My suggestion is that you NOT focus on the fact that it's your first coding position. Focus on your skill set, your areas of expertise. Your value as a coder is directly related to your abilities and knowledge, not necessarily if you've had a formal coding position in the past. Coming from my perspective, as someone who routinely interviews and hires coders, a person's resume never explains their true capabilities. Education certainly plays a role, previous work experience (as in, is the applicant a "job hopper"), and anything else that shows a person's level of commitment. Don't shy away from how much experience you've had in training and other non-formal work experience.
Prepare yourself for the inevitable question "What can you bring to the table" or "Why should I hire you" or "What would make you a valuable asset for the company?"
And, as previously mentioned, if you're asked outright how much you expect to be paid, you should never arbitrarily toss out a dollar figure. Try to leave the salary negotiations for the end of the interview process. Check around your area for job listings that indicate how much that position would pay. I work for a large teaching facility, meaning our staff are state employees. If you have any type of facility like that somewhat nearby, within a few hundred miles give or take, check the job listings and see what the starting pay is. That will give you a pretty good idea of how much is too much to ask for. I should also note that the salaries of all state employees are published yearly for public use, for every state. So if you're digging around for salaries of coders at university hospitals, check there.
One last piece of advice, don't bring up the fact that you "checked around" or "researched" salaries. Ask what they typically offer for an entry level coding position, apply the information you previously gathered, and you'll know if they're low-balling you. If you're forced into a corner and have to come up with an amount, pick something a bit higher than the lowest wages you've come across. "Based on my extensive knowledge and training, I feel $XX would be appropriate" or something along those lines.
