The paper presents the materials of the Summer School of Young Programmers held in 2014. The School was started in 1976, on the initiative of Andrei Ershov, an outstanding advocate of programming and computer science development. During the years of its existence, the Summer School has varied the forms and methodical specifics of conducting classes. The number of participants differed from year to year as did the equipment and technology employed. Originally, classes were held for large groups of beginners and "advanced" schoolchildren; consultants from Novosibirsk Academgorodok were involved. The next step was workshops. It took 40 years to go from a few minutes of practice on the BESM- 6 to the many hours of programming on personal computers. However, the most important aspect of the project – the atmosphere of cooperation aimed at creating a sustainable commitment to self-education, assistance in vocational guidance based on practical experience, providing a glimpse of the chosen profession, a conscious choice of way of life, creativity, and socialization – has been carefully preserved. The participants of the Summer School of Young Programmers share not only their profession but also their way of thinking.