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Starting an Education in IT?
AriaStar asks: "It's overwhelming to start trying to learn all the different technologies needed to go into programming. It seems that every type of technology assumes knowledge of a different one, which in turn requires knowledge of another, until it's gone full circle. I am interested in everything from Unix to AJAX to Perl. Things like HTML, Javascript, and SQL are like English, but then again, they're basic. Where is the best place to start? What is a good path for someone who learns quickly and easily, but who is simply too overwhelmed, to take?"
There's a lot to look into, but whatever you learn, take the time to figure out what's actually happening under the hood, especially if you use RAD tools. There are two groups of people: those that know how it works underneath, and those that don't. Those that do can output much more wonderful things. Certifications are a good way to make yourself get under the hood and truly understand.
Grab a used PC, install Linux on it and play around with MySQL and PHP. It's a cheap and easy way to learn the basics and you can adapt to whatever technologies are in use when you get hired in a development shop.
There's a lot out there. You might be able to get a sample of a bit of everything, but ultimately, you should probably pick a field and stick to it. If you have wide-ranging interests, pick a place to start, and let your journey wander from there. Pick a project, learn what you need to do it, and then move on to the next. But there's simply too much out there to "learn it all"
Take a course in basic programming structure first. You need the foundation of how to properly setup the code. By that I mean declaring variables, setting up functions, properly commenting (gasp) your code so that others can follow what you've done.
Once you understand the proper structure it is much easier to branch out to the nuiances of the various languages.
Studying IT is waay too general.
Here's a question you might first want to answer: do you want to be a specialist or a generalist? to be a generalist, you probably want to be a specialist at one field, security, database, web design, web programming..etc. The fact of the matter is that there is so much out there, that you have to be a bit disciplines to really get anywhere. Or you can find an IT job doing support or so, then on the side start learning the underpinnings of a certain vertical market. Perl + Unix + C would be very good fundamentals to look at. IT is not a field like medicine, it's hard to draw a path, since there's so much to know and so many options. I would consult with someone who is an IT pro and possibly follow his/her footsteps. But yes it's a challening feat to 'master'.
Insinct is stronger than Upbringing - Irish Proverb
You have a whole list of tools. What you need to learn are design skills, how to abstract, how to put together a piece of software. What quality is, and how to go about getting there. As was mentioned, learn how to put together a good UI.
Yes, you have to learn tools. But be aware that there is more to it than that, that your ultimate success of failure will depend on your vision, not the facility with which you use your tools.
I am reminded of the amusement of a master carpenter when confronted by an apprentice with a shiny new box of tools. You will, at some point, learn how to use a hammer. But knowing how to use a hammer does not teach you how to build a house.
Floating face-down in a river of regret...and thoughts of you...
Well my point was not to get overwhelmed. Just start where you can. You end up going around the hermeneutical circle several times anyway.
I agree that in IT there is nothing to fear but fear itself. So be technologically independent, get your hands dirty, get the hard stuff out of the way first then enjoy the ride back down, set yourself up an Apache server or install Gentoo. Compile "Hello World" with GCC. Try to use Emacs or Vi.
While graphical IDEs are all well and good, if you can put up with the command line, text-only way of doing things then you are a bit more future proof, know a bit more how it works and are ready when the brown stuff hits the fan.
My little Linux and tech blog
OK, for practical advice, learn 1) an object-oriented language like Java, C# or C++. Nowadays, even PHP is OO, if you want it to be. But with Java, you can't even write "Hello World" without acquainting yourself with classes and objects.
Learn relational databases, including normalization. You would not believe how far ahead this will get you.
Dark Reflection
Don't just read about stuff. Do stuff.
Find a pet project, find someone with a pet project, volunteer to help a friend or community organization set up a website. It has to be something you're interested in doing or you'll avoid it and not enjoy it. Pick a target and shoot for it, O'Reilly and Google at your side.
The only way to really learn anything is to do it. I read a bazillion books about DNS/Bind but none of it sank in until I had to set it up myself. Same with SQL, Perl, Python, Template Toolkit, C++, etc.
It's annoying, it's painful, it's frustrating, but the only way to really learn anything is to get in there and get your hands dirty.
