We should really develop a ceremony. A sort of Hack Mitzvah. We could have an eminent member of the open source community dress up in a big ceremonial robe covered in surplus electronic parts, and people could approach one by one to be handed a tiny gold-plated lambda and have the ceremonial blessing pronounced: "Today, you are Free. Go Forth and Build Something People Want."
I'm not sure I'm kidding. The time after one leaves school can be very stressful. Especially if you're trying to cope with parental pressure. So it feels kind of boring, perhaps even harsh, to just come right out and tell you: There's no secret. Just build something. You do not need our permission, and we will give you contradictory advice anyway [1], and all the tools you need are in front of you [2]. Stop flipping wistfully through the Ruby book and dive in to Ruby! If you need help being silly go visit _Why's site!
You may also find the presence of actual humans helpful. They can be good for one's morale. Are there any tech-related gatherings in your town? If not, is there a better town you could move to?
There may come a dark time when you need to watch this video daily. Hang in there.
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[1] We're all working on different things, which require different technologies. We have different preferences. And, even if you get everyone to agree on the problem, nobody really knows what the best solution is, or whether the best solution will remain the best beyond next week.
If you really want a recipe: Linux, emacs, Rails, jQuery, Web app. For furious debate about every single element of that list... see all the rest of the posts on HN.
[2] Well, okay, technically that's not true. You are going to need a lot of time. And food. And the occasional break. Get a day job! You can practice subtle career-path misdirection if you manage to get a day job that combines medicine with a smattering of technology. There are lots and lots of those. You might even like one of them.
[3] This was going to be hacketyhack.net but it is currently... "transforming".
I'm with mechanical_fish on this one. I am far from being a "true" hacker but I've learned along the way that programming (hacking) can really only be refined through practice.
Believe me, I used to think that reading books/tutorials/articles made me a better programmer, but, honestly, building something is the best way to learn.
As for steps, I'd say go in this order:
1. Do some (quick) research about some languages you're interested in.
2. Decide on the language that is most intriguing to you and that you think you'd stick with.
3. Find an idea for an app that will be useful to you. Be sure to set the goal of your first app properly-don't try to take on too much (mathetica clone) or too little (Hello World) with it.
4. Build the darn thing. This is the point where you'd start looking up tutorials/etc in order to figure out how you'll actually do things with the language.
I'm not sure I'm kidding. The time after one leaves school can be very stressful. Especially if you're trying to cope with parental pressure. So it feels kind of boring, perhaps even harsh, to just come right out and tell you: There's no secret. Just build something. You do not need our permission, and we will give you contradictory advice anyway [1], and all the tools you need are in front of you [2]. Stop flipping wistfully through the Ruby book and dive in to Ruby! If you need help being silly go visit _Why's site!
http://shoooes.net/ [3]
You may also find the presence of actual humans helpful. They can be good for one's morale. Are there any tech-related gatherings in your town? If not, is there a better town you could move to?
Oh, and be sure to watch this Ira Glass video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hidvElQ0xE&feature=relat...
There may come a dark time when you need to watch this video daily. Hang in there.
---
[1] We're all working on different things, which require different technologies. We have different preferences. And, even if you get everyone to agree on the problem, nobody really knows what the best solution is, or whether the best solution will remain the best beyond next week.
If you really want a recipe: Linux, emacs, Rails, jQuery, Web app. For furious debate about every single element of that list... see all the rest of the posts on HN.
[2] Well, okay, technically that's not true. You are going to need a lot of time. And food. And the occasional break. Get a day job! You can practice subtle career-path misdirection if you manage to get a day job that combines medicine with a smattering of technology. There are lots and lots of those. You might even like one of them.
[3] This was going to be hacketyhack.net but it is currently... "transforming".