Please, go outside, play and run around. Learn to skate, get a boyfriend/girlfriend. There will be so much opportunity for work later on in life. Definitely spend time coding if that's what you love but don't make it your everything. Develop other aspects of your personality/intelligence/body equally. Best wishes!
As a 19 year old software engineer who started writing code when he was 13 because it was fun, I don't think this quite hits the mark.
I didn't give up everything in life to be a programmer, but it was my passion (and it looks like it's this guy's passion as well). It is fun. I still played outside, had friends, and lived a childhood. What I got out of it are skills that are in demand, a head start on life, and adult, mature friends who kept me out of trouble and helped me build a fun, happy life for myself.
I owe everything to programming. I was a kid from a small town in Alabama and now I'm a happy software engineer in Los Angeles. I got to go to the first Clojure Conj conference when I was 16, speak at the second at 17, and get an internship that led to a job at around the same time. I met the best friends I could have ever met through it and have had more fun that I could have ever imagined having as a direct result of it.
That said, we're not entirely at odds. It is important to keep yourself healthy and such and not let it completely take over your life. I just felt it important to provide a different perspective on the matter.
Different perspectives are definitely useful and thanks for taking the time to share yours. It sounds like you have figured out the priorities in your life and have balanced things out. That's really all I was advocating for, balance.
Similarly I started programming very young. You do need to pursue other interests to be well rounded, though. But hey, not everyone is well rounded. However, I will say I think there is a difference if you are doing it because it is fun or you are feeding a thirst for knowledge vs you are trying to become the next Zuckerberg. There's a place for that, sure, but 13? I'm not saying this person is doing this, just remarking generally.
During my internship, I ran almost every single day and I love do other activities besides coding... I agree with you that I shouldn't make coding my everything, I still love to do it when I have free time.
It's great you're exercising daily, aim to make it part of your daily routine, it'll pay off very well in the future.
When I was your age I had days and even weeks during my summer breaks when I would get bored out of my mind. Believe it or not there's some benefit in that. It allowed me to find new ways to entertain myself and definitely boosted/developed my creativity. Try to get bored every once in a while, it feels nice :)
> There will be so much opportunity for work later on in life
Absolutely. But the best programmers are the ones who never wanted to do it for the money anyhow (and got into it simply because it's interesting and enjoyable).
Moderation is key to everything. However...
You can have it all. Being passionate about something breathes life into all aspects of you and the people around you. It's a lot more fun to be talking to a date or a friend at a party who spends his/her time doing something passionately (even obsessively) than someone with no direction and moderate/little dedication. Some personalities are prone to doing things to excess. You see it with athletes, musicians, programmers, and others. Not that all people in those fields are like that, but it's better than devoting your energies to something objectively unhealthy, such as drinking or watching TV.
That said, do remember to eat well and sleep. And see the sun once in a while, and talk to people. Then get back to your hobby/passion/etc as time permits.
Usually, I agree entirely with this state of mind. There's a definite trend of trying to get kids involved in programming at as young an age as possible, especially by those who have kids of their own. Sometimes, I often get the feeling that the kid might not actually care too much for programming, but are being forced to sit through their parents hobby because "it's fun".
However, I used to write code for fun when I was a kid. I still went out with friends, played football, got girlfriends, and did all the usual rebellious teen stuff. However, my downtime (between gaming, watching TV, and other stuff) was spent writing websites and scripts. By thirteen, I was running a fairly sizable web forum, and had written a few addons for vBulletin (albeit, fairly crappy ones). I would have LOVED to work in a real company, working with real developers, and having the chance to work with people that will tell me exactly where I'm going wrong.
I've worked in a few offices where we've had some work experience kids come in, and some that have worked as a part of an apprenticeship. They love working in a real office, and even harsh employers make it as fun as possible.
This kid is living his dream and having a great time. There's no rule that says he has to want any of those things. We should all support him for being who he wants to be.
My parents said similar things to me, and I grew to resent them for it.
