ditto, slowly but surely it works
plus many many tutorials and a bit of help from others
Copying people’s code, online tuts and some books.
Books were a big help though
Lol yup, it’s true though. I hate myself now. I’m on my computer off and on…
I took a couple of classes but learned almost everything I know now from here 
Well Sophmore year of high school when the internet really started showing up. That would have been about 7 years ago. (Most of you were like 5 then) I started learning HTML from books and code samples. I started learning to be mischevious. I wanted to create a page that looked like the hotmail sign-on page so I could grab everyones usernames and passwords… High School gossip is entertaining.
During my first year of college my sister showed some of my work to a friend of hers who owned a web company and he said he would train me some more if I would come work for him. So I dropped out and became a CodFusion programmer. Got to do some flash and graphics, but I was learning ColdFusion from co-workers and from books.
Since then I’ve leanred more programming from books online guides. Flash I’ve learned on my own from books, tutotrials and knowing the right people to ask questions to.
Actually the truth is 2advanced recruited me and eric jordan rubbed my head so I become all wierd.
Lol j/k :P.
I learned everything i can from ScripFlipper! He showed me Photoshop and introduced me to Flash. I salute you ScriptFlipper! Thanks dude. 
[ot]
Are you implying that most of us are 12 years old? :P[/ot]
That’s about when I started learning HTML. I was 8 
hehe. After I learned the basics I had a few years where I was designing on and off, but only started reading a lot of books again last year. Which is when I picked up Flash, PHP, and CSS.
For me, everything started with MS Publisher 97. Hehe I know, not a webdesign tool, but I saw that you could make websites with it (or… sort of). I was about 8 at the time. So I made one site and showed my parents, I was so proud over my template-created lack-of-content website hehe 
Then I realized that Publisher wasn’t a webdesign app, so I started using MS Frontpage Express. Made a few sites at age 9-10.
Learned HTML some how, guess it was because I wanted to edit my sites at school, and they only had Notepad Used tutorials and common sense combined with logic.
Uhm… After that, I started playing around in Photoshop and uhm… I think I got Dreamweaver when I was about 14 or so (don’t ask me how I got it).
Started learning PHP cause it was needed for a client’s website, age 16. Used books and tutorials. Downloads the trial version of Flash 5. Don’t understand one thing about it, so I uninstall it.
Age 17. Gets a copy of Flash 5. Start tweening some stuff and uses Google in my search for tutorials. Sees a link to kirupa.com - Ultimate Flash Resource. Visits.
Joins forum. Gets addicted. Been here since. Learned everything I know about Flash from here. (Well, the basics. The rest I’ve learned on my own or by postiong questions.)
I owe you K-man
That’s about it.
EDIT:
@keeka: You’re welcome 
yep… I learned all flash off this site… I played around from flash 3 till flash 5… and only got a motion between and simple action script… I mean a play button was kickass. back then. Then I suddenly got flash 6 and kirupa…
I learned html on asianavenue.com stealing peoples sources to make my profile page there look spiffy. learned photoshop in the process while looking at online tutorials. started to learn flash when I found kirupa. haha me and Tim started at the same time but Tim is smater than me so he progressed more. started to learn php when I was starting to do forms and such…the processes and learning of each are still going on though.
I learned about 5 years ago with :pirate: copies of Flash 3, Frontpage 98, and CorelDRAW 8 
Mostly learned from experimentation, and looking at the help-files for specific stuff (internet access was restricted [dialup]:()
I got by.
I started off just using publisher, from then I mostly used online tutorials…until i got a job and then I could afford a couple of books.
Self taught for everything. Except combustion, I won a free class (from my 3d stuff) to learn that. But otherwise, I learned by trial and error
How Did You Learn?
By Mistake 
I started by making islands in Microsoft Paint -
I always had a passion for art and drawing and when I discovered that my other love computers, would allow me to create art there. I went at it. I started designing websites back in 9th grade with a friend of mine. Now almost a decade layer I find myself dealing with large corporations and rock bands.
It all takes determination and the key secret is to apply what you know in a way that hasn’t been done before. Sounds cliche, but few actually do it.
As far as learning the programs - started just playing around with it - eventually got most of it figured out and then started in on online tutorials. I never had any success with books - they were too cookie cutter and not well laid out in my opinion.
Another method was to see an effect I enjoyed on the website, and then try my hardest to recreate it from scratch in Photoshop, and I didn’t stop until I had it.
I drew from various other designers, and fused everything together and created my own style.
Design is something that can somewhat be learned - but you have to feel it and allow your natural ability to come out.
It has to be a passion, a hobby, and a frustration all at once haha.
I like DDD’s quote in his signature…
“Once you find a job you love, you’ll never work again.”