Perhaps this is self-serving, but I completely agree. If you plan to be in the software business, it pays to know a little bit of what your business is built on

Perhaps this is self-serving, but I completely agree. If you plan to be in the software business, it pays to know a little bit of what your business is built on. The best way to learn how to code is to pick a small project, build it and deploy. With app stores galore (Google Chrome, Apple, Android) there are plenty of interesting opportunities for small applications to get your feet wet. I wouldn't worry about making the next big thing. Pick something fun and ship it. I personally would start with a scripting language and build some cool games with it. I personally would recommend starting with Lua and using Corona (http://www.anscamobile.com/corona/ http://www.anscamobile.com/corona/) to get started. This will give you an application that is easy to build and deploy across multiple platforms.