If you want to learn how to skate, take a tennis ball and chase it around a parking lot while having skates strapped to your feet. Don't spend more than a few minutes trying to consciously learn how to stand, roll forward, brake, or fall. Chase the ball. Do something OTHER than learn how to skate, but do something that requires skating. Your medulla oblongata will do the job far faster if it's allowed to do it without micromanagement from your conscious mind.
Same goes for programming. You won't learn how recursion works by typing in a fibonacci example. You'll learn how recursion works when you want to make a gallery thingy and find yourself needing to catalogue all *.jpg files below a certain directory. You won't learn how object oriented programming works by re-reading the wikipedia article on polymorphism, you'll learn more valuable lessons when you decide it's insane to be writing almost identical code in so many places and realize that's what a parent class is for.
Solve YOUR problems, not the book's, and you will develop a passion for problem solving. Almost all of the "programmers" out there who succeed have one thing in common: they wanted something implemented so they got it working on their own.
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Knowing what to focus on can be taken as a research problem. Before actually trying to learn how to go about using the individual technologies, you need to research what each one is, why it is important, and how it will fit in with other technologies you would like to learn.
In some cases, the answer may be to learn a little about each technology progressively. Learn a little HTML, then some Javascript, then more HTML, then more javascript, more HTML, the DOM, XML, ...
When technologies are interrelated you sometimes need to learn a little about all of them before you can really start to master any of them.
Or just start trying to learn the most about what you're most interested, and when you discover another technology is involved -- start learning a little about that other technology too.
Personally, nowadays I'm giving people PHP as their first language. Well, first PROGRAMMING language. HTML is fairly easy and simple to understand, so giving them basic assignments of doing text output (like number generators for example) in PHP is a nice begining.
Part of the reason I prefer to give people PHP, is because quite a few web servers support it now. Another reason, is because you don't need a compiler. The next would be the simplicity of string manipulation. And from there, you can get people into basic file handling and other things of that nature which will carry over nicely to other languages.
I went to college for psychology and criminal justice. Since I was paying my own way, I went around looking for jobs. I tinkered in PCs before and was willing to learn anything, so I applied for and got accepted to a job with our ResNet (Residence Hall Network) department. All I knew at that point was installing Windows, some network stuff, and other odds and ends with computers.
We had a small team, probably 14 students in total and had a non-techie but very nice and open supervisor. We were given specific areas to work in given our strengths but there was absolutely no problem with teaming up to learn something new.
When one of the students left, leaving a half-finished VB project, I decided to try and tackle it. Working closely with my friend Sean, we worked out what was done and what needed to be done. Any resources I needed were supplied by other staff members or my gracious supervisor. In the end, I learned a whole new programming language (albeit, not the one that many Slashdot geeks are friends with). I worked with our web dev guy to try and learn PHP and Perl (I failed miserably) and worked with another guy to learn about imaging. I talked with the university's network admin about how routing worked, Novell stuff, whatever.
In the end I picked up so much that I decided to pursue a career in IT. Now I am a helpdesk manager, I love my job, and I try and emulate my old supervisor as much as possible. I learn a lot from my students (my latest challenge is ASP) and I try and teach them what I know in return.
Just like the OSS community I feel bound to take what I've been given and pass it on to others. I'm not certain what your particular situation is, but I think surrounding yourself with people who know the technology, languages, or protocols goes a long way to staking out your own learning experince.
Don't be afraid to hit the local library either. They usually have the latest books (for some reason the latest PHP/MySQL book is always available!) Ask a lot of questions, and don't be afraid to set up a sandbox and just play. Last bit of advice: Don't get frustrated. I can recall many times when I was against a wall with some weird configuration problem or what have you only to find the solution after using Google or taking a walk.
Good luck!
"This food is problematic."
To keep from being overwhelmed, start with an idea you have for something that you have a passion for. Think of some idea and lay it out on paper (or visio). I wanted to mess around with Python and we recently had a baby, so I wrote an "I/O" and sleep tracking system for our infant daughter in Python.
.NET, Ruby... Pick one and stick with it.
