Learning - Which Language?

[Adam87]

Hey everyone.

I'm 20 years old and looking at going into a career with Programming.
I am not a complete newbie to this, and know some basics. I used to code websites using HTML, DHTML, PHP, MySQL and XML some years ago, and of course remember all the basics, and some of the more advanced with PHP and MySQL in which i mastered.

Recently i have been looking around, and job wise, i realised it would be best to take up in .Net, then to branch out once securing a position.

I am currently doing a course in VB.Net, finishing next June, which will leave me with the MS certificate.

But where should i be heading from there? If i excel i can take the certificate early, and leave that as my course completed.

Looking around i see a lot of people say ColdFusion, Pyhton, Ruby and the C family (is C Cold Fusion?)

I want to look mainly at Desktop and Game Programming, obviously with learning VB.Net, with the route into ASP.Net, the web side will be covered. I realise C# is incredibly similar to VB.Net, and will only need to learn the conversions.

What would be the best course, and why do you say that? what do each have to offer over the others?

Thanks very much in advance.
- Adam Riddick

[nvteighen]

Looking around i see a lot of people say ColdFusion, Pyhton, Ruby and the C family (is C Cold Fusion?)

Oh, man... C is a programming language (see my sig), the language in which UNIX, the Linux kernel and most of GNU apps are written. Adobe ColdFusion is something absolutely different (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColdFusion).

But, better read the stickies.

[lukjad]

From the hype I have heard, python seems to be a good jumping off place. I plan to learn it some day. :)

[Sinkingships7]

Make sure that you take the time to learn standardized code, as well. .Net is a Microsoft-only environment. While it's true that it opens a large job market to you, you shouldn't limit yourself to only that world. Having a large area of 'expertise', so to speak, looks much better on a resume than just saying that you're proficient in only the .Net environment.

I'm going into this field as well. I wish you luck!

[Adam87]

O, now i wish i did more research before asking, and didnt plan to do it the other way around!

Yea i always knew .net was microsoft enviroment only, but i need a starting point that can walk me into a job, and then i can continue training aswell.

A lot of places i did look also pointed towards python for a starting point. I guess that would be a good next step to take, or is anyone shouting with points why not to do that?

Sinking, thanks for the advice, and good luck to you aswell!
just how are you goin about heading into this field? all advice can help!
Thanks for the fast replies aswell everyone!

[jespdj]

Python is a nice programming language and it's used in Ubuntu for many desktop applications. But if your goal is finding a job as a programmer, then Python might not be the best choice. I'd go for Java if you want to get a job as a programmer.

The TIOBE Programming Community Index (http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html) gives an indication of the popularity of programming languages.

[Wybiral]

But if your goal is finding a job as a programmer, then Python might not be the best choice. I'd go for Java if you want to get a job as a programmer.

Google requires their Java programmers to have Python experience :)

[Sinkingships7]

Sinking, thanks for the advice, and good luck to you aswell!
just how are you goin about heading into this field? all advice can help!


I'm a couple years younger than you - almost 18. My path isn't set for sure, but I'm going to focus more on programming concepts (data structures, algorithms), rather than a certain language. Languages are just tools. It's how you use them that matter. ;)

[nvteighen]

Google requires their Java programmers to have Python experience :)
Really? Wow, that's a nice strategy.

[Tomosaur]

Sinkingships is right - you are much, much better off knowing about programming and software dev theory than just learning a language to get a job. Indeed - employers generally don't care about 'the language' as much as software dev / programming theory.

I was just hired as a software engineer. Although the job spec requires C# and .Net knowledge - the actual interview focused primarily on the theory side. In the 2nd interview I had to give a presentation (admittedly about .Net Remoting, but it was more the principles and explanation of it rather than anything language specific) and take a short test.

Learning a language is definitely not enough to get a job - so get your head stuck in some books and learn the theory too!

[Adam87]

Hey,

After much more research i think i'm going about this the wrong way.

Can anyone point me in the right direction for becoming a computer programmer in England? or can anyone tell me how they did it?

I did not attend college, so will i need to go back? or attend a university course?

I highly appreciate everyones help!

[Tomosaur]

Hey,

After much more research i think i'm going about this the wrong way.

Can anyone point me in the right direction for becoming a computer programmer in England? or can anyone tell me how they did it?

I did not attend college, so will i need to go back? or attend a university course?

I highly appreciate everyones help!

Well, I'm in England too - there are really only two ways to do it:

1) Teach yourself, and demonstrate your knowledge and abilities when you get an interview (always pays to have a portfolio you can show them as proof if you have no formal qualification).

2) Go to college and/or university and get some qualifications under your belt.

Either way - the employer will want you to demonstrate not just your capability to write software - but your ability to use design and theory while you do so.

An analogy: Anyone can throw some bricks together and build a cube, but it takes a lot of knowledge and skill to build a house which will stand the test of time.

There is really no alternative other than spending time to learn the background stuff and underlying principles. Maybe you will be able to get lucky and find a job where they only require you to know a language, but I've never seen such a position available.

You don't have to get a qualification in order to get a job programming - but you WILL need to know theory and development principles and practices to get through an interview. I would recommend just getting down to a book shop and finding a few books - but to be honest for most things you can find out just by searching online - in which case your biggest problem is where to begin. In university, we started by just learning about the differences between OOP and procedural programming, with a bit of low level assembly code thrown in for good measure. It wasn't so much the programming languages we were being taught, but the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

Really it's hard to give any particular advice. Obviously you will need to know a few languages, with two or three 'in-depth', but the language is just a tool. It is theory which will allow you to use these tools to solve problems.

[Adam87]

Hey, thanks that as very helpful.

I've been browsing and have come across, what i believe, is going to be a helpful company. Allowing me to train while working with them, under supervision, if i am correct, i'm not 100% on how it works yet, i'll be sure to let everyone know if it pans out.

As for the theory, i can see the point as, like when i was back with learning PHP, logic was the biggest problem. I was a lot younger then to now, and i'd say now its less logic and more the fact i dont know what to reach for coding wise, but thats a language learning concern.

I'll get myself to the library in the morning, guess they wouldnt be to pleased for me to go and check out the books right now. Theft they call it, as far as i am aware.

I'm now at the stage i wish i'd done more research before diving in, but then again learning vb.net isn't going to be a bad thing, i'm just maybe doing it a difficult way around.

Thanks very much to everyone, as i've said in every post. And please, if anyone else has any information to share, do not hesitate.

- Adam Riddick

[Calmatory]

Learning vb.net is not a bad deal at all. It opens your mind, teaches you the .NET framework and hopefully keeps you doing what you want - programming the whole time you stick with it.

But as it's been said before, you do it in your mind, but you apply it to the practice with a language.