Wasnt on HN this weekend. I started really simple with HTML/CSS. Then I moved on to Ruby, and then learned the Ruby on Rails framework. Now I write apps that analyze web data.
Start with CodeCademy.com. It's a great intro for people who want to get started. There are also classes on Udacity you can check out. Feel free to email me if you want to connect further. My contact info is on my profile.
Networking is what got me this job. I am admittedly lucky that the network I built was as well connected as it was. Now that I'm in I'm just making sure I keep up. So much to learn. I love it.