Trying out programming.

kalvindeane

kalvindeane

kalvindeane

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I'd like to give programming a go to see how I like it. I'm only looking at it from a hobby point of view rather than something that I'd like to start a career in, at least for now. I'm 18 and have applied for a BTEC ND for IT this year in a local college, and this is going to be a time-filler between now and then. I've been told to download MS Visual Basic 2010 Express and try the tutorials, thoughts on this or ideas of something better? I've never done this sort of thing before.

By the way, any advice about whether or not I should go for the BTEC, or do something else such as A-levels? It has quite a few different modules which sound nice, as it'll give me a variety of subjects to try, and see if I like any one in particular. On the other hand, with so many different modules, I'm concerned about the quality of the course and whether it'll hold much weight when I try to progress further into whichever area of IT I feel suited to. The college is the Graig in Llanelli, Wales, if that makes any difference. :)

Thank you for your time. :)
 
kalvindeane said:
I've been told to download MS Visual Basic 2010 Express and try the tutorials, thoughts on this or ideas of something better? I've never done this sort of thing before.
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I give this thread 5 posts before it turns into a 'this language is better than that language' thread ;)
 
BTEC are pretty much A-Levels, or are equivalent. Depending on what BTEC you enrol on, they vary massively.

No doubt you'll be using VB.Net on your course in the future. So if you want to get a head start now you know what to learn.
 
Hiya ^^ I might be able to help here!

I'm guessing you know there are different programming languages (such as Javascript, HTML, C++, BASIC etc)

From what I have read its good to start off learning one language.

There are different languages which are mean't for different purposes.

I read that a good language to start with was either C or C++ (I can't remember which one)

The reason to start learning C or C++ first is that a lot of other programming languages are variations (kinda) so in the future it will be easier to learn new languages. (if you decide this area interests you)

As for writing your first program, you usually start off with something small like the 'Hello World' application.

This program is small (the way you should start), once you have finished writing it just press 'Compile' and follow the setup to make your code usage.

For starting off I'd say try and avoid going over 30 lines.

All this does when the application is run iit opens a the command prompt displaying a message - usually 'Hello World' ^^

From here you can practise memorising the code and seeing what all the commands do, learn new ones etc.

(If your using the internet to obtain information, be a tad careful that its the appropriate language and quite simple otherwise they can make it seem difficult and put you off etc)

If your still interested in programming then another useful thing you can do would be to start looking at OpenSource program code (in the appropriate language!)

This will help you get a better grasp of what you can actually do.

I have not tried the tutorials (or even Visual Basic (VB) yet). But they might be able to help.

_____________

As for your college course it depends!

I'm in a similar position. If your thinking about going to red-brick universities (the prestigious ones) then its likely that you will need to take A-Levels (specifically you might need Computing, Physics and Maths)

However at the time I was unaware of that and the only A-Level which interested me was Computing.

I asked a guy I know (an engineer, very smart man indeed) for advice, he recommended I should stay with my original plan and do the BTEC Lvl 3 ND in Software, Games and Web development.

At the end of the day I could still go to university, as some universities accepted vocational awards.

An advantage of doing this is that you can try three different areas of programming etc and decide which (if any) was for you. Of course, there are other languages out there to learn (there is even a language for programming Lego ^^)

Consider the extra modules as extra-credit. E.g there are 8 modules in total for my GCSE in IT. We were only supposed to do 4 and end up with 2 GCSE's worth. But we did all 8 and ended up with 4 GCSE's.

With college I'd imagine it's similar, do more work, get more out of it.

The course should be suitable (I know of people who did 'my' one and are now at university)

Which ND course are you taking?

