Oh, nostalgia. I started coding out of curiosity back when I was in 4th grade (back in 1983). It was a helluva lot less main stream than it is today, so some of the things that I wanted to code back then mostly had to do with whatever I was into at the time.
So, in your case, you sound completely not familiar with programming at all. That's an awesome place to be, believe it or not. You sound like you're into mathematics, so think about hacking something trivial in a field that you're passionate about.
My first thing I programmed was a BBS (bulletin board system) on the Apple IIe computer. Called it Warphactor. Fell in love with the fact that I could make my computer's modem ANSWER a phone call, send and receive data. Just kept on building from there.
I code in a bunch of different languages (for recreation and profession) not because I'm some genius, but for two reasons. First, different types of projects demand different languages or platforms. Second, once you've been programming for a while, you realize that there's a LOT of crossover between languages. So don't get too hung up on one language, because once you start doing this stuff in the real world, you'll be pretty flexible and able to pick up new languages without much effort.
Don't run out and buy a bunch of books. You'll find plenty of resources online to learn concepts, and my favorite, BY EXAMPLE. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most importantly, if you feel like there are concepts that you just can't wrap your head around -- POWER THROUGH until you understand them.
There's always someone out there that has explained it better than the resource you currently have in hand.
One neat resource that, in my opinion, stands above its contemporaries, is stackoverflow.com. Stuck? Compose a well written question, get some very well written answers.
So, in your case, you sound completely not familiar with programming at all. That's an awesome place to be, believe it or not. You sound like you're into mathematics, so think about hacking something trivial in a field that you're passionate about.
My first thing I programmed was a BBS (bulletin board system) on the Apple IIe computer. Called it Warphactor. Fell in love with the fact that I could make my computer's modem ANSWER a phone call, send and receive data. Just kept on building from there.
I code in a bunch of different languages (for recreation and profession) not because I'm some genius, but for two reasons. First, different types of projects demand different languages or platforms. Second, once you've been programming for a while, you realize that there's a LOT of crossover between languages. So don't get too hung up on one language, because once you start doing this stuff in the real world, you'll be pretty flexible and able to pick up new languages without much effort.
Don't run out and buy a bunch of books. You'll find plenty of resources online to learn concepts, and my favorite, BY EXAMPLE. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most importantly, if you feel like there are concepts that you just can't wrap your head around -- POWER THROUGH until you understand them.
There's always someone out there that has explained it better than the resource you currently have in hand.
One neat resource that, in my opinion, stands above its contemporaries, is stackoverflow.com. Stuck? Compose a well written question, get some very well written answers.
Good luck!