You need to download an IDE(Interactive development Environment) Eclipse is a good one. Then buy a beginner java book and do one chapter per week. "Teach Yourself Java" is a good one. You should also become familiar with Object Oriented Design but that can wait. Just remember there is no end to the learning. I am 53 and I am learning the Struts framework now.
I think I’ll do that. It can never hurt to broaden my range of skills.
Cheers!
If you use the Eclipse IDE, then use it to learn Apex, the Java-like web database programming language built into SalesForce. You can download a dev copy of SFDC for free and Eclipse is free, too.
There is a shortage of SFDC developers and, like central_va says, you’ll be in 6 figs in no time.
Intriguingly the folks who deride "art" are probably totally unaware of how that field is flipping over to computer based pixelation faster than you can shake a stick. There you really do need to learn to use 3D animation just to talk to the big boys.
No guarantees on employment but that stuff starts at the top for talent.
In Leonardo DaVinci's day the best engineers were first and foremost "artists" because that's where the big bucks were ~ same thing today.
Learn Apache Wicket, once you go Wicket, you'll never even think about Struts again....although, like COBOL, there are still a lot of legacy apps running on it.
Lately, I have been looking and Google Apps, Google Sites and Google Apps Script (which is basically JavaScript with some Google-specific APIs), at first I was skeptical, but you can do some pretty cool stuff with it.
That's another, learn JavaScript, and if you are doing front-end stuff, learn about JavaScript libraries, like JQuery.