For the most part, all the high-level languages are the same. There are differences and strengths, but at the point you're at most of these would be lost on you anyway. You already know Javascript, so pick another language -- and try to build your project in it. PERL, Python,
About 5 years ago I wrote a project for my brother so I could sink my teeth into PHP/MySQL. It's turned into a product we now sell and make (a small amount of) money on each year. The hardest part for me is sticking to the project with no real client to be beholden to -- hence MY need to build something I really want to make, not some example out of a textbook.
When I decide it's time to learn something new, I generally see what is "up and coming" and learn that so by the time I'm fluent, I'm much more marketable. Right now, Ruby looks like a pretty decent choice.
Good luck!
Look. Start by learning a procedural language, and then learn the 5 structure diagrams. Then proceed from there to non-procedural languages.
Finally, learn Assembler. Yes, Assembler. It will teach you how things work. NOW you can learn ANY programming.
Next a course in Data Structures is good. Follow up with a course in database management. Especially if you can get a good one that teaches Network DBMS structure, not just Relational.
Operating systems are LAST, and only if you want to be systems programmer.
My suggestion is that (and in this order):
Now you should have a solid good base to learn just about anything. I would stay away from IDE's as much as possible and try to learn by hand, it is sort of doing division long hand before using the calculator.
Be aware that most technolgies like LAMP, AJAX, DHTML, etc are just applications and combinations of technologies that will be super easy to undertsand if you have a good grounding in the basics.
D.O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V.M.
Learn Python. Seriously.
First, it doesn't pay to learn programming languages. Programming languages change or are replaced by the next new thing. Who knows what programmers will using in 5-10 years.
If you want to program, learn how to write algorithms. Once you learn how to write algorithms, you can write in any programming language, even if you have never been trained in it.
That was the first thing I learned in the programming section of my IT degree. We didn't touch a programming environment until halfway through the semester, and by that point, we could write the algorithm for a PB&J sandwich in pseudocode.
When you can write algorithms, you can become language portable. If you have a job that requires C#, you can use a desk reference and the help system to implement your code. If your next job requires Delphi, you won't need to completely retrain yourself.
Finally, give yourself projects. I learned how to develop databases by giving myself personal projects in that field, taking advantage of the MSDNAA to get SQL Server 2000 and Microsoft Access. With a simple SQL refresher, I would feel comfortable sitting down and hand coding a simple DB in Oracle, DB2, or MSSQL (not taking into account differences in each SQL implementation).
My Sysadmin Blog
1. Discrete Mathematics (recommended textbook: Discrete Mathematics by Kenneth A. Ross and Charles R. Wright)
2. Finite Automata and Computability (recommended textbook: Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation by John E. Hopcroft, Rajeev Motwani and Jeffrey D. Ullman)
Technologists who understand the fundamental theory can generally write more elegant, more efficient computer programs than pseudo-technologists who are ignorant of the science in computer science.
Once you have trained your mind on the fundamental theory, you will discover that most information technologies are quite simplistic.
Finally, one often overlooked subject is English. Learn to write and speak well in English. It is the fundamental mode of communication in the world of advanced science and technology. You may have great ideas, but if you cannot them to your English-speaking peers, then you are no better than a pseudo-technologist.
Yes, you need to learn actual, practical things about the operating systems, DBs, and languages you'll be trading on. But the thing that too many would-be IT people seem to miss is that very few IT careers thrive without some context in the wider world. The programmers, even the server jockeys, that bring some "vertical" awareness to what they're doing, are way more valuable, and their employers are more willing to look past the lack of some particular new skill (and pay to have you go learn it).
Why? Because experience and an interest in what the organization is actually doing (and which the IT people are there to support) is harder to come by than someone who can remember some bit of API syntax or or write a select statement with a 5-way join right on the first try. Be well rounded in IT, sure, but also take time to understand where money comes from. Why projects fail. How Sarbanes-Oxley impacts database backups. What HIPAA is.
If you're going to expect an IT paycheck, get hip to what it is that generates the demand for what IT does, and what it means to be worth the money. That sounds rather vague, but if you follow the other advice you're seeing here (about how to get acquainted with various languages, coding structures, etc) you're only partway into a successful scenario. You'll be far more likely to be paid to learn the interesting new things that come along if the organization you're working for sees that you're interested in the bigger picture.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
The last sentence, " You may have great ideas, but if you cannot them to your English-speaking peers, then you are no better than a pseudo-technologist. ", should read, "You may have great ideas, but if you cannot explain them to your English-speaking peers, then you are no better than a pseudo-technologist."
