A change in direction - in the way of programming

b.cummins

b.cummins

b.cummins

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Joined
23 Mar 2006
Posts
906
Location
Guildford, Surrey
Hi guys,

Long story short, I'm looking into a career change. I've got a non-computing degree which has landed me in the industry as I'd hoped and I think it's time I cut my losses and moved forward.

I have had a think and a way forward that appeals to me at least right now as an idea, is taking a course in computer programming with the very real intention of securing employment in the industry on the strength of such a course. The problem is I've had no experience in actual programming. I also don't have a qualification beyond GCSE IT. Make no mistake, I'm well adjusted to computers, I can deal with networking, troubleshooting, software compability issues, hardware configurations, the usual average I suppose of the people these forums attract.

I'd like some advice on how to move forward.
The first thing I want to do is find my feet in programming. Can anybody recommend some free resources, or good books that would make a wise investment, to start me off?
I'm also so inept that I have to wonder what kind of language/interface to focus on too. I'm swinging in the direction of visual basic/C.
If anyone has advice on the best courses to go for in my position that'd also be extremely welcome.

Thanks for taking the time to read.
 
smyth said:
Why do you want to go into a career programming when you haven't done any before? You might end up hating it!

you could try this out
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Electrica...er-Science/6-00Fall-2008/CourseHome/index.htm

It has all the lectures on youtube and the assignments on there.
Click to expand...

that is very true
i didn't really explain
it's just a prelimary idea
I want to get a feel for the subject before i commit of course, but I have a feeling about it :eek:

thanks for the link!
 
Take a night class in it if you can find one, then if you like it consider doing a proper course. It can take ages to get a grasp of it so thats why a course maybe better as learning from a book as a complete beginner would be hard and lead to a lot of googling. Which may put you off.

how about trying out small Basic:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/devlabs/cc950524.aspx

its microsofts attempt at a beginner language which seems friendly enough.

You could also try C# (you can get c# 2008 express edition for free). I would say its a better language to learn than vb as the syntax is similar to C, C++, Java, PHP, javascript, Actionscript etc. so gives you more options in the long term. Its also nicer than C and C++ as it doesn't punish you for making a mistake and has a really handy debugging tool to help find errors. Book wise i brought Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Step by Step and it seems very balanced and easy to follow.
 
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