I was exactly in your position (em: Exactly) 6 months before. Like you, I graduated with Computer technology and was placed in an MNC. Same like you I worked w

I was exactly in your position (em: Exactly) 6 months before. Like you, I graduated with Computer technology and was placed in an MNC. Same like you I worked with "Tools", not software, in my case it is Microsoft SCCM[1]. I was locked into this job for some financial dependencies and after some quick 3 years when I look back, I regretted all of my work experience. Not because it isn't worth, but it isn't what I wanted to be in my life. So, I decided that whatever I should do, I should, to become a software developer within 2014 end and I would say I accomplished it since, I am joining as an RoR developer in a month. (all within 6 months) Some of the points, 1) I started from the deep basic level ultimately from HTML and CSS stuff. I didn't think myself as an CS grad, but a self-learning programmer and did whatever a self-learning programmer will do. I call myself that. For example, I was asked to prepare myself with JS and Coffeescript in the new job I am joining, so I started learning JS from yesterday. Even though I have learned and practiced it 4 months before, I started from the utter basics of it just to brush up my knowledge on it.[2] 2) You are right, even none of my colleagues are aware of Github, HN, Git or even Ruby as a programming language. I was one of them one year before. I didn't know any of the programming stuffs at all. All they / I had known is Technet, Sourceforge and most of the IT forums. So, don't expect any kind of assistance from them. Glad you are from US which is going to help you a lot. Being from India I struggled a lot even to get answers for some of the tiny doubts. Sometimes, I had to work through night since in StackOverflow, questions will get answered much quicker in EST time. 4.30 PM IST to 3.00 AM IST was my regular learning hours. If I went to any meetups there will be no more than 10 people in it. I didn't had any mentors, but if you could, get one, it is going to leap you 10 steps each time. Start from the basics (I mean really basics) and go by the path as any beginner programmer would do. Don't assume yourself as a programmer yet. Assume you didn't had any CS degree or whatsoever. Go to Meetups, read Blogs, If you really want to be a programmer, commit yourself 200% into it. I am not going to comment on the programming languages, Books to study, or projects to do. If you really hook into it you ll get to know them naturally. All the best. [1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Center_Configuration_Manager http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Center_Configuration_Man... [2] - https://github.com/avinoth/LearningRepo-JS https://github.com/avinoth/LearningRepo-JS