I know it might sound a little strange but if you can develop mainframe skills in 5 years you will be worth your weight in gold. So many of the current people that are mainframe system programmers will be retired by then and there are not many people learning the skills to fill their places. The one problem is it is hard to learn the skills because you can't just play around with the latest versions of mainframe software on your PC like you can with most windows and unix tools and applications. IBM has a lot of information and free learning modules on their site and several schools are starting programs to teach these skills to fill the knowledge gap. Plus you can learn how to run linux on a mainframe too so that you don't feel totally in the dark ages :)
And also get a good book about LISP and learn it. Almost every language out there is placed somewhere between C and LISP.
You can draw a line like C____C++_Java____Python___Ruby_Lisp
I suggest Common Lisp an Interactive Approach.
We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
The general progression for a CS student(with some variation) is: Basic Programming -> Data Structures -> intermediate topics: declarative programming, software engineering, assembly -> more specialized stuff: compilers, concurrency, AI.
I'd suggest that this is a good path.
I'd also suggest you avoid php like the plague. It is a language that does not encourage good programming practice among novices. Also, it is terribly designed: you should see the best that IT has to offer, rather than the worst.
This is very much my situation. I just finished a Computer Science AP class at my Hich School, and know Java quite well, as well as c++, which I suppose isnt too bad for a high schooler. My suggestion: find someone you know, a teacher or an older friend, who knows something, then learn everything you can from him. I had a great Computer Science teacher in High School. Though it was just a Java class, I also got my feet wet with c++, css, html, bash, and loads of other stuff. The trick to learning something is to use it. You WILL NOT learn c++ without writing a large-ish program in c++, config your enviornment, read books, and get everything running. The same applies to every other language.
Youo want to generalize yourself, so my strategy is to learn one language that you like pretty well (java would be a good choice), and at the same time, poke around in python and c++. That way, you can learn advanced programming ideas and dont have to worrb about the language, and learn fun programs. Have some fun and experiment: Write a network program - you learn a lot about networks. Get your program working on linux - learn about portability and the linux shell. Write a good game engine - learn how to use enginges. The key is to just jump in.
This is all applying to learning oo languages, but it applies to everything.
And there are computer curicula that do the same thing. And one possible strategy is to work your way through such a curiculum. But most computer geeks would rather work on their own, and they'd rather study technology they see being used, not what some textbook says are "basics". That's actually the way I learned.
And if you take that approach, you will constantly run into references to technology you know nothing about. So deal with it. It isn't a mortal sin to skim over the parts you don't understand well. So you're reading that PHP manual and it starts talking about SQL. That doesn't mean you have to drop PHP and start studying SQL. It probably means that SQL is something that you'll have to learn eventually. But for now, the thing to do is just skim the SQL parts and get a vague sense of what it is and how it relates to PHP. Maybe take a little time to Google or Wikipedia SQL — but don't lose your focus on PHP.
Of course, sometimes you will discover a new topc that's a prerequesite for stuff you don't understand. (Every programmer know aboutbinary encodings and two's complements.) But mostly not. I've been working with computers longer than most Slashdotters have been alive — and I still encounter places where the subject I'm trying to study seems to intersect subject I know little or nothing about.
Discrete Mathematics (recommended textbook: Discrete Mathematics [amazon.com] by Kenneth A. Ross and Charles R. Wright)
You ought to write a review at Amazon.com since the others there gave it an average of two stars.
Get a formal education in software engineering. It doesn't matter how or where you get it, but the fundamental principles you learn will make learning new technologies and languages easy.
There is another angle that you can take in looking at this question: what does your job require you to know? Or perhaps, what do you need to know in order to qualify for a particular position?
