I was around 14. Back then we had no internet so you had to go to a library and buy some programming books, I didn't have the money so I just messed with code. I practiced with some computers from a school I used to go, and managed to infect them all with a virus.
Antivirus software was distributed in floppy disks back then, so most schools and individuals had outdated versions. But somehow it was fun, finding a virus was an achievement, and you could collect it in a floppy. Most nerd kids had a floppy full of fuckn viruses and we called them virus farms.