I started learning Java in January, 2012. I teach myself (and still have a lot to learn), so I'm not an expert or anything close. I got into programming by making modifications for a game called Minecraft. I've taken a few programming classes at school, but honestly they're no help and the curriculum is terrible. I've certainly gotten much better at programming during the time that I've taken the classes, but I would attribute that to my eagerness to learn and my going out and learning on my own whatever I need to learn, not to the courses themselves. I've actually become sort-of the person that everyone in the classes comes to for help, and I'd like to see if I can help people on Stack Overflow for Java, C# and possibly VB as well. I still have much to learn, however, so there will still be plenty I can't answer.