Programming. Advice

[Spec-Kie]

Alright guys

Iam slowly planning my career change in to IT. Thing is i want to try out all aspects before i get into any thing, I have done Adminstration before i have worked in a School (network Admin) and i have done the tiniest amount of programming when i was in school/College using Visual basic, Thing is i plan to change careers now so i wanted to try programming again as it really interest me. only thing is i am a complete novice, I have read around some of the threads about career changes into IT and there is some excellent advice, Only thing is i would not have an idea on where to start out. Erm would C++ be a good starting point for me to potter about with at home and try to learn?.. or is ther something else i shpould start off with?

 

[XplosiV]

Are you lookin into software dev type, or web admin type? Programming is quite varied, so maybe if you can narrow down the options a little you might get more specific and useful advice.

 

[SiempreTuna]

C++ skills are in pretty high demand over here so I'd say it's a definitely a good skill to have, however it is at the more techical end of development so you're giving yourself a pretty steep learning curve in order to get up to speed.

You'll then have the perennial problem of convincing a potential employer that you'll be able to make a contribution within a reasonable time of starting. Being able to point to something you've developed that is being used somewhere may help - is there anything you could do that could be used in the school, maybe? Some freebie work for them could pay dividends later.

Another idea I've used in the past is to offer a deal to potential employers where they pay you less than they were offering for a specified period of time (say a couple of months). You agree that after that period of time, you sit down and review the situation to decide whether you're up to speed or they should let you go.

 

[Spec-Kie]

Well I plan to get into web development mainly but I would alseo like to try software device, like I said I am trying a career change and I want to try all aspects before I choose that's all. I am mainly a repair Guy at the minute but I want to sort of broaden my knowledge into the web design and try other things but like I said I would not know where to start.. to an extent if you get me.. I sort of know that you can use Photoshop and dreamweaver and stuff but like I said I am pretty new to the programming side.

 

[XplosiV]

Well, I'm no programmer but I'm GUESSING the mobile device dev market is moving along faster than web dev, sure HTML 5 is making headway, so learning that could be a benifit sooner rather than later, as it won't be so obsolete so quickly, where as advances in the mobile world are coming and going rapidly, you may find it harder to keep up and some things may become obsolete in favour of new technologies and their requirements.

Just my general observations.

 

[Spec-Kie]

This is why I needed the advice haha I'm confused all together now haha .. so in the future there isbgoing to be no work really for web development? ? And I should focus more on mobile web development? Or mobile apps/software? What a lbout software in general?? What type of software would be best as a begginner to start on??

 

[pbf98]

C++ wouldn't be too bad to get a handle on, Java would be of some use as well if looking into mobile dev.

I use c# on a daily basis, and its pretty simple to learn the basics of, and since you have done a little in VB you would see similarities. If you learn C#, might as well learn a few things about ASP.NET they go hand and hand when working with HTML

 

[Speed Daemon]

Although there are specialties, and it's a good idea to focus one's energies on one or another, IME object-oriented programming is the way that modern interactive software is going to be written. Although procedural programming isn't completely dead, I'd opt to learn OOP if I had to start from scratch today. C++ and/or Java would be a good place to start along those lines.

 

[SiempreTuna]

so in the future there isbgoing to be no work really for web development?

There will definitely be work. Trouble is, there are an awful lot of people out there who have been doing it for a long time which means rates for less specialised stuff aren't that great - and competition for those jobs is fierce.

Or mobile apps/software?

Mobile's certainly a growing market that's probably not overcrowded just yet.

What a lbout software in general?? What type of software would be best as a begginner to start on??

There you have me. VB is the traditional route, I guess, but again, that makes it a crowded market coz we've all done some.

Ideally, you want to get into something before it gets too popular, that way you're not competing against people who have years of relevant experience.

Unfortunately, very much easier said than done.

 

[Spec-Kie]

Yeah I'm just going to mess about for now but it really does intrest me tho..

 

[Spec-Kie]

So guys if where to maybe get into develping mobile software and also just general software, What software would i use on a regular basis?. I want to get some books and DVDs thats all and i might even start a night class at college but i dont want to start a class in something that i cant use in the furture if yous get me?. Thank you guys!

 

[Davdi]

I'd start with Java for several reasons:
* it's free (as in speech AND beer)
* it's an OO language, so you'll learn the OO paradigm as you learn the language
* It's platform independent
* ANd used to develop Android Apps (With the Android SDK)
* The SAMS teach yourself Java in 24Hours/21Days books are an excellent intro to Java and programming.
* There are loads of free online tutorials and cose samples to play with.
* C# is quile similar
* C++ is easier to learn with a good understanding of OO methodologies.

You'll also want a good IDE (Integrated Development Environment):
Netbeans is very good for Java and other languages. But if you think you'll want to develop Android Apps, then Eclipse is the one to use, as both JDK (Java Development kit) and the Android SDK integrate very well with the newer versions.

 

[EmotionalNinja]

C++ is a great place to start since a lot of other languages (Java and PHP for example) are derived from C, so learning C++ would mean it'd be easier to pick up other languages.

That being said, Python is supposed to be a fairly easy language to learn. There are great tutorial online for Android development as well and from that you'd learn how to program using Java.

 

[JohnLaird]

Hmm...I would start with c#. More forgiving learning curve, less chances to screw up with dynamically allocated memory, faster return (you'll get eye candy like GUIs much faster with C# than with c++). C# can be marginally slower than c++...but that does not really matter at this point. Granted, you will need c++ at some point...but you will have to want to learn other languages to get anywhere. If you are the kind of person who likes to experiment and constantly learn new things...programming is for you. If that is the case, you will learn Java, C++, whatever in due course. Good luck.

 

[Spec-Kie]

Yeah thats me all over wanted to poke something and see what happens .. haha. I have done some type of VB before when i was in college but not alot. I think i am going to start on c# and work my way up