Yes, it should be possible to get *something*. I'd argue that Even a TRS-80 would be good for learning programming concepts on some level (Though I doubt you'd be able to find that...). I learned computers on a 286-based system when Pentium 4's were Yesterdays news, for example. In fact, that was when I first found this specific website, as the system wasn't even working properly and I eventually learned about needing to give it the Cylinders/heads/sectors/etc info about the HDD in the system to get it working, and CH had that information in the archives.
I doubt anybody is throwing away 286's these days, but something 10 years old or so will still do the job nicely.
I know the frustration when everybody assumes you have constant access to the computer and/or the Internet, as I dealt with much the same in High School over a decade ago. It probably wasn't even as bad then, but it was still very annoying. It should be possible to run up an old junker PC; perhaps a friend is upgrading or has an older PC sitting in their closet for example.
I've realized that the situations in my life are preventing me from having time to do such things, so i gave up
I'll level with you, You shouldn't. A lot of this is going to sound like pithy motivational gibberish- but what seems like impossible obstacles now, you will later learn were merely challenges to be overcome. I faced the same and had effectively done the same as well even before graduating- Where all my friends and classmates were figuring out what they wanted to do when they selected college courses, I didn't know what I wanted to do and Post-secondary was not going to be possible for me anyway- I basically figured I was screwed- I wasn't really good at anything that could be used for a career, and didn't even know what I wanted to do, and wouldn't be afforded to opportunity to find out via higher education. Then I found that 286 when I was 15-16 and found out that I didn't actually hate computers as much as I thought- I just didn't understand them. And I got more and more proficient with it and eventually was writing software for the school over summer break (it generated all the student accounts and printed out label sheets). But post-secondary was still off the table which I felt was an impossible obstacle. In fact I found it was an impossible obstacle- without a CS degree there wasn't much hope to make a living programming and even IT repair stuff needed some kind of degree or certification.
And, I mean, there wasn't - at least not right away. I ended up getting a rather crappy retail/food service job just to make a living but spent most of my spare time working on my personal projects, then started putting them on github and stuff. Occasionally I'd fire off a Letter of inquiry a resume, or cover letter or whatever to local software firms. I never expected any reply but you don't catch fish by crying into the ocean, or something.
I eventually did get two replies. One which led to an interview which led nowhere, and a second which led to the same which led to the job I've now had for coming up on 5 years next Feb.
You cannot be afraid of hard work. And I don't mean hard programming tasks. I mean, doing jobs and work that you don't want to do. You just have to always keep a focus on your goals. There will probably be moments of frustration that you aren't moving forward on those goals. You might start to wonder why you bother with working on these projects at all. That is all completely normal. maybe you'll hate your job. Welcome to life, but that's why you must always keep sight of that goal on the horizon- the hope for something better. It may seem entirely unreachable sometimes- and you don't even know if it is possible, but the only way to find out is to try.
And sometimes, it seems like the universe is screwing with you. That first Interview I got for a programming position? I thought I had made it. the Interview went perfectly as far as I could tell and still remember, but I never got a call-back either way. Hugely demoralizing.
And even when things seem to be looking up, you might find you have to just deal with certain things and hope for the best. The interview that led me to the position I have now was at an office that was a good 25 minute drive from where I lived. Not a problem- except not only did I not have any transportation, I didn't even have change for public transit. (I had actually quit aforementioned crappy job some time before, so things were pulled thin). So I had two options: cancel the interview and have zero chance of being hired, or, I could wake up at 6 AM and start walking to get there in time. No points awarded for figuring out which one I chose
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