How to become a programmer

Clanket

Hows it going.

I love computers and would really like to be able to write programmes. To give you some background info I'm 30 and am a qualified accountant. I've a couple of questions if anyone can help.

1. Would I start by getting a degree in computer science?
2. I'm really only in a position to do it at night so am wondering does anyone know if there are night courses available. I've googled computer science night courses but am only getting very basic computer courses (ECDL etc).

I know a bit about computers but very little about the science behind them.

Am I being unrealistic expecting to be able to learn it part time?

Thanks for any help.

Clanket

Just found a computer science course in Griffith college at night.

Much appreciated if anyone can give any advice or confirm whether a computer science course is the best place to start.

scorn

Hi Clanket,

It's a difficult question to answer (as you can see, lots of people are queuing up to add to your thread )

There's no harm in doing a course - all learning betters a person, but check exactly what they will be teaching to see if it's something you'll find useful and probably more importantly, interesting.

One place you can start is at work - as an accountant I presume that you use Excel a lot (assuming you're working in a Microsoft environment). There's a great site called Ozgrid.com that will give you a good introduction into the code that you can use to write macros for Excel. It might be a good place to start...

If you start with the Excel route and need any help, feel free to PM me.

Good luck.

Clanket

Thanks for your reply Scorn. Much appreciated. I use excel all the time so will have a look over the next couple of weeks.

If you can, can you tell me if computer science is the place where most programmers start?

Or is there other similar courses that teach prgramming from the beginning?

scorn

I can only tell you from my experience - which is that I did a BsC Engineering degree many years ago which introduced me to programming, as one of it's compulsory courses was a computer science course. We also had to use programming in other courses later, but left it behind when I pursued a career in engineering.

I got back into it via a similar route that I just suggested you try - except I was using MS Access and not Excel. It was a natural progression (based on interest and self study - and moving to the UK from Zimbabwe where the weather kept me indoors a lot ) to take it further.

I do feel that in the past I have lacked some of the fundamental understanding that computer science can give you, but the advancement of programming languages these days can wrap that up so it's not critical (remember, this is just my opinion - I'm sure some die-hard programmers out there will beg to differ).

There are some job offers that ask for computer science degrees, but again in my experience they're open to people with real world experience that are also programmers.

Mmmm_Lemony

I'm currently in semester 2, year 1, of a 4 year honours degree with NCI. Every semester throughout the entire degree is heavily focused on programming and supporting subjects. There is also a higher cert available. I have been told, although not sure if I agree, that computing is for programming roles, and comp science for engineering roles.

Course Outline

As you can see, each semester has a programming/software engineering module. Any questions just ask. There is also some info in the [NCI] forum under [Edu]

Clanket

That looks perfect Lemony. Can you answer a few questions:-

1. When do the semesters run from?
2. Is NCI down near the new convention centre?
3. Did you do it as a mature student? And did you have any prior experience in programming when you started. I know a bit about computers but have zero knowledge of programming.

Also, the fees per the website are €3,780 per year. Is there any way to get these down? Bloody ridiculous that in a time when our country needs to up-skill, there's nowhere to do these courses for anything less than €3k a year at night.

Dave!

OP it might be worthwhile posting this over in the Tech > Software and Web Dev > Development forum, as there are heaps of developers there who will be able to give you information from their experience. There are several posting there that work as developers, but don't have Comp Sci degrees.

You don't need to get a CS degree in order to learn how to write code. There are tonnes of resources available online, most of which are free, which will take you from beginner onwards. I did a computer science degree, and tbh I don't feel that I learned anything from it that I couldn't have learned in my own time. It helps to have structure and guidance and goals, so in that respect it was helpful for an 18 year old who needs a kick in the arse to learn stuff. But given that you're 30, and have experience in the real world, you'll probably be able to motivate yourself.

I only graduated fairly recently, so at the moment I'm trying to get into the industry, but most of the skills I have now I have acquired in my spare time. I don't know if a degree is always required from a recruitment point of view, so that's why I say start a thread in the Development forum, they'll be able to tell you where to start (what language), any good books, etc.

