Background: My father is a computer engineer (which is kind of like a Software/Systems engineer, he works with hardware and software), so I've had some vague idea that programming was a thing for as long as I can remember.
When I was 13, I tried teaching myself C++. I saw a book on my dad's bookshelf on it, and thought it sounded interesting. I got decently good at it, but never really did anything with it. Then when I went off to community college my last two years of high school, I took a proper programming course and did well in it. I decided that I wanted to try my hand at it professionally. I've had...mixed results, but that stems from my personality.
Favorite programming language...probably Java or C#. Both are very easy to use and do powerful things with. The truth is, there is no programming language "silver bullet" that will fit every situation. Some languages naturally lend themselves to certain applications. PHP to web pages, Python to console scripting, C++ for Object-Oriented memory efficiency, Java for most general purpose needs, etc. The trick is not to be a master of one language necessarily, but to be skilled in several. Once you've learned a few, picking up a new one is a piece of cake.
