1) What languages do you currently know? I know a lot of different languages, though I'd say I have only mastered a few. All imperative languages share a lot of similarities in their syntax so learning new languages comes really easy beyond a certain point.
2) What type of experience did you have with coding previous to your immersion into it? None, really. I was seven and got a computer as a gift. I was curious how it worked, though it took me about four years to pick up a book and actually read about it.
3) Did programming ever scare you? Did it intimidate you? It certainly intimidated me. Lots of concepts looked like dark magic to me.
4) What websites/tools did you use to learn to code? I started with QBasic, which I found on a Windows 98 cdrom. I just went to the library and got a book about it. I also read up on DOS because I somehow found the console fascinating and wanted to learn more about it.
5) When were you able to start working on projects for money? I did a website for one of my teachers when I was 16 for a bit of cash. I also helped some people with their tech problems in return for favors and or money around that time.
6) Do you understand more than the languages themselves? I never felt math was important until I learned about functional programming, and now I regret not getting into it when I was younger. I do now a lot about operating systems and how hardware works though, which is immensely helpful.
7) How many hours a week would you say you put into learning to code once you committed? Tons, but not because I had to, because I wanted to. Curiosity is a really good motivation.
8) A lot of these websites have a community in the form of a forum. I frequented a couple of linux forums back then, though they are mostly dead now. Helped me a ton. I recommend stackoverflow if you are looking for one.
9) How did you know which language(s) YOU wanted to specialize in? 'The right tool for the right job' comes to mind. I didn't really specialize consciously but the problems I'm paid to solve often infer certain languages.
10) What do you currently do for a living? I do backend development and reverse engineering for a startup. Before that I mostly did system administration. I also freelance when I have extra time on my hands. Finding jobs is easy at the moment, though I think that might change in the future.
11) What goals do you hope to achieve with your skills as a coder? I'm not really sure. It started as a hobby and still is, so I guess I'm lucky that I can also make money off of it.
12) Would you say you have a mind for math? Would anyone who graduated from a university be able to learn if they applied themselves? I don't but I never felt like I couldn't manage. Asking people for help isn't something looked down upon. As for learning: I think anyone can program but their are certain limitations. For instance, I can train to become an excellent soccer player, though I'd never be able to join a national team. Programming comes easy for some and I was lucky to belong to that group.
13) Do you find that you have to keep learning new languages all the time in order to catch up to people that went to school for it? When I started, HTML/CSS was all you needed to know to create a good webdesign. Now it feels like their are 500 different frameworks you need to know in order to sell anything. You also need tons of domain knowledge to get your website to look good on certain devices that are probably obsolete in the next generation.
Keeping up with it all gets easier the more you diversify your skill set. Lot's of 'new' concepts are just ideas that other languages / disciplines came up with before. I'd say keeping up with the time is easy, though I imaging starting web-development now is a lot harder that it was five years ago.
As for university: Experience matters more than degrees. You learn the basics in college / university, but what matters is knowing how to use them.
14) Compare learning to code with other things you have learned/achieved in your life. Where does it rank? I think it depends on how deep you want to go down the rabbit hole. Writing small programs? 2/10. Doing some fun things with Arduinos? 3/10. Getting into webdesign? 6/10. Understanding OS basics and language fundamentals? 8/10.
15) Do you find it very easy to find jobs once you 'know enough'? Do more accredited coders win out on the jobs you apply for? I dropped out of uni but I haven't had any problems getting good jobs. I just recently started at a new company and about 50% have a doctor title in their field. That is still extremely intimidating and I had a really bad case of 'imposter syndrom' for the first month or two.
As for applying: Try contributing to some open source projects. I got approached by lots of different companies that way. If they see your skills and want to hire you, you'll have a better chance of getting an adequate salary compared to applying yourself.