Good luck!

Clanket

Will do. Thanks Dave, much appreciated.

Mmmm_Lemony

Clanket wrote: »

When do the semesters run from?

Semesters run [Sept- Dec, Jan Exams] then [Feb-April/May, Exams in May]
Tue, Thur evening 18.30-22.30, and Saturday 9.00-16.00

Clanket wrote: »

Is NCI down near the new convention centre?

Yes, its very handy to get to. I actually live and work in Leixlip, so I get the train in every evening. There is also a luas stop practically in the college.

Clanket wrote: »

Did you do it as a mature student? And did you have any prior experience in programming when you started. I know a bit about computers but have zero knowledge of programming.

I was fortunate enough that my job payed for it. I'm 30 years old. If you are unemployed you can go through social welfare as some on the course have.

Yes, I've worked as a programmer before, in VB mostly, but it was a long time (6/7yrs) before I wrote a line of code again on the course.

Dave! is right. There is a ton of information and resources online. And alot e-learning courses are specific to programming and individual programming languages.

The hardest part for most of the people on my course is getting their head around 'objects' and 'classes' which is the foundation of programming, but once it clicks, there rest makes sense. The first few steps will be difficult.

For this reason I would probably try one of these short courses before signing up for a degree, as 3k+ is a big investment. Also worth noting that the BSc in computing is not just about programming, although it does play a big part in each semester.

Shop around. DIT and trinity do similar part time courses but structured slightly differently. have a look at the syllabus and the module outlines. I chose NCI's degree because of my background in programming and knew I would be able to focus more on the other modules and get through the 4 years a little bit easier.

Agree with dave too that the development forum should put you straight on where to start. Best of luck whatever path you choose!

Clanket

Thanks Lemony. Very helpful.

I think I'm going to try learn C++ on my own and see how I get on. I'll use the net for a while and do this course when he runs it again.

I'll have a good idea if it's for me by then.

scorn

Clanket wrote: »

Thanks Lemony. Very helpful.

I think I'm going to try learn C++ on my own and see how I get on. I'll use the net for a while and do this course when he runs it again.

I'll have a good idea if it's for me by then.

Just out of interest - why did you decide on C++?

Clanket

scorn wrote: »

Just out of interest - why did you decide on C++?

I've no idea. A friend said if you could get your head around that you'll be laughing. But I've another thread in Tech and people there are saying I should start with anything but.

Now I'm thinking C# or Java.

Any advice scorn?

seamus

Java is generally the language of choice for foundation programming courses.

It's a heavy-duty language but it's platform-independent so you don't need to know any of the details about the underlying OS in order to use it effectively.

C# is actually very similar and technically platform-indepedent, though the bulk of its use occurs in Windows applications.

If you're going self-taught, my instinct is to go for Java, because you'll be able to find a lot more beginner-friendly tutorials and assistance online. The C# documentation you find online can be extremely technical.

Dymo

I was in a similar position to the OP a couple of years ago, I wanted to get into programming and was looking for options and what I found the best was the Open University courses where you can pick modules that will build credits towards a degree. The courses are recognised worldwide but are challenging to do.

The first module I did was Data and communications which dealt with IT and a good introduction into Javascript then I did the module Object Orientated Programming which is Java but covered all the basics in Java and would be easily build on there's also another course Java in the workplace for the more advanced Java user. I found them to be great but I wasn't progressing as quickly as I wanted so last year I started a BSc in IT which I'll have finished in 2 years. At the moment its not too difficult as I had a lot of information going into the course but that gives me extra time to try different languages.

Like Dave said generally an IT degree gives you an understanding but you need to do a lot of work on your own. I spend a lot of my time now on Java and PHP , not up to industry standard yet but getting there and hopefully by the time I get my degree I will be very advanced but the one stumbling block I see on all jobs is that your must have an IT discipline degree to be able to apply for any job.

I would recommend the Open University course's they will provide all the books, a tutor and 4 lectures throughout the year. But if you want a different route a partime degree course may be better.

Clanket

Thanks Dymo. Must have a look at the Open University. Can't believe I didn't think of that before.