Joining the Club

[Dreamweavernoob]

Okay, so I got my offers from Uni's today. Got a nice law offer etc but a real nail in the bag was a prestigious computer gaming/programming course. Was a real shocker as I only put it in for a laugh.

Anyway, regardless of whether I go for it or not, I wish to start learning. I've been surfing the net like a fool for a few years, but wish to start actually getting some skills under my belt.

I have a fair bit of work before my exams which I should have started doing last year, so will be limited ish on time, but will have 3+ months in the summer to get up to scratch (and learn how to play guitar as well xd).

I have access to:

The complete Adobe CS3 collection
Loads of autodesk programs (autocad, 3dsmax etc)

Now, i'll be quite blunt. They are all paid for my fathers use, so I dont think there is anyharm in me using them for non profitable reasons.


I also have acess to:





So:

What do you think I should start learning? I think I could if given the right direction (eg follow this route so you end up with this goal) dedicate an hour a day (maybe more if I get really hooked into it).


My hardware is:

a few 24" screens, GTX 295, quad core, 4gb ram (can get another 4gb), multiple 1tb hard drives.


cheers

[Sazar]

Learn C first I would say. Visual Studio is a must as a suite.

[Bman212121]

Personally I liked VB .Net much better than C. Using Visual Studio it is easier to code with. VB has a lot of functions built in so you don't need to get creative trying to make your own. Straight C is okay, but if you try to do C++ you'll want to rip your hair out.

[Sazar]

Visual C++ is a hell of a lot easier than straight C or C++ though, much like Visual Basic and so forth. Basic is pretty easy to manipulate (when I was working with access basic WAAAAAY back in the day, pre-college).

If you plan to branch out and do some database work eventually, SQL will also serve you well Very easy to use/manipulate.

[Dreamweavernoob]

*Whoosh of knowledge going over ones head*

So I should start out with Visual Studio 2008 professional?

Is this software sort of like dreamweaver. Not obviously in the same content package, but rather in that you just DO rather than learn, or do you have to pick up a language as you go along? (preferred).


cheers

[Zhivago]

Visual Studio is an IDE (an environment to develop software in), and while it may have some limited wizards, you still need to know what you are doing.

What you need is a book. So the first step is to decide what language(s) you want to work in (C, C++, C#, Java would all be reasonable choices), then find a recommended book list for that language, go to your local library/bookstore, and get reading.

[Sazar]

Soooo, what background DO you have in programming, software development, anything IT related? And what exactly are you trying to achieve?

Keep in mind that things may not be as glorified as you think they may be and they are certainly not as easy either. However, there appears to be a growing demand for IT professionals again.

At this point it seems I've probably forgotten more than you've ever learnt

[Bman212121]

Originally Posted by Sazar

Visual C++ is a hell of a lot easier than straight C or C++ though, much like Visual Basic and so forth. Basic is pretty easy to manipulate (when I was working with access basic WAAAAAY back in the day, pre-college).

If you plan to branch out and do some database work eventually, SQL will also serve you well Very easy to use/manipulate.

Can't say as I've tried Visual C++. I would have loved to do that over C++.

[ViN86]

Learn C and C++ first. Then if you want to move into the MS Visual Studio software, move to C#. I think you will find that C# is very fast and is a C derivative, so it is quite easy. I don't like VB, personally. C# is awesome, though.

[jcrox]

I would recommend looking around the area where you live (or want to live) at what jobs are available. Visual C++, Visual Studio... all that stuff is great... Unless of course you live in an area like I do where most shops are Java based and then it ends up being a complete waste of time and money.

Another thing you can do: go to the web sites of universities or tech colleges. Many have a list of programs they offer and then list all the classes that you would take to get a degree in that program. Some even have on-line book stores and tell you the book you would use for the specified classes.

[Zhivago]

Originally Posted by ViN86

Learn C and C++ first. Then if you want to move into the MS Visual Studio software, move to C#. I think you will find that C# is very fast and is a C derivative, so it is quite easy. I don't like VB, personally. C# is awesome, though.

It is generally *not* recommended to learn C followed by C++ due to the different programming paradigms (multi-paradigm vs imperative). If you wish to study C++, then get Accelerated C++ (book) and get reading. You will become familiar with C's stdlib over time.

Originally Posted by Bman212121

Can't say as I've tried Visual C++. I would have loved to do that over C++.

You appear to be confused. Visual C++ can either refer to a C++ implementation (Microsoft's) or an IDE. Maybe what you meant to say is that you have used some C++ implementation such as GCC, and would like to try one of Microsoft's instead.

[ViN86]

Originally Posted by Zhivago

It is generally *not* recommended to learn C followed by C++ due to the different programming paradigms (multi-paradigm vs imperative). If you wish to study C++, then get Accelerated C++ (book) and get reading. You will become familiar with C's stdlib over time.



You appear to be confused. Visual C++ can either refer to a C++ implementation (Microsoft's) or an IDE. Maybe what you meant to say is that you have used some C++ implementation such as GCC, and would like to try one of Microsoft's instead.

that being said, i do not know C++, i only know C and C#.