Re: Jumpstart a programming ability
Hi, guys...with this market being what it is... what would you
go for that would satisfy the following conditions:
1) Make you more attractive as a technical writer in a tough job
market.
2) Can get into without having taken the customary path of
basic/Cobol/c
3) Would actually be of value to those looking at resumes.
4) Is not a dead-end and can be leveraged into other ares.
I'm thinking maybe Java? Visual Basic? ...
I just don't want to spin my wheels learning something that
will take alot of time (and money) and when I finally get there,
nobody cares.
John,
Take a look at the software being developed in your
area before you decide. There are a lot of Windows-
only shops that use Visual Basic almost exclusively
and they also deal a lot with OLE/ActiveX/DCOM objects.
Most shrink-wrapped software is still developed in C++,
particularly where performance is important. That said,
there are many commercial software products that sit on
relational databases. The dot.coms mostly use Java.
Then examine your goals. Yes, to make yourself more
valuable, but how? ...Understanding what's going on
under the hood? ...Mocking up a user interface?
...Documenting programming languages? ...Writing
test scripts? It's a lot easier to make the decision
when you know where your going.
Programming logic is programming logic is programming
logic and a for-next loop in Basic looks a whole lot
like a for-next loop in Java, so for learning the
basics of programming logic, any language will do.
I would not advise learning a non-object-oriented
language. <SoCalAirHead>That is just *so* last
century!</SoCalAirHead> I'm not saying that there
isn't worthwhile work to be had in "structured"
languages, just that the future lies in OO.
As far as the money part goes, I do recommend that
you take a one-semester class at the local junior
college, particularly if you've never programmed
before. Most JCs have an "Intro to OO programming
using C++/Java".
However, if you really are on a shoestring, Bruce
Eckle's books, _Thinking in C++_ and _Thinking in
Java_ are excellent, and tho they may be purchased,
they are also available for free download in either
Word or HTML format. I'm not aware of any free C++
compilers, but Java is free for the taking at Sun's
site. And there's a paper on my web site that
summarizes the basics of OO. See
http://pw1.netcom.com/~gscale/susanwg/cmindware/ohoh.htm
Lastly, while scripting and macro languages would
definitely come in handy and look good in your
toolkit, they are really not in the same class as
C++ and Java. And, once you've learned to program --
I mean learn basic computer logic -- you can pick
up the scripting language du jour very easily.
HTH! Good luck!
-Sue
susanwg -at- ix -dot- netcom -dot- com
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