It started when I was a gradeschooller, with a debug mode cheat code in Sonic The Hedgehog 2. I became obsessed with how I could break the game's rules, and it singlehandedly taught me what I call "programmer's logic" -- understanding intuitively the principles of how programs are nothing more than mechanistic reactions to states. By the time I wrote my first program, I knew how to code. One of the first things I wrote was a 15-page multiplayer Pacman with a level editor, which I did with trial and error and reading help pages.
It wasn't long before I discovered the internet and started breaking things on AOL. It was almost all exploration, with a bit of RTFM and IRC thrown in.
I ended up going to school for CS but that what nothing more than a formality to land a west coast tech company job.
I'm not convinced there's any way to cheat this process. I think you just need to have an insatiable curiosity, seriously intrinsic motivation, and 10,000 hours.
It wasn't long before I discovered the internet and started breaking things on AOL. It was almost all exploration, with a bit of RTFM and IRC thrown in.
I ended up going to school for CS but that what nothing more than a formality to land a west coast tech company job.
I'm not convinced there's any way to cheat this process. I think you just need to have an insatiable curiosity, seriously intrinsic motivation, and 10,000 hours.