How much coding should a high schooler know?

You don't need to know any coding at all. That being said, the more you know, the more of a leg up you'll have.

I have seen people come in to computer courses in college with no prior knowledge, and still graduate successfully. That being said, they have to work hard, since it means learning an entirely new skill.

Any programming you do learn while still in high school will lead to various advantages. You might be in the position to help teach other students, which is often a really good way to learn more (because when they ask a question you realize you don't know the answer to, you probably will be able to find the answer, and then you both learn). Learning ahead of time also means that if any concepts aren't well-taught in your college, you will both have a chance of already having learned it yourself, and you will probably have the background you need to come to understand it.

If you're looking to get started, and your high school doesn't offer any programming classes (or if it does but you can't take them at the moment), then I recommend codeacademy.com, a free Web site that teaches basic programming. Beyond that, writing programs on your own time, whatever interests you, can get you a long way. I loved writing computer games in high school, and doing so meant that I had already encountered almost all of the hard ideas being taught in my college courses.

So, again, you don't need to know any, but I still recommend learning whatever you can.

The more you know the easier it will be for you in school. Find out what you like and start reading. All languages share the basic concepts, you just have to pick which one you like and start programming a basic project. Java, JavaScript, C#, etc are a good start. If you like Apple products, start learning about Objective C. An IDE (software that helps you program) will help you learn too. IntelliJ, Visual Studio, and xCode are some popular IDEs in use today. There is no right or wrong language to pick. Once you learn the basics, you can learn a new language. There are also sites like codewars.com that will really challenge you.

But, before you do anything, make sure you are doing it for the right reason. Find what you like to do the most, and the career will follow. But you can't go wrong with learning about anything technology related. Good luck!!

Hi Ian! You really do not have to know anything about programming before coming into college. As was said before, the more you know earlier, the better. However, I would say that a large portion of Computer Science students did not have previous experience with programming upon entering college at my school. I, personally, had no experience programming before college other than a little HTML and CSS from my Neopets days. So, yes, it was challenging in the beginning grasping all these new concepts, but it certainly was not impossible by any means. If you know you have an interest in programming now, that's great! It means you can start tinkering with programming and developing skills ahead of time. However, you will by no means be behind otherwise.

Java. Technically nothing but if you are planning on going in to any type of programming it will help. Java compilers are free and there are a ton of examples to teach you about it. You can learn how a program is structured, how they function, and get in to more advanced design patterns.