Start with these simple lessons that many don't get: 1. Programming is essentially about you (!) problem solving. 2. Programming requires initiative and indep

Start with these simple lessons that many don't get: 1. Programming is essentially about you (!) problem solving. 2. Programming requires initiative and independence. 3. Programming requires self motivation and self learning. 1. is really the only lesson needed here. 2. and 3. are important implications. I'm not saying, programming classes don't help, but if you call yourself a programmer and you need to learn a new API you must have the initiative to try to figure it out for yourself. It's OK to ask questions. It's OK to expect to be briefed or even taught some complicated concepts. It's NOT OK to expect to go back to school to learn every single new thing you come across. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Programming is a vast field. What do you want to learn programming for? Nowadays you will find an introduction to programming for every major sub-field of programming. You'll find programming introductions for game development, front-end programming, back-end programming, statistical computation, mobile apps and everything else in between. Personally I find that this is the quickest and easiest way to introduce yourself. I don't like the approach that some take i.e. first learning a really general programming language and programming concepts and only afterwards learning what they actually need. So do some research and come up with a list of resources. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- It takes time. How much time varies depending on you personally and the field of programming you want to work in. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Landing a programming job may or may not be straightforward. In some cases it's damn right impossible. It depends a lot on you, your location and what standards companies expect out of their developers. I've met good developers who were stranded and bad developers who got into a junior developer position after a year of training at a technical school. Why am I say all this? Prepare yourself and research so that you can find a way to make it. Most if not all job applications you meet will have a requirement for an CS/AI/SE degree. Ignore that but be prepared to show off your skills. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, you probably want a to-learn list but again, you must first provide a programming field. I'll be glad to help if you reply with a specific programming field.