I'm glad that you said you want to be a programmer OP. Most posts on here have people saying they want to be "creative writers". That's exactly what I wanted to do, but honestly, anyone can say they want to be a creative writer. I studied writing, wrote amazing things. i thought that would land me a job, but its SO hard to get a job writing for a game company, you need to already have a lot of experience, but in the end if you have a lot of programming experience you are more likely to get hired. That is my personal opinion. I see 10 guys wanting to do creative writing to every 1 guy wanting to sit down and write code. I am teaching myself how to program, about to release my first app for iPhone, and hopefully starting a small game company soon. Bungie inspired me to start making things happen in my life. So in a few years after you've learned to program, if you look back at this thread for some reason.. Remember that I am looking for programmers as well, if you need a good starting point in your career. Good luck!! :) Ps: if you need any tips on where to start on how to program just send me a message