[curt]

Just do it, I'm an engineer who only took two programming classes in college. Nearly every language I know is self-taught, I just jump in with a goal/project in mind and start building and learn along the way. Just started a php/mysql site, I haven't used it in years but should have a functional prototype after a two weeks.

With stackoverflow, tutorials, and google once you get the basic terminology down (so you know what to search for) it's really easy to build as you go. Then you also have a portfolio to show when you're trying to find a job.

Programming is more of the logical thought process of how you work through a problem. If you approach it like that, different languages don't pose much problem to learn since they all adhere to the same basic format/structure.

[deffibaugh]

I have been doing this at my various internships and side projects. I am pretty good at fitting things together from examples, tutorials, etc. I think I am lacking in not understanding how the magic works. I feel like a plumber most of the time just fitting different pipes together to get things working.

[curt]

Then my method isn't the best choice until you develop the knowledge to solve widely varying problems. You don't need to understand the exact syntax but you definitely need to understand why it works since that's what most problems share.

You can learn this by changing and manipulating the code to see how changes effect the program.