Jeff Blankenburg challenged some developers to answer some history questions about themselves.  I am taking that challenge:

How old were you when you started programming?
17.  If you call HTML programming through the AOL client in 1995.  I had a few pages that displayed my hobbies and pictures and stuff.

How did you get started in programming?
I was captivated by the ability to make something and not have to invest a bunch of money in tools.  I could effectively create web applications with notepad and the AOL client without buying tools that would have been required for similar building projects (carpentry, metal work, glass work, etc)  Once captivated, I became enamored with the ability to build, test, build... My instant results were fantastic.  I didn't have to wait until I was done to get feedback.  Perfect for a teenager with a short attention span

What was your first language?
HTML, then VB/ASP, then C++, then Java, then C#

What was the first real program you wrote?
Have I written a "real" program yet?  Just kidding.  The first useful thing I ever wrote for a production situation was a library check-out system that took input from a barcode scanner.  It was ASP based, Access database background.  Wow, I have come a long way.

What languages have you used since you started programming?
HTML, javascript, VB, ASP, C++, Java, C#, SQL (Is SQL a language?  I guess it is)

What was your first professional programming gig?
I interned for Nationwide Insurance Financial Services.  I was the assistant to the "computer guy" for the department.  I created website enhancements, learned ASP, and enjoyed the freedom to play with and develop some neat tools (at the time).  This is where I really fell in love with creating things and making things that people could use.  The applications I wrote were buggy, hard to use, and looked ugly and I still fell in love with the practice of making things.

If you knew then what you know now, would you have started programming?
I would have started much younger.  I would have picked up cooler things long before I did.  I would have taken a more professional approach to learning the things I did and I wouldn't have wasted the first year of college persuing a nursing degree...seriously!  why?

If there is one thing you learned along the way that you would tell new developers, what would it be?
Learn, make, share.  Take every day and learn at least on thing.  If that one thing is how not to do something, that's fine.  Then after you learn something make something.  This is the rewarding part of our profession.  We get to make things that will be used/distributed and make people's jobs better/faster/more enjoyable.  Then after you make something, share it.  Spend time in the technical community and provide what you've learned to others.  Don't make them suffer the issues you did..Let your sharing be someone else's learning.  There are other issues that they can suffer through and earn their bones.

What's the most fun you've ever had ... programming?
This is a tough one.  I enjoy finishing things and delivering them.  I enjoy learning tidbits and doing things that I can share with others.  I created a very useful palm application for nurses at a regional hospital once.  That was fun.  I created a tablet application for a company's sales people to use.  Most recently I'm having fun creating an automated bot for twitter to help people schedule lunches together.  It's fun because there's no pressure and I get to develop with RESTful web services.