CHANGE NEEDED: Start a career in PROGRAMMING.

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maximus@123

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Hi all,

I have been working in the desktop support environment for the past 4-5 years. I wish to make a career change to programming, as I know there are much better job opportunities and it is more of a specialised field. And I wan't to start do something that is a lot more challenging!

First, I need to get the difference between the programming languages. When doing some research, I found that C#, Java, C++ and Java Script are the most common...

As I understand, if you know the basic concepts of one programming language, you pretty much know about 50% (or about) of the other languages?


My questions:

1. Which one would you guys recommend to start of first?
2. At which institution would you do the course? Remembering that I would have to do this part-time.

I went onto UNISA's site and found the following courses;

1. Introduction to visual c sharp.net programming (76804)
2. Introduction to Visual Basic .Net Programming (70122)
3. C++ programming (70181)
4. Introduction to Java programming (70602)

Any help/info from current programmers or anyone with excellent knowledge of the above would be much appreciated.

Thank you.
 
I'm bumping this thread. I have a ten year old software development diploma and have been working in a different sector. It's time to get back to what I love.
 
maximus@123 said:
When doing some research, I found that C#, Java, C++ and Java Script are the most common...
Click to expand...

Take "java script" out of that equation. You're not going to score a job by only doing "java script", [actually Javascript].
 
What are you looking for? A cert/diploma or full blown degree?

It's not about the common ones. They're all OOP, so migrating to another lang shouldn't be an uphill. But it would be better to stick with the latest and widely used tech like C# (or maybe Java).
 
* evil lolz *

And here I've been thinking of getting out of programming.
 
Depends on what you want to do. IMHO go with web or mobile focused. So I would suggest learning java, used widely on web servers for backends and android. Also learn some HTML basics and JavaScript, always useful. Also if you want to get into iOS development then you have to use objective c.
 
From my experience, it's better to start off with concepts than a language. Possibly you could do both. Look for something with algorithms, postcode, system design concepts etc. before diving into a language. Once you learn the concepts of programming and design, you should be able to pick up any language. Getting the thinking straight first will cut down the amount of hacking you'll do, and get you writing solid code faster than going straight into languages.

As for languages:

Java is a good place to start, as you'll find it's quite adaptable, especially for mobile development. From there, you can pick up Javascript quite easily.
HTML is a decent language to learn, as it can be applied in conjunction to other languages for, say, UI development.
I'd honestly give VB a skip as it's less likely to get you a solid job - it seems Microsoft have been trying to kill it off for years.
c++ is solid, but has more of a learning curve than Java or c#, and isn't quite as widely used. Will stand you in good stead if you can master it though.

Unfortunately I'm not too familiar with what's on offer right now, but I hope I've been able to steer you in the right direction at least.
 
To be quite honest I'm currently busy with my first semester in BSc Informatics @ UNISA. I know to do a degree is the best option for me, but am also realistic that it is going to take me at least 4-5 years to finish the degree. I would like to start working as a programmer much earlier than that. That is the only reason I was thinking of doing one of the following short courses:

Introduction to visual c sharp.net programming (76804)
C++ programming (70181)
Introduction to Java programming (70602)

What is your opinion on this?

Thanks.
 
C++ will teach you all the concepts the oob languages use. Will be easy to switch if you know oob.
 
Those courses are a good foundation. I'd still throw some system design, UML, or even database design in there as well.
 
So, would you recommend continuing with the Informatics degree or do any or all of the below short courses:
Introduction to visual c sharp.net programming (76804)
C++ programming (70181)
Introduction to Java programming (70602)

As I really want to start my programming career ASAP.
 
Introduction to programming 1 & 2
Visual Programming 1 & 2
Advanced Programming

The only problem I have with the degree, is the time it's going to take to finish - 4/5 years.
I am 31 years at present and do not wan't to wait until I'm about 36 to start programming.

That is why I was maybe thinking of doing one or all of the short courses:
Introduction to visual c sharp.net programming (76804)
C++ programming (70181)
Introduction to Java programming (70602)
 
maximus@123 said:
So, would you recommend continuing with the Informatics degree or do any or all of the below short courses:
Introduction to visual c sharp.net programming (76804)
C++ programming (70181)
Introduction to Java programming (70602)

As I really want to start my programming career ASAP.
Click to expand...
Out of the three, C++ every time.
 
Ok, like other forumites say, take C++, one of the OOP pioneer, then things should fall into place.
As soon as you finish that, you might also post on the forums for any intern positions, lots of guys helping out here.
 
Cool thanks Slab.
I see that my Introduction to programming 1 (COS1511) module focusses on C++, so that is a bonus then...
I will continue with my BSc Informatics degree - do the Introduction to programming module and take it from there...
So hopefully by mastering the programming concepts and basics, starting to learn C++ and C#, I will be on the right track???
 
Chevron said:
C++ will teach you all the concepts the oob languages use. Will be easy to switch if you know oob.
Click to expand...

Unless getting into engineering or game development I don't think C++ is a good starting point. I would rather recommend a more mainstream language like C# or Java as C++ has a lot of things you should know about but don't need to spend significant time studying (memory management, pointers, etc..) as you would need to in C++. The other 2 languages are a lot more advanced in terms of functionality related to the business environment and take care of the nitty gritty that you have to know well in C++. Also OOP concepts like multiple inheritance are not supported in languages like C#.

I did C++ in my 3rd year 17 years ago (cracked 100% for my final exam) and a fair amount of what I learned I don't use in my day to day work in C#. Provided a good grounding into OOP though.
 
Hi Mike, thx for the advice. What would you recommend me doing. It really sounds like you know your programming!
Should I continue with my degree or focus on a specific programming language or course? I really want to start a career in programming as soon as possible and do not want to wait another 5 years until I finish my degree!

Any advice will be much apprciated.
Thanks.
 
maximus@123 said:
Hi Mike, thx for the advice. What would you recommend me doing. It really sounds like you know your programming!
Should I continue with my degree or focus on a specific programming language or course? I really want to start a career in programming as soon as possible and do not want to wait another 5 years until I finish my degree!

Any advice will be much apprciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

A degree is merely a piece of paper that a prospective employer wants to see; I personally place no value on a degree. But if you ever want to get a senior level job you will be required to have a degree.

In summary:
If you want to get a senior level job in anything: Get a degree.
If you want to know how to program: Do short courses and practice.

Almost any skill can be mastered with enough practice.
 
Mike Smit said:
Unless getting into engineering or game development I don't think C++ is a good starting point. I would rather recommend a more mainstream language like C# or Java as C++ has a lot of things you should know about but don't need to spend significant time studying (memory management, pointers, etc..) as you would need to in C++. The other 2 languages are a lot more advanced in terms of functionality related to the business environment and take care of the nitty gritty that you have to know well in C++. Also OOP concepts like multiple inheritance are not supported in languages like C#.
Click to expand...

This.

I'll say it again - ^^^that^^^


If you're not he kind of person that can push themselves (few are) and you prefer having a more structured course then carry on as you are.

If you're great with pushing yourself and/or you need to save a buck then remember that you can do online courses and learn these languages just as well!

Check stuff like the MIT online courseware, lynda.com and others.. even youtube videos. Find out what a typical syllabus would consist of and then do a metric ****ton of reading about all those topics.

I'm not sure about getting a course cetificate in the end but if you continue your degree, that would probably beat it anyway ..
 
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