I've been in the IT industry for a long time, including as a consultant and I've seen companies of various sizes. I'll never forget one huge financial services firm, which of course had a correspondingly huge IT department (on the order of 1,000 people), had a guy who was in charge of DNS. That's it. This guy probably got paid 6 figures just to manage their DNS. I'm not saying DNS isn't important, but I can't believe it took up 40 hours of work a week. Anyway, that was just an example of one extreme. On the other hand, you could work for a small company that has lots of IT demands like I do, and they need me to know stuff ranging from managing the computers/network/security to the PBX and phone lines.
So if you're not currently employed in IT, do a little research. Find out what kind of company you'd like to work for, and what they want in an IT guy.
PS> If you're in England or at least get Channel 4, check out the IT crowd. It's a pretty funny sitcom on life in IT. If not, you can find episodes on the show's website or on YouTube.
Whoever Has the Most Toys Wins!
I don't truly believe it matters what you wish to learn first. Pick one and learn it, and all the rest will be easier. Much like learning a spoken language, once you know a few it gets to be easier to learn new ones. The analogy is true even to families of languages. Iterative languages tend to have common features that are distinct from recursive languages. Web based languages tend to ignore whole facets that form the bulk of some other languages.
The one thing I do believe strongly is that once you learn a few of the programming languages, you take the time to learn structured programming and design. You don't truly realize how important it is until you learn it and then have to go back and try to maintain code written by some guy who taught himself Visual Basic and thinks he's uber programmer because of it.
Seriously. The code you make after you learn structured programming and design will take about half to a quarter of the effort to maintain. The only problem is that you sort of have to learn to do code in the first place before it'll make any sense.
Unbreakable toys can be used to break other toys.
Consider "real" engineering (mechanical, civil, even electrical). Many old-timers in these professions are retiring/have retired. Based on input from my discussion group, there are not enough people getting into this field to replace the out-goers.
With the current generation's "pre-installed" computer knowledge, we need more people to get into the traditional engineering disciplines. It's hard and you might not be in an office every day, but this is going to be a booming area soon.
If you have highly-developed computer/programming skills already, all the better.
The book by Ross and Wright is quite good.
The mediocre reviews at Amazon are likely at anomaly.
What you're trying to do is somewhat akin to trying to understand paragraphs before you know how to construct a sentence or before you have an adequate vocabulary. An intro to CS class will provide the grammar and basic concepts that you can then apply to all these high level things.
I'm sure some anti-school posters will tell you just the opposite, but you should remember that schools are only as good as the teachers and your willingness to learn. CS classes developed to provide structure to what seemed, even in the 80s, like a vast quantity of unregulated knowledge. A year of classes at your local community college may provide more help than three years of wading through newsgroup postings and online tutorials you don't entirely understand.
That's pretty much the worst (and really elitist) advice I've seen regarding what to start with in IT!
If the questioner can't even decide on what technology to learn (not knowing the dependences of AJAX on Javascript on HTML, etc) recommending a Discrete Mathematics book is a complete waste of time. That's telling someone to learn how to drive a car by researching SMELTING. You are assuming they will ever make good use of such high level concepts (as far as American college students are concerned) which is a very small % of the population...even IF they are interested in learning IT.
Often wrong but never in doubt.
I am Jack9.
Everyone knows me.
Those are good subjects to learn. There are also many hundreds of other important subjects to learn, so choose carefully. I disagree that theoreticians write the most elegant, efficient code, but there's no point arguing this point here for the zillionth time. Knowing more is better than knowing less, so in addition to the many other things you will need to learn to write good code (the most important of which is the domain in which the code operates, which usually has nothing to do with computer science), you may as well learn discrete math and automata theory, among a dozen or so other core topics in computer science and numerous important topics outside the field.
The advice about English is also important (although it probably wasn't a good idea to lead into that point by misusing the word "simplistic"). If you can write a coherent, accurate paragraph on anything remotely complex, then people with money will fund your projects, and not those of the 90% of your colleagues who are borderline illiterate. (This is not specific to computer science.)
The full diagram wasn't shown. If you were to pull a bit more out, there would be a circle enclosing all it, with a line pointing to Perl.
Also, write at least one non-trivial assembly program. You may never use it ever again for anything real, but it will change forever the way you approach programming.
I think it's a good idea to start by focusing on one area and then branching out. Once you have a good understanding of one area you can safely move on to other areas of computing to help you understand how this works.
