Thread: hello everyone! what is the best way to get started?

Hello Everyone!
I'm new to this forum, but not necessarily new to Java. I took Java twice about 6 years ago when I went to college. I had such a hard time with it. Six years later I really want to conquer this. I don't have a "career" and I'm really tired of going from "dead end" job to "dead end" job. I'm a creative person and while I love being an Artist with a passion. I feel as though I have enough passion in me to learn this and get a good job and do this well. So here I am. I'm starting over. My goal is to learn as much as I can in a short amount of time to try and get an entry level job in this field. I know that this will take time and a lot of patience and a lot of determination on my part to learn this and I'm okay with that. I just want to feel that I can still do this. I want to learn as many facets as I can. UI, and back end and any other part that you need to know.
If anyone has any advice on what I need to do and what I need to learn please feel free to let me know. I appreciate your time and I sincerely thank you for it. I'm anxious to get started!
Thanks So Much!
Mike

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sorry--I thought that emoticon was a smiley face....