[warren_s]

There was no version control available to me when I started programming BASIC on a BBC Model B in 1987. :) It's a bit of a different story in 2010. I would sincerely hope that anyone who aspires to be a professional developer would be aware that there is a thing called a version control system, and that using one is a Very Good Idea for all but the most trivial of programming tasks.

[dagw]

Many people who write code never aspired to be professional developers. Lots of people started by just trying pick up enough to quickly solve a small problem they where having while doing the thing they where actually interested in, then someone noticed that they knew how to program a bit, one thing leads to another and next thing they know they're spending most of their time programming.