>play around with community college, only course was a BS one that hadn't even gotten to loops after 3 weeks
>go to state college for math, drop out middle of first semester, 1.7-ish years after I graduate high school
>NEET shutin from graduation to now, exactly 2 years since then
>Going to learn Scala because I like FP and I don't care if I get a job anyway

Just reading how much of a blogpost this is makes me realize how little I've done, jesus fuck

Year ago i couldn't look people in the eyes, and i'm pretty good at it nowadays. You just need to force yourself for sometime and sooner or later you will be more comfortable with it. Remember to look at person for 1-2sec from time to time(~50% of conversation you look). It's not good to stare too much of course. You can make it more natural by darting your eyes to left/right/up(it looks like you are thinking about response).

>go to MIT, graduate in 3 years
>get $200k a year starting job at Google
>retire after 8 years with $2mil in the bank

>Family buys a ZX Spectrum +3. Copy out some programs from the manual. try assembly language. Don't get it.
>Learn BBC BASIC. Make a few simple games and graphics things
>Get a PC, learn batch file programming and QBasic
>Get taught Visual Basic rudimentry C++ at college (how is C++ better than VB6 other than being harder?). Start making windows programs with MFC.
>learn Java at uni (what a shitty lang!)
>Do some PHP at a summer job
>learn C towards the end of uni (much easier and beter than C++)
>Get a job and properly learn HTML, JavaScript, CSS together with adobe coldfusion. Learn SQL a bit later
>Learn NodeJS (async is a bit difficult to grok initially, but grow to love it)

Same guy here. FYI, I got the Beeb second hand from the local college for 25 quid :)

For a brainlet who just got his first thinkpad and downloaded ubuntu, where should I start if I want to do data science-y stuff? I'm currently taking applied math at university, so I'm thinking Javascript, SQL, and R?

>26
>unemployed
>learn C
>get in college
>learn Java

>learn BASIC for commodore 64
>instead of a 386 get sega mega drive 2 for birthday
>learn 8086 assembly
>build my first x86 computer in 2000.
>learn html
>learn Pascal
>start doing actionscript and flash
>actionscript 3 comes out, switch to java
>be the only student on my faculty ever to quit uni with seven 10 grades and seven failed classes
>start doing some manual labor and electric installations
>learn c++
>start designing electric installations and industry automation blueprints
>learn scada design and plc programming

Quit it all and change my life way to achieving higher levels of consciousness and being.