Is their a certain age I should start studying computer science?

You're never too old or too young to start studying computer science, especially if you're interested in it.

When I was a kid, only a few of my classmates used a computer (this was the days of punch cards, and there was one room that had a punch card machine and reader). We didn't have personal computers--computer were mainframes and too expensive for most people to own. I didn't start studying computer science until I got into college, but I know lots of younger people who started studying computer science in middle school or high school (when computers were more readily available). There are lots of people who are learning computer science (programming, web design, technical writing) as a second or third career.

Computer science is a huge field. And even if your school or local community college doesn't offer classes in the topic you're interested in, the internet has lots of resources that can get you started. Once you've investigated some of these you can get a better idea of what part of computer science really interests you.

Hello there Mickey,

When it comes to learning new things there is never an age limit or a wrong time.

I spent my entire life up until my second year of college studying art. I had played around with my family computer and knew how to use it. I was tech savy but didn't know how to build a computer let alone program a website or an application. My guidance counselor suggested that I go and try engineering since I was afraid that art might not be able to provide a living. So, in my second year of college, I switch majors and jumped head first into a computer science degree because I liked computers. 

Today, I have been programming professionally for nearly ten years and it was the best decision I have ever made.

The point of this story is that there really is no wrong time. Some will say yesterday or now or ten years ago. While not wrong, that can make it seem like you missed the train to success. What is most important is having a passion and drive to stick with the learning if it is something that you want to do and enjoy.

The only other challenge I want you to be aware of is the breadth of knowledge that is out there. It can be scary because usually the hardest part is taking the first step. I constantly get asked, should I start learning with Ruby or Python? Should I try to make an app? Which is easier to get started with? Where do I start?

There is no wrong place to start, all that matters is that you start when you are ready. Try to find something that sounds interesting and embrace what make you happy in it. 

You can always change your mind and try a different language or framework. The beauty of all of this learning is that it is all connected with similar underlying ideas and constants. All experience in this field is useful. You can learn how to make phone apps, web apps, computer OS specific applications, etc. The amount of knowledge out there is vast and intimidating but stick with it and try new things, switch up languages, find things that you like and explore them. You will retain knowledge and get better experience when you go out and learn things that you are interested and can be passionate about.

I hope that this helps you take the leap into this huge wide ever changing world of really cool and fun stuff to learn.

Never stop moving forward in what you love.

Mickey,

I really like your question. Many people don't think about when to start studying computer science.

My advice is to start now. Look for programs online that can teach you some skills now. They are generally set up to be age specific so you can find . A few examples could be www.code.org or Planeta42 where you can use games to learn computer science terms - there are tons of terms or acronyms to learn - http://planeta42.com/it/science.html

Does your school use Kahoot? There are some fun ways to learn with the partnership of Kahoot and Code.org https://medium.com/@codeorg/code-org-partners-with-kahoot-for-fun-computer-science-learning-games-5b64648d2d18

With so many great directions to go in Computer Science, coding, hardware, engineering, design etc the sooner you learn more about these the sooner you may see which direction fits well with you.

You will do amazing things by getting started sooner than later!

You can start at any time. But, you need to find your motivation in order to keep going. And once you start liking computer science, set small goals which you think you can achieve. And once you start to feel motivated and interested and thinking it as a possible carrier option, you need to find people who are good at technology also willing to guide you. Furthermore, you can try to look into the job posting for the skills you may need to acquire. And you need to work towards achieving those.

Studying a subject is never related to one's age. I started learning computer science and programming, when I was 13. Now, I am of 17 and I know more than 3 languages. And I am still learning and planning to do CSE. So, it doesn't matter what our age is. The thing, which matter is that are you prepared or not. To prepare to learn something, firstly make sure that are curious about the subject or not. If you aren't, then you should have to be. Actually, Computer Science is very interesting and almost every guy today is interested in it.

Secondly, make your mindset, then get contracted with coding (I'm using the word contracted coz Coding is like a disease/addiction or rather say a positive addiction, which won't harm you. Instead it'll mend you in a positive direction. Your IQ will increase and your thinking potential too.)</span>

Don't start Coding with the thought that you want to be a Software Engineer at Facebook/Google. Instead, start with a thought that you wanna make you life more efficient and to do so you are learning computer science and coding. Moreover, always be curious about it. Whether it is the theory part or practical part.

Credits: Shuvam Shah