If you want to become a good programmer I would suggest doing something like this:
Start with C.
A) Write a program to open a file and display it to your screen.
B) Expand that to make a copy of the file backwards.
C) Make a new program that gets 2 numbers from a file (A and B) and prints A + B.
Move on to C++ I would read Ivan Horton's beginning C++
A) Start with a program that opens a file, reads a list of numbers, and sorts them.
B) Extend that so you can work with 10+GB files quickly. (This would be a good time to pick up a book on computer algorithms and learn how your operating system handles memory.)
Learn enough ASM to replace 2 functions in the above project with ASM
I would stick with java for a while.
A) All the above projects
B) A simple web server.
C) Extend the web server so it returns the contents of a small Database.
Learn enough LISP and Pearl to parse a java file and find all the variable names for each function.
At this point you should pick complex project you want to work on and using the best language for that task get it to work.
PS: Have fun.
Good suggestion! I would supplement it with the following as well:
1. Episodic Learner Model/An online Lisp tutorial
2. Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation
3. How to Design Programs
4. Practical Common Lisp
5a. The book - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
5b. The movies - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
6. Loving Lisp - the Savvy Programmer's Secret Weapon
7. Common Lisp the Language, 2nd Edition
8. On Lisp
9. common lisp: a web application tutorial for beginners
10. JavaScript: The World's Most Misunderstood Programming Language
11. Free JavaScript Learning Center
12. JavaScript for Scared People
13. JavaScript Closures
14. Why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby
= 9J =
It is IMHO a bad idea to learn C directly before C++. Good style C programs are usually bad style C++ programs, so you'll have to "unlearn" a lot of habits from C. OTOH, when learning C++ first, then it will be easier to go to C, because the compiler will usually complain if you use C++-typical idioms.
If you insist on learning C first, it's probably a good idea to learn Java before C++, because that way I think it's easier to get into OO habits.
It may even be a good idea to have some LISP experience before going to C++, because some advanced template techniques are basically functional style (I guess that's why many people shy away from those).
BTW, I guess you meant Perl, not Pearl.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
Here's my tip. Ignore anyone that suggests that you learn assembly.
It's like telling an architect that he needs to learn how to make bricks to be a good architect.
You can learn only so much in a given period of time. Don't waste it on something you can't use. I understand assembly, and it is at times a comforting feeling, but in all honesty I belive the time I spent learning assembly would have been better spent learning design patterns.
The Internet is full. Go Away!!!
It may even be a good idea to have some LISP experience before going to C++, because some advanced template techniques are basically functional style (I guess that's why many people shy away from those).
Naw, it's because C++'s template syntax is crufty and stupid, and the error messages are totally opaque.
I'd say Java (or C# - same thing, really, except C#'s libraries suck more), C++, Lisp, C++.
I got my Linux laptop at System76.
>It's like telling an architect that he needs to learn how to make bricks to be a good architect.
No, it's suggesting that you have to know how strong bricks are to build a building that won't collapse. And the Dean of the school of architecture where I went to school was there because a building he designed collapsed.
Anyone that suggests that you DON't need assembler is fooling themselves.
Just tired but after 35+ years programming.. Forget the languages, easy. Try to get some idea what ( and how ) you want to do. Yes - different languages have different schematics - and that's all. The language really isn't the the problem, how and what is (IMHO ). Maybe it is just me but I see no difference in any dialect ( a language term ) except one is more suitable for the task in hand than some other. You can do all you want in 'C' or in COBOL or Python or FORTRAN or DELPHI or C# or REXX or TK/TCL or plain old assembler or ... ( and even in VB. ) Actually a memory address calculation in COBOL is easier than decimal arithmetic in 'C' ( think financial applications, money! ) or that FORTRAN compiler generates much more efficient code for cluster / parallel systems than any other or that LISP is a perfect solution when you need a flexible system that can bootstrap itself - so, it really depends what you want, how fast, and .. - now the problem today is if it can be supported, not too many people know APL, TAL, BAL, Prolog, ... ask about SNOBOL, RGP or if you go to modeling, how about SIMULA ( OO anybody ? ) So - SQL is easy if you know relational algebra, HTML is just a presentation, Javascript is ???, and so on. Unfortunately ( IMHO ) most coding has gone how to use API, not how to solve a problem. Once you learn how to solve a problem the language really can be whatever you select or in worst case whatever you are required to use. So have fun - I have had ( and still do! most of the time.. ) But don't forget - coding is like a data entry or a ghost writer job - someone else tells you what to do. Maybe not what you want in future. Nothing against the very skilled people doing those jobs ( under rated IMHO ) but not for me, hown about you ?
