Hey, this is pretty cool!
But could you perhaps put an indicator around your character so that you can instantly see which character is yours ?
Other than that, nice job xD
You don't need a college degree to get started, but I do advice to start in the iphone platform right away.
Considering your friend is into multimedia design already, I would advice her to start by creating simple iphone games in order to learn programming.
Just take a look at the open-source cocos2D for the Iphone:
I don't know if she's is into game making already, but I do know from my own experience (I'm a Game Designer & programmer btw.) that creating a game IS the best way to learn how to program, also the most rewarding.
Here's how I would advice her to start:
0. run all the examples from the cocos2D engine on your iphone/simulator
1. learn how to create a calculator with it (using self-made buttons)
2. display an image(arrow) that moves+rotates where you tap it to go
6. learn how to integrate menu's + transitions on top of your game
7. expand your knowledge with SqlLite and create your OWN simple game,
and show the source to your friends and collect feedback on how to make it better.
Recreating tetris is the hardest part, but after that she'll have a solid knowledge of how programs work - and she can use this knowledge to go any direction she wants.
PS. If you need some help with getting started, just reply to my post.