Hope I helped :D
 
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Scythian said:
I read that a good language to start with was either C or C++ (I can't remember which one)

The reason to start learning C or C++ first is that a lot of other programming languages are variations (kinda) so in the future it will be easier to learn new languages. (if you decide this area interests you)
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not sure where u heard that, but C is not the easiest language to grasp, in fact, its one of the more difficult

its a good language to eventually move into, but if your looking for basic programming knowledge, its better to start off with something more simple

the original way i learnt was to get other peoples code, edit it to suit my needs and learn from doing that until i was capable of starting programs from scratch

althou this was back before the internet where there are lots of help guides and tutortials to help now

if your serious about learning C, then perhaps buy a book to learn, some of them can be quite useful.
its also a good idea to learn the basics of C before moving onto C++

but as your not sure just yet, then use a simpler language to see if you like it

i did a BTEC course, and while there was some programming, it was very limited
 
Learn c++ well and you'll also have the skill to adapt easily to most languages! Different languages for different situations, but c++ is popular as it can be suitable for a wide variety of projects.

That said, visual basic can be fun and it'll give you a good insight into programming (and you'll be able to find out if it's something you enjoy)


If you want a career in IT then the BTEC is a good choice. If you're not 100% on wanting to head into IT then you may find that A-levels give you broader opportunities
 
Cycrow said:
not sure where u heard that, but C is not the easiest language to grasp, in fact, its one of the more difficult

its a good language to eventually move into, but if your looking for basic programming knowledge, its better to start off with something more simple

the original way i learnt was to get other peoples code, edit it to suit my needs and learn from doing that until i was capable of starting programs from scratch

althou this was back before the internet where there are lots of help guides and tutortials to help now

if your serious about learning C, then perhaps buy a book to learn, some of them can be quite useful.
its also a good idea to learn the basics of C before moving onto C++

but as your not sure just yet, then use a simpler language to see if you like it

i did a BTEC course, and while there was some programming, it was very limited
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Yeah sorry, I read it ages ago (just while googlin') - must have meant C++

I'd agree and say avoid the C language for now

So some good languages for writing programs would be
VisualBasic and C++ (I'd say thats a mid-level language - Still good to learn!)


If I was to toss in a suggestion I'd mention Python. I read its friendly for beginners to use. I can't say though as I don't have a clue. So I'd maybe wait for another member to clarify.


Then out of those 3 languages its mostly what you prefer.:)
 
php isn't classed as programming though is it, thought it was classed as scripting. Never really understood the difference.

Lots of resources on the web, probably better starting with vb.net, c# or python :)
 
I'd recommend Visual Basic and then C# after you've gone through the basics. Maybe even PHP or Java.

C and C++ are more complex to grasp if you're just starting out in programming imo and it'll just put you off.

Scythian said:
I'm guessing you know there are different programming languages (such as Javascript, HTML, C++, BASIC etc)
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Thought I'd just correct something. HTML is NOT a programming language, it's a markup language :)
 
What can I say, any excuse to avoid the huge amount of coursework that's attacking me right now!

I mean, uh,
any opportunity to help a fellow programming enthusiast!
 
sharkkk said:
Hey, you were right!
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That. (Unfortunately)

Although some people have valid points. Others are just unhelpful.

Stick with Visual Basic if thats whats going to be covered in your course, then ask your college what would be some suitable 'next steps'.

Spunkey said:
The general rule is that if the code you're writing is compiled: programming. If it's interpreted: scripting.
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That also.

Locke said:
I'd recommend Visual Basic and then C# after you've gone through the basics. Maybe even PHP or Java.

C and C++ are more complex to grasp if you're just starting out in programming imo and it'll just put you off.



Thought I'd just correct something. HTML is NOT a programming language, it's a markup language :)
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Yes, I made a few mistakes, I do that sometimes. With all these similar concepts and me being tired and all, it's understandable.
 
a lot of hate for the simpler language of VB.

Granted.. its not the chosen language of the real world in most applications but it IS a good learning language. Its clear of massive syntax and is pretty simple to understand.. You could learn it very quickly

C/C++/C#/Java/Python/Ruby/etc are certainly fantastic languages and each has its own merits (except java :D) but just remember that confusing someone isnt going to make them want to continue..

Take a slice of the cake, try something simple and see if its for you
 
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