How did you make the switch? Did you have practical experience beforehand? Or did you take courses?

I spent some time messing around with QBasic and Microsoft FrontPage when I was a kid, but that was about the extent of it. I was able to get a grant from the government (thanks Obama!) for college and got a CS degree at the local state university.

Overall, I'd say it was an excellent investment on the government's part. They spent a few thousand on grant money and will be getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue over my lifetime from increased earnings.