>>19393067It's not terribly difficult to get into it actually... I coded as a hobby for a while, and went to school mostly for the piece of paper you get at the end. It turned out I never really needed that paper anyway because of the software projects I could demonstrate I wrote.
Tips?
I guess just try to get a grasp of a programming language... If you learn a language well, it is dead simple to pick up another that follows the same paradigm. I would reccommend looking into an object oriented language like Java first, because Java is pretty widely used, and then working your way to a functional one like Lisp. Because knowing those two paradigms will turn you into a damn good developer.
As you are learning, make things..! Create a Gtihub account and put stuff up there that you can point to and say "Hey! I made that!". Learn git, Linux, and common development tools. IDEs are awesome, but they inhibit learning when you first start out, so don't use them until you are confident you can do any magic they supply yourself.
As for hunting for work...
If you want to work at a company... Stack Overflow has a Careers website that becomes available if you are active on there for a little while. The job postings there are usually pretty damn good. Slashdot has something similar.
The alternative is to freelance. Look for contracts, or things on Bountysource you think you can work on... It will take some time, but you can code in your underwear at home and still make money. So that's kinda sweet.
And lastly, learn business. It is very important regardless of what you do, and can help you secure awesomely paying jobs that you actually like.
Good luck..!
