Also, you are not different than me. I got into computer science because I still remember how cool it was when 14 years old me made my first CS2D mod, even though I can't do everything I want because of lacking experiences.
You don't have to feel disappointed because the game you love isn't popular anymore. Thing like this will come to every game, eventually. But as long as there are players, players will find game to play again.
Btw, I still working on modding this game. It may be pointless but I will count it as a practice ground for coding because I've took all my computer science classes, I'm waiting for transfer to university, and I don't want to get rusty.
The cool thing is that all programming language are very similar to each other. You can bouncing around to gain experience, trying different concept, getting familiar with developing a mod. Just find a project, do something with what you've learned. Who know, maybe one day while doing something with your hobby, you will find gold.