I know it's been 10 hours, but can I just say thank you? I left a random musing as a comment and signed off, and someone took the time and liberty to personally address it. One of the many reasons why I love this community.
You're welcome; and thank you in turn for being so appreciative! I hope it helped a little.
Edit: FWIW: I was introduced to code at age 10, but I honestly believe that there is no "best" age. As kids, we have the inbuilt zen-like child mind that lets us delve into the vicissitudes of even the most simple toy; a programming language is even more fascinating. It is the nature of adults to lose instant accessibility to that mindset, but it is by no means unachievable. Conversely, discovering code as an adult has its own advantages beyond general experience and improved cultural context: The adult mind possesses a vast array of existing systems, analogies and frameworks to aid in the understanding of higher-level concepts.
I guess what I'm saying is, it's easier for kids to motivate themselves to learn programming, but it's easier for adults to learn programming. I'm sure there are fine arguments to the contrary on both points, but there is undeniably something interesting going on there.
Edit: FWIW: I was introduced to code at age 10, but I honestly believe that there is no "best" age. As kids, we have the inbuilt zen-like child mind that lets us delve into the vicissitudes of even the most simple toy; a programming language is even more fascinating. It is the nature of adults to lose instant accessibility to that mindset, but it is by no means unachievable. Conversely, discovering code as an adult has its own advantages beyond general experience and improved cultural context: The adult mind possesses a vast array of existing systems, analogies and frameworks to aid in the understanding of higher-level concepts.
I guess what I'm saying is, it's easier for kids to motivate themselves to learn programming, but it's easier for adults to learn programming. I'm sure there are fine arguments to the contrary on both points, but there is undeniably something interesting going on there.