Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ask Slashdot: Programming Education Resources For a Year Offline?

Posted by timothy on from the maybe-a-local-phrasebook dept.

An anonymous reader writes "I will be traveling to a remote Himalayan village for year and won't have access to the internet. What offline resources would you all recommend to help me continue to develop my coding skills? I think this would be a good time to get better at fundamentals, since I won't be able to learn any new frameworks or APIs. What about other, non-programming skills to practice and learn? Any ideas?" What would you bring?

11 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. Obvious guy says by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Do you necessarily have to work on your coding skills? What about enjoying the ride and soaking up the scene?

    1. Re:Obvious guy says by plover · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Came here to say exactly this. Focus on your adventure. Coding will be here when you get back.

      --
      John
    2. Re:Obvious guy says by roc97007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do you necessarily have to work on your coding skills? What about enjoying the ride and soaking up the scene?

      I was going to say the same thing. Concentrate on being a better person, rather than a better programmer. Travel broadens the mind. Let it do so.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    3. Re:Obvious guy says by umdesch4 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I came here to say this. People commenting here don't seem to have the experience to back it up. I spent a year in a beautiful place where the climate and culture were a 180 from where I'd spent most of the rest of my life up to that point, and hardly anybody spoke a word of English. It was an awesome adventure, but I still had a whole heap of Cisco training materials on a laptop, and managed to write my CCNA exam when I came back. I had enough downtime over the course of the year, and sometimes I just wanted use the time to learn something radically different from my current surroundings, and more related to my former life. It helped me stay sane when I started to feel like a stranger in a strange land, and it made me remember that I'm not an idiot. When you spend a year trying to function in a place where you don't speak the language too well (especially at first), you can start to feel like you've lost too many brain cells. As for what to bring, that's hard to say, but I'd recommend something that's formatted as a course with study guides and practice tests, just because then you can gauge how well you're absorbing the material without needing to be online to confirm it.

    4. Re:Obvious guy says by CODiNE · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Lived in the third world a few years. A long term project will protect your sanity and prevent home sickness.

      Ex-pats tend to fill their evenings with either pirate movies or drinking. I had lots of friends and plenty of personal growth experiences, but boredom can be a real problem in the downtime.

      Having a bucket list of things you've wanted to do is a great idea.

      --
      Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
  2. Donald Knuth by lophophore · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Art of Computer Programming. Two volumes ought to be enough.

    --
    there are 3 kinds of people:
    * those who can count
    * those who can't
    1. Re:Donald Knuth by lgw · · Score: 4, Interesting

      They're kind of a dull read. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs and some version of Scheme will be interesting, challenging, and informative.'

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
  3. Do math instead by bangular · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Do math instead. Abstract algebra, Discrete math, many other topics in that vein. You'll come out a better programmer.

  4. Electricity can be erratic by CRCulver · · Score: 5, Informative

    Are you going to Nepal, by any chance? The country has load shedding, in the winter you may have electricity only for two non-contiguous 5-hour blocks a day in big cities like Pokhara or Kathmandu, and it can be even worse elsewhere. Sometimes that time when electricity is available is the middle of the night. My advice would be to focus on hobbies that don't require a stable electric connection. Get a Kindle or similar ebook reader with backlight (battery lasts for weeks) and pirate a tonne of ebooks to broaden your mind. Focus on learning the local language (you can easily find textbooks for the major languages of the area like Nepali when you get there).

  5. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  6. Re:Going to the Himalayas and you need what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm going to be working in high tech in Miami for the next year. What activities would you suggest to continue developing my ice climbing skills?