I got a decent programming job only at 28. Though I coded a few programs since I was 17, only at 26 I was assumed at a "developer" position, as PHP junior dev.

I got a decent programming job only at 28. Though I coded a few programs since I was 17, only at 26 I was assumed at a "developer" position, as PHP junior dev. Then learned Python and used it wherever possible, and at 28 got full-time Python developer job, now I'm 30 and work as Python Team Leader. Several years ago things like lambda functions, scope and closures were weird and hard to comprehend for me. It took time, but after all you can become fluent. As I see now, it doesn't take as much brilliant mind as it takes just "flight log hours" to handle complex problems. A guy who won a national programming olympiad (Russia) told me he won by "outsitting" the others, ie. he took more time to prepare and knew more cases. Although it was a disappointment for him (that problems became all the same and boring), it's a nice surprise for us: we (not-CS-graduates) can eventually cover the "flight hours" gap.