Motivation to start Coding

[jwavila]

Since this was started as a "social" forum, for us to get away from being identified by our code and get to know each other in a human way...

I thought it would be interesting to share with each other things about our coding history.

Things like why you got into it, or what got you interested in it? Did you take any classes in college, or self-taught? Is it for fun or a hobby, or is this a career for you?

We are all from such varied backgrounds, I find it fascinating that we all ended up answering questions on the Forum. And I don't believe anything happens by accident.

[dsmyth]

I stubbed my toe last night.... it was an accident and the only thing that came from it was a lot of profanities.

The first time I coded was on a speccy and it was a game of ant listed in a computer magazine; it didn't work, I couldn't save it, and it was an utter disaster and I cried. Must have been, well it was in 82 or 83, long time ago. So I played games and football instead. Then I got expelled from school, got a job in McDonalds, took a shit loads of drugs and raved myself through the early part of the 90's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIzSZH6oqeM

in 94 I got sacked and went to college and studied catering!

That was shit, so for some reason I did a computer programming course. The course was full of people who didn't give a shit (not all of them, but one or two are enough to ruin it for the rest) so I basically studied from home, with a joint in one hand, and a book full of code in the other. Taught myself using the college assignments as an aid. Learned much faster that way, and the lecturers realised it and let me be, and after two years got a direct entry to third year of a univercity degree, got the degree, and was allowed to do honours, did that also, in 4 years went from nothing to a honours graduate... hey thats not bad considering I was stoned every day from 9 am onwards...

Got a job working with VBA and rotted for a few years, got really pissed off at the companies sheer lack of interest in improving my development skills (it wasn't a software house so my development skills weren't high in priority) so I thought fuck them and I taught myself .NET and earned a whole load of Microsoft Certificates and an IBM one. Then I left the company and worked in a software house and it was shit, they lied about their work, so returned to the company I left to a better job and a proper salary. Now I think fuck them of every company and I look after my own training needs.....

[tru jade]

...........

[Omie]

At first I wanted to be a System Admin

I always liked this "Computer" thingi.. I used to game on my Uncle's PC when I was in 7th std. I didnt know anything but clicking game icon on desktop.. but later I got improved Errors while starting games taught me few things.. I learnt using computer by the time.. My dad finally agreed to buy me a computer after 3 years of this. When I passed out of 10th Standard. It was 6 years ago.
I spent next two years only playing games, trying out new softwares etc.. but I was more interested in setting up things than just using softwares.. I always tried to go deeper and deeper in windows settings.. ha! I didnt even know what is programming that time.
Then in 12th std, I had an optional subject, Information Technology. and it had HTML covered in it. HTML is the first some kind of computer language I learnt. I didnt know about C,C++ things.. I used to wonder what computer guys talk about this Java..

I was slowly getting better in "using Windows XP". Then in 2004 I got dial up internet connection.. I made HUGE phone bills only by browsing through sites.. forwarding emails and chatting in Yahoo! chat rooms. Then in 2005 my elder sister got Nokia 6600 mobile handset. I could connect to internet using it through bluetooth. It was sooo cheap.... [ US$1 == 45 Indian Rupees, and that internet connection used to cost 5 Rupees per day.. unlimited use ~7-8 kBps speed] On that connectivity, I joined a forum on chip-india.com [now www.chip.in]. It was a tech forum and had msdn style point system. Instead of medals there were ranks. I spent 2 years on that forum. I learned ALOT only because of that forum. MANY things about using windows xp..softwares,hardware,troubleshooting xp, kicking virus' butt,... Linux stuff..etc.. I had earned 4th out of 5 ranks with 5660 points when that forums was closed.

Along with that I had started with a tution for programming in C. I didnt quite like it at that time. in education center I used to ask about server things more than programming..
There I finished with C,C++,Java in 6-7 months. After ~2-3 months break, I started with vb.net.
and there.. boom! it was all changed for me. I started spending more time on coding than seeing other stuff. It was a slow process transferring my interest from being System Admin to Programmer. I dont know how and when it happened. But it did... I really dont remember how I turned towards programming later on..

I was very n00b though. Once I had made a software for smilies stuff. Like the ones you see when writing post. In that application I had used a listbox instead of picture box array. I didnt know these things at all.. !! Then I met a guy in my city. He is a genius. He showed me few good tricks in programming. especially in .NET.. if I hadnt meet this guy... I would still be a n00b programmer. Its that.. umm.. I dont know what its called but one needs to understand flow of code... flow of logic. Once you get it.. you can code in any given language... I was clueless about it until I met this guy. Together we made few softwares. Edited each others code... those were good days..

Still learning.. MSDN and you guys have made it easier for me

[John Anthony Oliver]

Hi ALL,

After starting with a an 8 bit computer when I was 16 ( it was a Dragon 32 which is similar to the Tandy - Intertan Color-Computer or CoCo ). It had a built in BASIC written by Microsoft in its ROM.

Anyway, later I had various AMIGA computers, I still have all my computers really, gathering dust in various locations.

I have worked as an apprentice through to becoming a qualified electrician, then having worked for electrical wholesalers I got tired of it all ( the electrical industry ) I decided to go back into education in my late 30's.

I now have a HND in Computer Science. I may later do a degree then maybe a Masters course.

While I was still in the electrical industry I did a short course at the same institution ( it was a Polytechnic then ) and I learnt a bit of Turbo Pascal.

I also have some knowledge of processor operations due to knowing some assembly language.

The old BASIC led to me trying VB6 for a very short time. I then learnt Vb.Net at university and the basics of OOP ( object orientated programming ).

To those of you that know me from the MSDN forums, I will simply say Hi!!

Regards,

John

P.S. I live in the U.K. and my Dad ( rest His soul ) was British, My Mother was born in Poland ( but She is not Polish ).