Posted: 10/27/2012 3:23:04 AM EDT
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I am getting to a point in my degree that I need to take programming. I have very little experience (if you even want to call it that) of programming. I have done the "hello world" in java and for awhile there I was using a python tutorial and doing those programs. My choices are Java or C++ and from what I hear C++ has more of a learning curve than Java. The only issue I have is that Java 1 is offered in the spring, summer, fall and Java 2 is ONLY offered in the spring. I obviously can't start with Java 2. I can take C++ 1 or 2 any semester. Then there is the other issue I run into when I transfer over to a 4 year, I HAVE to have a Java class.
So I can take Java in the spring, then I would have to wait another year in order to finish my A.S. (Spring 2013) to transfer and take no extra classes. I still have 5 classes to finish though (physical science, business calc, discrete math, and 2 programming classes). Or I can take C++ now and finish my A.S. by the end of this next year (Fall 2013). Then I will have to take the Java class at the university. Or since I have basically no experience in programming, should I take the "programming essentials" class? I'm guessing it gives you the basic foundation for programming. I don't want to get in over my head in Java or C++. |
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If possible, I'd try to stick with Java. I'm not sure on the programming essentials, I would think you could get some of that online or via books if you can learn things that way. It'll be a lot more than Hello World, but I would say it should be easier for you to work with Java at your level than C++, less gotchas probably.
Not sure how the math works out to spread your 5 needed classes, but that's my 2 cents |
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If possible, I'd try to stick with Java. I'm not sure on the programming essentials, I would think you could get some of that online or via books if you can learn things that way. It'll be a lot more than Hello World, but I would say it should be easier for you to work with Java at your level than C++, less gotchas probably. Not sure how the math works out to spread your 5 needed classes, but that's my 2 cents Impersonally think java is considerably more complex for a beginner, but either really should be fine. |
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If possible, I'd try to stick with Java. I'm not sure on the programming essentials, I would think you could get some of that online or via books if you can learn things that way. It'll be a lot more than Hello World, but I would say it should be easier for you to work with Java at your level than C++, less gotchas probably. Not sure how the math works out to spread your 5 needed classes, but that's my 2 cents If I go the Java route I would take Java 1 and Bus Calc spring semester, then take either my last math or my phy sci in the summer and would maybe skip the fall and take my last two classes in the spring next year. As of right now I have Java 1 and Bus Calc selected for Spring, I just want to make sure I am making the right choices. They have an online class for Java but I think this is one I want to take in person, easier to catch on with an instructor right there. |
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Honestly? Coding is coding. Once you understand it, the language doesn't matter. Pick whichever works best for your degree path. I agree. I learned java in school and taught myself c++ and others. Once you know how to program, the language is secondary. |
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Honestly? Coding is coding. Once you understand it, the language doesn't matter. Pick whichever works best for your degree path. See that I don't know, I have to take an extra class once I get to the 4 year if I take C++ now. Or I have to wait one more semester to get my A.S. to transfer, so I would grad in (spring 2014). |
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Honestly? Coding is coding. Once you understand it, the language doesn't matter. Pick whichever works best for your degree path. I agree. I learned java in school and taught myself c++ and others. Once you know how to program, the language is secondary. Did you know any coding before hand? |
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I took java in undergrad and it was pretty easy. I highly recommend taking at least one class like this, especially if you see yourself using calculators in the future. It's definitely giving me an edge in matlab. What experience did you have before hand? |
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Honestly? Coding is coding. Once you understand it, the language doesn't matter. Pick whichever works best for your degree path. I agree. I learned java in school and taught myself c++ and others. Once you know how to program, the language is secondary. Did you know any coding before hand? Zero. I was a biology major before. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I took java in undergrad and it was pretty easy. I highly recommend taking at least one class like this, especially if you see yourself using calculators in the future. It's definitely giving me an edge in matlab. What experience did you have before hand? Absolutely none |
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Honestly? Coding is coding. Once you understand it, the language doesn't matter. Pick whichever works best for your degree path. I agree. I learned java in school and taught myself c++ and others. Once you know how to program, the language is secondary. Did you know any coding before hand? Zero. I was a biology major before. Quoted:
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I took java in undergrad and it was pretty easy. I highly recommend taking at least one class like this, especially if you see yourself using calculators in the future. It's definitely giving me an edge in matlab. What experience did you have before hand? Absolutely none Thanks guys..... makes me not sweat it as much. I'll stick with java, maybe I'll throw in some other class for fall. |
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Honestly? Coding is coding. Once you understand it, the language doesn't matter. Pick whichever works best for your degree path. I have to agree, I taught myself how to program as a kid once you have the thought process down it is really just a matter of learning the particulars of the language |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Honestly? Coding is coding. Once you understand it, the language doesn't matter. Pick whichever works best for your degree path. I agree. I learned java in school and taught myself c++ and others. Once you know how to program, the language is secondary. Did you know any coding before hand? Zero. I was a biology major before. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I took java in undergrad and it was pretty easy. I highly recommend taking at least one class like this, especially if you see yourself using calculators in the future. It's definitely giving me an edge in matlab. What experience did you have before hand? Absolutely none Thanks guys..... makes me not sweat it as much. I'll stick with java, maybe I'll throw in some other class for fall. Start here Lots of good resources. |
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Are other schools offering an equivalent Java 1 class, it would be worth the drive? If no more JCs, try local HS or some private school. Get Java 1 out of the way I am in the java 1, or soon to be. Java 2 would be my problem. I will check out the other community college. Which actually isn't any further, do its worth a shot, except I am dealing with the VA for my benefits which might get messy if you know what I mean. |
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I am taking Java as my first language right now. Over the summer I took the intro to programming course that used Visual Logic to teach the basics like variables, the different types of loops, arrays, procedures, etc. It definitely helped me grasp some of the early stuff. I just had to learn the syntax of doing it in Java.
C++ and Java are both C based languages so they have similar syntax. I was originally planning to learn C or C++ before Java but my schedule didnt work that way. Java hasn't been difficult for me to pick up. Pick your class based on logistics since you will be taking them both eventually anyway. |
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Honestly? Coding is coding. Once you understand it, the language doesn't matter. Pick whichever works best for your degree path. Normally, I wouldn't quote the same post twice but, in this case I wanted to bump this and expand on my initial point. Like any skill, coding is just grinding out a product. That said, if you want to continue coding I suggest you pick a language and stick with it. Just like a welder can get "OK" at different platforms and techniques, a coder can be "OK" in a bunch of languages (kinda like me). Mastery of one language will produce more elegant and truncated code as you learn the depths of how it's supposed to work. That doesn't really sound like a lofty goal until you have to troll through someone's 40K lines of code to find a bug when the whole thing could have been written in 12K or less. So, while being a mechanic may allow you to work on all cars, being a Mercedes mechanic allows you to understand the nuances in a very specific platform that other mechanics may miss or not even know exist. |
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Java is just brain damaged C++
I've been coding since the late 70's, and as mentioned, languages are all similar in some ways. I've either had classes in or used BASIC, C, C++, Pascal, Fortran, PROGRESS, SQL, PL SQL, Java, Python, plus machine code and some proprietary stuff when I was at FedEx. It all runs together over time. |