Thank you to Davidsaga OP and the following comments. I too am of around the same age..(but different plumbing). Coming from the corporate world, I have seen first hand how business like to hire younger people with experience right out of college. I purchased some courses and the library on killersites and am currently studying at a local tech school for design and development(php,javascript,html5,css3...etc...) I agree with the comments above that it shouldn't matter what age or gender you possess to be a viable prospect. The corporate world that I have experienced would beg to differ, so freelancing or trying to find a smaller organization that might not care about your age is probably the best route to go as for getting started. That is the route I am taking....Good luck Davidsaga!!