yeah, buy a mac. Good idea unix without any pain whatsoever. Just make sure terminal is in your dock and opened at startup. However, by going the unix route you will learn the basics of how to do scaleable IT. Get a good $EDITOR and learn how to use it. For the next 5 years or so you will meet political resistance from windows zealots. use cygwin and explain to management how a real unix environment would be much easier to cope with. Make yourself more valueable than the SharePoint jockeys in less time with fewer resources. Tolerate javascript, (barely) tolerate IE (and try to deprecate its use). Deploy everything over the web unless you make a can make business case for console only. Jifty and Catalyst. Give people with problems rescue cds. ...
"...we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that." B.Spears 2003
Add Standard ML to the list. Everyone should know about functional programming with variant datatypes.
It also has a good book on compilers, another topic any serious CS guy should know about (Andrew Appel's Modern Compiler Implementation in ML; avoid the Java one, it only shows how to get the ML stuff done in Java with three times the code).
Alternatively some people prefer Haskell, which grows more and more popular, and arguably has a nicer syntax.
Actually you are dead right on this. I find it is better to be a generalist (you normally earn more for a start) than a specialist because you have the ability to actually think outside the square. In my job if there is a need to learn a specific language I just learn it (may take a week or two) since as far as I am concerned most Programming languages are similar.
Basically from a programming perspective I would not be as good as a specialist, however I don't normally program for a living and actually design at a much higher level so I normally tell programmers what is required.
Not sure about the Mac. I find Linux with some good stats packages work for me and If you want a serious document preparation package use LaTeX (it's free and surprisingly easy to use).
There ain't no such thing as proprietary standards only proprietary formats. Standards are by definition open.
I think the only good programmers, and the only programmers I like to work with, are those who are passionate about programming. The people who see it as a job, or a way to get money, are not the kind of people that I enjoy working with. Most of the time they know less, because programming is work, so they don't do as much on their spare time, and didn't spend every spare second in high school (where there are the most spare seconds, and your brain is a sponge) learning about computers. Sports professionals are the same way. You don't get to the NBA by cheating through 4 years of college, and lying on a resume. You get to the NBA by practising every day of your life from the time you are 5, and knowing that this is what you really want to do with your life.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
What I was saying is tat being an expert doesn't pay up because technology change really often. How long before any serious project will be changed to Java (or even .Net)? If you work for that company, and you're the C expert and don't know anything about java, what of your job? How long Ajax will be the new hype? What will we do if the experts don't want to learn any other thing because they are too old? How many experts and specialist already don't want to learn something different? And btw, I've met a lot of those guys that were working in dark closet because they did not want to "spoil their brain" and learn .net...
Generalist is not about knowing _everything_. Generalists should not be whining about learning new things. They should be interested in everything, and particularly at solving problems using new and revolutionnary ways. They are the real kind of hackers. Hell, that's how civilization advances at all.
Of Code And Men
There may be a better case for learning assembly as a first language than there is for learning any other language first if you are going to pursue a career in programming.
There's no other single place where you encounter all the fundmentals of programming and machine architecture in order to write the simplest program.
I've forgotten the syntax of assembly years ago and couldn't write anything in it today. Yet, I think it was the most valuable single course I ever took.
In fact, if you take a course in assembly and wind up hating it, you might question whether you ought to be a professional programmer all. Consider network administration.
Excellent point and I agree wholeheartedly. I think assembly should be taught earlier then students would not have such a huge problem understanding pointers in C. Also when one moves onto learning OS's understanding registers, stack allocation and interupts is very helpful and makes concepts much clearer. Plus if you can write clean organized code in assembly then doing the same in high level languages should be trivial.
"If you are going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill