(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Hi all, I'm 14 years old, and live in England, and I really want to learn programming as I am thinking it could give me a real boost in the future when I want to get a job or something like that.

I have a bunch of questions, if you could answer any of these I would be happy:

What languages do you recommend I learn first, and what are some really cool things I can do with them?
How long would you estimate it would take me to master different languages such as ( VB/JAVA/C# e.t.c )?
How could I make money through programming/coding?
Do I need an above average computer?

What languages are used to make things like, forums, booters, RATS, Crypters, and how long does it take to get the stage where you make a decent one people won't need to think twice about buying it?

I am thinking about learning VB.NET first as it seems very popular an useful, then Java as it is the next popular and most useful after my research, then C#/C++/C & LASTLY PHP/CLI. Very Optimistic I know, but I'm young and have plenty of time!

IF you could link me to any threads or post which would help me out in my journey, thanks alot!

I started out learning visual basic at school and i recommend you start of with that to you can probably find out how to get the latest version of it for free on you tube, it is good to start with visual basic as it is a high level language which means the 90% of it is in English and it has a very good HCI for example you draw boxes for the input boxes and command buttons, you just have to know how to the basic code to get started then it will get more advanced.
try this

Thanks for that reply mate!

I'll address your questions sequentially:



There is no truly ideal first language, nor is there an ideal way to learn a language. I would say, however, there are two primary routes of learning: practical and theoretical. Those aren't optimal terms to use (nor are they the most descriptive), however they're roughly accurate. Today I learned of a teenager (currently 17) who started his own website (at 14) which lead him to develop a series of websites, and he now earns 20,000 dollars a month, which puts him in approximately the top income bracket. He self-taught himself basic web development using videos from You must login or register to view this content.. On the other hand, universities (and generally "academically smart people") take a more academic/theoretical route. They learn programming in a technically accurate, computer science-focused manner.

There are probably two optimal routes, because both can provide you with useful skills: first the hacker/practical (note: "hacker" is not of any relation to "computer security") route, then the academic/theoretical route or first the academic/theoretical route, then the hacker/practical route. I would personally take the latter route, but it's really up to you.

If you're interested in taking the practical-first route, you'll need to choose what you want to develop. If you're looking to build websites, you'll probably want to first learn HTML. If you're looking to build video games for your Xbox 360, you'll probably want to learn C# with the XNA framework. If you're looking to buld apps for your iPhone, you'll probably want to learn Objective-C. If you're looking to build simple hobbyist desktop applications for your Windows PC, you'll probably want to learn C# .NET, Visual Basic .NET, or C++/CLI. If you want a happy medium, a language such as Java or Python could prove a good start, but if you know what you want to develop, you'll be able to get started easier.

If you're interested in taking the theoretical-first route, I'd recommend learning one of four languages: C, Java, Scheme, or Haskell. I'd recommend C or Java if you're interested in a slightly more practical approach to the theoretical route. If you learn C, you'll be focused on lower level programming, and get to learn more about the machine. If you learn Java, you'll be focused on higher level programming, and get to learn more about programming theory (such as object-oriented programming). Both will allow you to easily pick up the other language. I'd recommend Scheme if you're interested in a more directly theoretical approach (however it will give you some important, and very practical, experience). I'd recommend Haskell if you're good at math, you'll probably find it enjoyable and understandable (and it'll probably make you better at math) - of course, you don't have to be good at math to learn Haskell, but functional programming does have much in common with what you might consider to be math.



Mastery is dependent on your definition. If you'd consider mastery to be memorize every single design element and the entire standard library of a language, it is dependent upon the language - with a language like C it might be possible, but to memorize the entire Java API would be impossible (unless, perhaps, you have a photographic memory). If you'd consider being able to create the absolutely perfect solution using the absolutely perfect element of the language and the absolutely perfect element of the absolutely perfect library every time - well, that's impossible. If mastery is being able to use the language with reasonable skill and knowledge, and to be able to write various types of application with only minimal amounts of research, then you can probably expect to spend quite some time. It's different for everyone, but it'll probably be around a year or two (or three). Of course, in order to use the language adequately, you can spend just a few months learning your first language, and a few weeks to learn additional languages.



The way of becoming rich is by creating an interesting program and marketing it effectively (such as Facebook, Google, and countless other software companies, especially startups). The most common method of making money is by working as a programmer in a company. Alternatively, you can try your hand as a freelancer, as opposed to becoming an employee.



It will be dependent upon what you want to program, but in most cases, an average (or even slightly below average) computer will do.



Those can be programmed in nearly any language. Forums are generally done in PHP, SQL, HTML, and CSS. For the other three, any language can be used (including multiple languages).



I typically don't recommend people start with Visual Basic .NET, however you're welcome to if you'd like. First of all, remember that those languages are all very, very similar. Why not add some variety? Also, I don't know of a language called "CLI".

Thanks for the detaile response mate!

Hi, responses below:


C, C++, VB


Not that long because these languages are very easy. IDE & Frameworks will help you to have a good knowlegde of all of these. (C# is shit :p)


Depends, but It's better to have a good computer, to avoid waiting hours for compiling/linking your projects...

I would recommend starting with C or C++ and then going on to learning some other languages. Also, You don't need an amazing computer to program but if you are going to be making some big programs you might need a pretty good computer to run them. Last of all, You could learn most programming languages from a guy on YouTube called thenewboston and also check out my channel, The Coding Academy for tutorials

You should learn VB.NET > C# and then any other languages, mainly because VB and C# are .NET languages and it makes more sense to learn them as they are some-what corresponding.

Question Answered.