Well, I was tagged by Jeff earlier to talk about how I got started in software.  So, here's my stab at answering these questions...

How old were you when you started programming?

I was either 11/12 years old.  I got into it a little late since, well, I never had access to a computer when I was living in Mexico.  I knew what they were and I was intrigued by them, but to ask my parents to get me one was completely a ludicrous idea since they were 10x more expensive in Mexico.

What was your first language?

Apple BASIC and QBASIC

What was the first real program you wrote?

This answer all depends on how you define "real" program.  I wrote a pretty wicked "lemonade stand" game in Apple BASIC that would render the stand, a glass filling up with lemonade and the face of a happy customer.  I spent close to a month working on the "graphics" since I had draw them on a piece of paper with a grid to lay out the blocks that made up the images.  Oh the joyfulness of 10 PRINT "DO YOU WANT TO BUY SOME LEMONADE?"

The first "paid gig" was working on VB4 code on Win95 for a company that wrote software for utility companies.  The money I got paid there beat what I made on my paper route BY FAR.

If you knew then what you know now, would you have started programming?

Yes, totally.

If there is one thing you learned along the way that you would tell new developers, what would it be?

Make sure you do things with passion.  Even in your darkest day during the job, passion the thing that keeps you motivated and going forward.  Everything else (architecture, designs, practices, etc) is superficial.

What's the most fun you've ever had ... programming?

That's a though one 'cause there are so many different things that affect the "level of fun".  I would say that my most enjoyable times are either when a client or colleague has that "Eureka!" expression on their face when you work with them on a problem. That's always a sign that you've done your job correctly; specially when building business software.

Who am I calling out?

Nick Parker

Derik Whittaker

D'Arcy Lussier

Chris Sutton