In my opinion, anyone can become a programmer. It's challenging, sure, but it's also not this big scary thing that only special people good at maths can do. I've seen all sorts of people get into it and love it. In fact, there are several reasons why I think you might love it too.

Why?

Wide variety

Programming - or even Information Technology in general - is a diverse field, with many different paths, suitable to many different personalities. For example:

• phone app development
• web development
  • frontend (building user interfaces, client-side logic etc)
  • backend (servers, databases, APIs)
• video game development
• dev ops (automating systems, often to help out teams of other programmers)
• data scientist (statistics, algorithms, etc)

Stepping further from programming into more general IT jobs, you have things like:

• Cybersecurity analyst (experts in cyber threats, often specialising in offensive or defensive approaches)
• product manager (focusing on the vison and business side of software products)
• UI design (focusing on the look and feel of interfaces)
• UX design (focusing on the overall journey of interfaces)
• QA (focusing on Quality Assurance, both manual and automated testing)

Benefits

Programmers are often treated well. The pay is often higher than other fields and, given the focus on software, remote work is offered much more often. If remote work is important to you, I cannot recommend programming highly enough. This is also fairly true for jobs tangential to programming.

Creativity

A common thread across most of programming is creation. Programming is a surprisingly creative field! Aside from the creativity of problem-solving, there's often even literal visual creativity in the form of interface design, for example.

But nothing beats the feeling of being able to make stuff - seeing your hard work become something that not only looks and feels great, but does something all on its own! Whether it's a game providing entertainment, or some other piece of software solving a specific problem, you'll get a dopamine hit every time.

How?

Okay, you're convinced! But how hard is it to become a programmer? The answer is: a lot easier than you'd expect!

The "traditional" approach of studying an entire bachelor degree is certainly still viable, but in my opinion it's a waste of time and money for most programmers. There are much faster ways to get into the industry without sacrificing your options, unless you're aiming for a more academic or scientific field.

In Australia, TAFE courses are still available teaching various aspects of programming and IT. Those are a great compromise between academic and practical learning.

Then, you have online courses and code camps. These are fantastic approaches to study fast, study hard, and also get a leg up into the working environment. For many people, this is the best option to get into the work force as quickly as possible. Keep in mind, they're not always as cheap as you'd expect. You also need to check the reviews to ensure the provider is real and not some scam site.

Finally, you have the cheapest option, and the best option if you just love programming. Teach yourself! Self-teaching is not only incredibly valid, it's a crucial aspect of programming. No matter which tuition option you choose, self-teaching is a core skill for programmers. You rarely ever approach a problem already knowing the solution, so programmers have to learn to be detectives - you have to learn top-notch Googling skills!

Self-teaching takes whatever format works best for you. You can pick whichever language or tool interests you, find a free tutorial, and start learning.

By far, the best thing you can do is simply make something. You can't become a programmer through rote learning alone (part of the reason I don't recommend university), so all programmers eventually need to put their skills to practice. With programming, there's no reason you can't put your skills to practice on day one! Google something like "project ideas for beginner programmers" and make one of the first things you see, from a calculator to a simple game.

Give it a try, maybe you'll enjoy it. Go make something awesome!