I programmed for the first time around 11 years old, beginning with simple ANSI C book I found in on a household bookshelf. Though it wasn't until I came in contact with a TI-83 calculator around 13 that things really took off. I learned TI-BASIC essentially by trial and error, though today I would happily use a resource like this online WikiBook. Eventually that led to learning assembly for the calculator CPU (a Zilog Z80) out of being frustrated with the limitations of TI-BASIC. I also eventually got frustrated by the limitations of the TI-83 calculator itself, and I used my Z80 experience to start coding my GameBoy Pocket. By the time I was 15 I had begun spending every spare moment programming- including skipping school lunch nearly everyday to go to a computer lab. I gained familiarity with Java, C, C++, Python mainly, but also loved learning about strange esoteric languages. Things haven't changed much since then- I'm more experienced and I have a preferred language (Java), but my enthusiasm and thirst for programming is still just as strong as ever.