Ask HN: How can I go from 0 Knowledge of programming to $100/mo

FYI, web apps don't make all that much money (convincing users to upgrade to a paid version is surprisingly difficult). Your best bet is to develop a mac or ios app and sell it on the app store.

If you don't know any Obj-C, you could consider developing an app in the language of your choice and running it on Titanium (an awesome IDE from Appcelerator).

I'm also quasi-dropped out of college; I'm the "business side" of a startup; so, as for learning to code, I'm just as much a neophyte as you are.

Good luck, man.

But one thing sure I have figured out - you can live a life, you can walk around but you cannot learn something without commitment,never. Not at least in the sense of classic learning, as in learning well.

Why don't you check with the way you start to learn. Is it laziness? Lack of interest or motivation? Is is just that you daydream about everything happening just the way you want but never actually doing anything for that? Or what?

I do not see (IMHO) you as an ambitious person (no offence) but I see you as a dreamer maybe, which is good to start with. You are not ambitious because that will be you using fullest of your abilities.

You have one plus point though, you are just 20.

Here's my suggestion. It's not related to programming. Start on a trip. If possible a RTW trip. This is all I can think of to be help for you. This works. Good luck.

I would check your skills and interests; what can you do? Can you write? Design? Have at least a feel for design? There are tons of opportunities if your goal is 'only' $100/month.

So if I were you I would sum up my hobbies and skills you do have; think broad here, there is money in everything, especially if you are not looking to make millions of $.

Next, buy a good looking template from themeforest.net and customize it as a portfolio piece. Take screenshots of the site.

Go door-to-door or call your local small businesses, i.e. Mechanics, hairdressers, carpenters, whatever and show the screenshots. Offer them to make them a site with domain and cms for 1000 USD a year, paid upfront or at least 6 months upfront.

Make them a simple, business-card like site based on another wordpress template from themeforest. This is more than enough for the majority of small businesses. If they want customizations beyond text / images (we also want an order tracking system!) tell them no.

Later, you can start looking at Javascript, PHP and SQL, in order to be able to add more functionality to the wordpress sites.

After that, you need to involve yourself in the field of computer technology in general... Keep reading on Mashable about the current trends on the internet (Social Media, Social Networks, Social Apps...etc) ... The only thing you need is an idea which would fulfill a need or solve a minor/major problem... You'll get yourself going after that... ;)

Good luck...

I like to think of finishing things as a demon I have to conquer. The last 20% sucks so hard, but if you do it, you'll be rewarded well, because most people suck at the last 20% too, and thus, never finishing anything either. Learning to be someone who ships makes you a rare person indeed.

I still struggle with finishing things, but I've gotten a lot better in the past year. The best advice I can give you is to "show up" every day and do the work, no matter what. Sit down x amount of time every day, butt in seat, and do the next things on your list of things that are necessary to ship. Not what's fun, not what looks interesting, not surfing the web or HN. The next thing standing in the way of shipping. If you can make that a habit, and do it without fail, you can't help but ship.

Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister did a study awhile ago, I don't have a link to it, but as I understand it, all things equal a programmer that has been working for 6 months can perform equally as well as one that has been at it for years or decades.

The biggest thing that experienced programmers have is a proven track record. This is why I believe that the university system is the first credential employers look for, graduation means that you can solve problems and you are able to manage yourself, when nobody is there holding your hand.

That said there is a back door for computer programming that lots of other fields don't have, that being, you can get very good in your mothers basement. You don't need access to expensive equipment like oscilloscopes and function generators like you for EE or access the hospital if you are training to be a doctor.

But form what I understand you if you go this way you will need to be really good, and have a lots of experience or get lucky and land a job where your can apply your skills and build on them.

From my generalist view point here, if you want to be a player in the tech industry you need to be doing it as your hobby too, and further look at every opportunity you get to push to learn more, expecially off hours, when you are not getting paid.

With respect to making money doing something the wordpress thing is really easy to do, once you get an understanding of html, css, and programming in php you can do some pretty powerful stuff. This is a valuable for lots of companies that don't have a web presence. So if you are going to do it then, build your own site, and use it a testing ground for new things that you see as neat and find on the web.

And finally, whenever you get the chance help others do it! Open source your projects, let others build off your projects, help them when they ask you about it, understand other peoples projects and add value where you can. You will learn a ton and get the chance to provide knowledge to others.

Good luck!