> This point cannot be overstated.

Oh, it surely can. I got the first my own PC when I was ~24. I had no access to computers till I was almost 18. However I was very curious about them, I learned to program (with pseudo code) without them and I am still much more curious and willing to learn than many of programmers half my age.

It is interest what counts. As they say, one man can lead a horse to the river but even forty won't be able to make it drink.