Ask HN: How can I get started?

I have been standing on the outskirts of this technology world for quite a while. Being a programmer has been my dream for as long as I remembered, but I never actually made any steps to achieve that until now.

Now I find myself in the Bay Area, in a new world to me - different country, different culture, different everything. I look at all these companies, all those developers, and it fascinates me so much. I want to be a part of that.

At the same time, I feel a bit self-conscious. I am just out of high school, and while I do have some skills, they are nothing compared to some of the people around here. Seems that every story I read always begins with the main hero either programming from the very moment they were born, or moving into this field with enough experience to know what they are doing. I have none of that.

I know that simply following tutorials and attending classes is not enough. But I simply don't know how I can move on to improve myself.

Am I simply overthinking all this, and it will all come naturally to me after I spend enough time in this environment? Or are there perhaps specific things that a developer should focus on to be a good developer?