Is it possible to just start computer programing once I start college?

Of course! You can start learning to program computers when you're ready to give it a try. Like anything else, if you find you enjoy it and you work at it it, you can become a good programmer no matter when you start. And remember that college is a good place to try out lots of different subjects -- you'll learn what kinds of things you like (and what you don't), and you may surprise yourself!

Yes, it is definitely possible. I personally didn't start learning programming until I went to college. In fact, you may be at an advantage over some that started before college. You start with a clean slate without any previous biases and are more open to exploring new ideas and approaches. There would be no previous habits to break and hopefully the college program can enforce good habits.

If you are curious about starting, there are plenty of webcasts available from top universities like Stanford, Berkeley, and MIT which you can start learning the basics from.

It is never too late to start anything!

The great thing about learning programming is that there are several free/low cost resources available to teach you. Many of these are also online! Check out:
General Assembly
Coursera
Khan Academy

Definitely! If you like problem solving and you're a technical person, you can definitely pick up programming in college or even later. A lot of programming languages are similar in the concepts you have to learn, so once you learn one, it will probably be easier to pick up others. There are tons of resources out there for learning most programming languages.

You can definitely pick it up when you start college, however I would advise you to try and play with some programming languages (I would recommend Python). The more you program, the better you will become, and the faster you can write good code. As Bhavesh said, having strong logic and mathematical foundations are important to becoming a good programmer.

Yes. If you are interested in programming you don't even have to wait for the college. You can pick up any fundamental programming language book (Python is a good start) from a library and can get a feel for it. Once you are in school you can take first level courses in programming.

The answer for the question you asked in the description is also yes. If you work hard at it you can become a good programmer (even if you don't have a very strong passion for it). The passion can evolve over time too and you might end up becoming more passionate about programming as you go on learning.

Yes! It's kind of a myth that you need to be a magical genius who started when they were 12 to be a good programmer. It's definitely okay to learn it for the first time when you go to college.

Most definitely! I learned programming in college and that language was APL. The important thing to remember is to not get hung up on any language. In my experience, if you learn one language, the other ones are easy to pick up.

I'm going to deviate on your answer and talk about computer science.

If you happen to major in computer science, remember that there are theoretical and then there are the practical programs. Theoretical ones tend to be very mathematics based ( computer science derived mainly from mathematics ) and in fact, no programming language is formally taught. Practical ones tend to go through procedural, then object-oriented, etc. Ultimately, it's the algorithms, data structures, discrete mathematics, statistics, etc. that's a huge part of computer science. Programming is but a teeny weenie part.

Good luck!
Oliver

Absolutely! You're right that it is recommended to have prior computer programming experience, but it is in no way required in most cases. As far as I'm concerned, the requirements for college computer engineering are the logical sciences and math.

I am actually still a student in Software Engineering, and most of my classmates did not have prior experience going into college. As many have already said, it would be strongly recommended to play around with programs since it's the only way to get better.

Best of luck!

Of course it is :)
I started learning programming only once I started college. If you are passionate about learning programming, it will not take a lot of time to become an expert :) Its fun !

Absolutely, you won't necessarily know if you have the passion for it until you try it. Depending on your degree in college, you will likely have the opportunity to "test the waters" by taking introductory courses etc before having to put a stake in the ground and pick your major. For instance, I started an engineering degree expecting to major in computer systems, however after the first 3 semesters I decided that electrical was more for me and was able to then focus completely on that.

I will say however that sometimes you will find yourself working on things that you are passionate about both inside and outside of the classroom. This can be a good indicator when trying to decide if you can see yourself enjoying a particular type of work or study.

One can start computer programing at any age technically speaking. However, some foundation in Mathematics, Logic and Science might be needed before getting started. And, to answer the specific question, yes, one can definitely start programming before or during college

Yes, you can after learning the syntax and basics of that language. However, what is more important is to learn algorithms and data structures that you need to implement in any programming language.

Absolutely! I'd say the sooner the better, but it's a space that keeps developing and changing and without a doubt it can be picked up at any point in time. I'd also emphasize the importance of other Computer Science basics to the process of becoming a skilled developer (e.g. algorithms, logic, math, data structures, design patterns)