Best way to learn Java before start of semester.

[GregBrannon]

Everybody learns differently, though practicing what you're trying to learn is essential to learning programming. You know that. I'm still on the path to enlightenment, but I find it helpful to read difficult concepts explained by more than one author.

There are many free sources for Java info on the internet; free books, tutorials, etc. Find 3 - 5 and read their explanations of objects and other topics you need to understand better. Perhaps one will make more sense to you than the others, or after reading nearly the same thing 4 or 5 times, the concept will begin to make more sense. Add some practicing to that, and your understanding will be improved and reinforced.

You also asked how others started programming. You could get as many different answers to that as there are people here, and I don't think it would help. The best way to start learning something is to start. It's never too late or the wrong time. If you're interested in learning, just get on with it.

Don't give up. Come back and ask for help on the finer points as you take the journey.

[KdotJ]

Don't give up.

+1
It's easy to get frustrated with programming, but sticking with it is worth it. Objects and classes took me a while to understand the concepts, but I think it will eventually just click. And when you do "get it" you'll see how simple the "basic" concept of objects is

[Some Penguin]

Right now, we're not learning gui... but I suppose I could start by writing programs that are not in the current curriculum.

I've noticed programming is a lot like art, you need to have an imagination about what you want to accomplish and finding ways to do it.

Programming is quite mathematical in a certain sense -- if you are lousy at logically decomposing complex problems, you will probably be a poor programmer.

Regarding objects and classes, look up "abstract data types". They're useful for such decomposition. Example: if you're doing matrix arithmetic using sparse matrixs ca. 500K x 500K, you may not care about the exact implementation details so long as it's resource and performance seems appropriate and it provides the interface you need, and ideally you wouldn't have to change all the client code that uses the matrix if the matrix implementation is improved. Abstraction is quite reasonable for that sort of thing.

Right now, my mind is blank, I have no idea about what I should do.

So for those who started studying programming, how did you start? because I've noticed that a lot of students in my class already did programming as their hobby.

My unhelpful answer would be that I started in the mid-80's and had a slightly odd upbringing -- recreational mathematics instead of comic books, for instance.

[Quake]

Thanks everybody.

I will definitely come and ask questions. So right now, I need to practice.
And Achron, a CD Collection software will be a good idea.

If anyone has an idea of program that I could create to practice, let me know.

Thanks.

[soltanis]

You can create basically anything, and it doesn't have to be useful. In fact, if you are just playing around and learning concepts, I recommend it not try to be useful, because useful programs tend to have to conform to things like standards which are easy to screw up, and when you get little things wrong, they really distract from the point of the exercise.

[dragos2]

Read Thinking in Java 3,4.
3rd version is free and still actual.

It is hard to get a better reference.

[CSInDevelopment]

look at wibit, got me through some rough patches
heres the first video , you will need to skip some because you already know the basics, but they are good for revision or for first discovering.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl-zzrqQoSE