One of my passions! Currently coding agnostic.com with my friend @Admin

I was an adult before I learned how to code, and have always loved it. It's a field where it's literally impossible to master every aspect, and it's how I've made a living for quite a while now.

I do. I started to learn at school, although only scripting. I carried on at work and University and am now a computer scientist, so it's very handy for me to know!

I think everybody should be taught a little rudimentary programming or scripting at school, it's a fundamental part of our world now and I don't think basic software use cuts it as "computer literate" anymore.

When you see a conversation about "coding", you KNOW its a beginner making the inquiry.

There is no such thing as Coding. You will never see a wanted advert asking for a "coder".

Example - you could describe yourself as a mechanic. Does that mean you can change the oil and plugs ? Does that mean you work on cars, or trucks, or diesel engines, or agricultural machines, or rockets, or planes, or marine engines, or mining equipment, or industrial plants, or motorcycles etc etc.

"Coding" is as non-informative as the term "mechanic" in that sense.

A web programmer may not even know TSQL or low level assembler code or even C++. There are at least 12 different styles/environments for Web programmers. The expertise of "coders" can range from qualified surgeon type levels to being able to look up a diagnosis on Google.

The IMPORTANT component of "programming" in general is - Can You Make a Living from it

Its a long road from curious beginner to viable professional.

I know how to write software because I learned how and I do it because I enjoy it and it's a good living. I'm not sure what you are expecting by way of an explanation here. Why else would I do it?

From your title, I take it you may be wondering if you can learn to be a software developer later in life. Of course you can. What would that have to do with it?

A little more specific question might be helpful here.

Mid-range IBM programmer. Business applications like Inventory, payroll, Accounts Payable, invoicing, General Ledger. I love doing it! It's like being paid to eat ice cream. Computers don't snicker when I mess up, complain if I stay away too long, or decide that they'll do it different today.

I'm not sure what you code when you're coding, but I wish I could even understand how HTML and CSS work together.

I was premed when punch cards were in use. Remember people talking about DOSS and COBOL. THe time it took for premed/medical studies precluded learning computer related stuff

I went to school and graduated with an associates in computer science. I prefer Java for coding.

I went to college in middle adulthood. I took to those early computers with great enthusiasm when I saw that they could replace my misspellings and "scrawl" that was my handwriting and convert it to something legible. As part of my education courses on the way to becoming a teacher, I took something called "Waterloo Basic", Visual Pascal, C++, and one whose name I can't remember. I got Computer Certified in the State of Michigan and taught programming and computer applications in Michigan along with unrelated classes in a small school system. Our school system used old Apple IIe's when I first got there. I got the software for some PC's called Visual Basic and used that to teach programming. As I observed, programming was more important in the early days of computers (Atari, TRS-80's, Apple IIe's, etc.) because there was still not a lot of ready-made software out there. However, about the time I retired in 2002 or so, programming had become less important to the average student inasmuch as there was so much commercial software available. After I retired, I sought to convert a text encryption program that I had written in QBASIC to Visual Basic 2010. Wow! what had been a really good teaching language (QBASIC), had become really complicated as Visual Basic 2010. It was no longer for "Beginners" it was still apparently "All purpose" but a poor "Instructional code", it was less friendly than C++ had been. I managed to get the code from QBASIC to Visual Basic 2010, but have concluded that teaching coding in High School may not be practical for all save for that intent on entering the field. The text encryption program was just for fun...the only people I can visualize wanting it would be terrorists

First leaned to program in Basic way back in 1978. Hospital where I was working had a computer nobody knew how to use and, once they realised I wasn't going to hurt it, they gave me the key.

Went on to 6502 assembler and then Z80 assembler.

Then I discovered C.

Best language, for me, is C++. It's the reusable classes that make it so good.

Did try a bit of C# but I could never get my head around visual programming.

Coding in different programs is like knowing different languages.

Your tagline and question don't match...

If by code, you mean develop computer code, I know how to code, but I don't code. Why? I found it interesting, learned on my own and in school and was the start of my professional career in Information Technology.

Learning to code is easy if you are mathematical and logical. Learning to code at the professional level after college... Not so easy.

Well 'code' is a bit of an insult to a programmer. It often implies that you are just hacking things together from multiple sources, and that you don't actually understand the fundamentals. Anyways, I learned as a child. Started with C++ then learned a lot of languages, too many to list, along the way, and just spent all my time reading books, articles, etc. Which really is the best way to learn.

I wanted a computer as a kid and could not afford one. School library let us use an Apple 2e in fifteen minute blocks after school. So I read the Apple Basic programming book waiting for my turn. Eventually turned it into a career once the tools started being shared for free.

I have an accounting degree, no computer. In my first job in 1982 I read the RPL manual because I needed to get some info out of the computer. My boss was impressed enough with my initiative and skills to send me to a two day class. RPL was a very early language that had not fully adopted English words to program in the language. I have been programming ever since. The languages have changed a few times, but I am still on old mainframe systems. It has been a good career.

Those were the bad old days when one occasionally had to go in and change broken frame pointers in hex. Which also meant you had to be able to calculate which frame was broken based on the key to the record.

I write a little code, rarely, just html or java to fill a hole.
I have to write scripts occasionally for servers but hate it.
I am more the code monkey, cut and paste what I need, it is clumsy, messy, bloated, but works.

I recognize that I am just a user. I would be as out of place as Jeff Bridges in Tron if I ended up in the computer. Started on Basic on an old Sinclair computer, briefly played with Fortran in college. If a career change is on the horizon, I would jump at it. But until then I will use my tablet to post this comment.

Have done a significant amount of coding as a graduate student. The coding language I used then is now considered past history (Fortran 77). I know and understand coding. Fortran was a precursor language so I get coding.

I'm currently learning Python 3 and have installed it on my computer.

I do it professionally.

I don't like labels. Can't see where "coding" is any different.