Best course for coding in ireland

youlooksilly

hi. i am 17 and am very interested in coding

is there any decent college course in ireland that i can avail of???

thanks for your replies

Capt'n Midnight

look around on https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=25 / edu forums


coding is very vague and mostly not specific to windows

youlooksilly

do you code yourself????

truedoom

youlooksilly wrote: »

hi. i am 17 and am very interested in coding

is there any decent college course in ireland that i can avail of???

thanks for your replies

What kind of coding do you want to do? software? web?

what language? java? c/++/#? Python? Html? VB?

there is endless information on the internet, far more than you'll ever need. Youtube is filled with programming tutorials in all languages. Plonk your arse in from of a computer, go to youtube, and get learning.

If you're not willing to do that, then programming is not for you i'm afraid!

youlooksilly

haha

i was thinking more of a college degree though

i would like to code python/java /c++/c or anything really

truedoom

youlooksilly wrote: »

haha

i was thinking more of a college degree though

i would like to code python/java /c++/c or anything really

Yeah, fair enough.

A friend of mine is in NUIG doing comp science + software engineering, and he say's it's great. I had another friend in UL, doing CSSE as well, said it wasn't great.

Another friend did programming in GMIT in castlebar, and works for a software company in dublin atm, on a pretty good wage. Said that course was really good. Don't know if they do that one any more...

I did the CSSE course in NUIM and found the comp science course brilliant, but i found the maths really difficult. College level Calculus sucks


To be fair in my first year, i learned more than enough to pass the year in two weeks thanks to The New Boston The java tutorials are great!

Oh and you'll generally be starting on Java.

youlooksilly

truedoom wrote: »

Yeah, fair enough.

A friend of mine is in NUIG doing comp science + software engineering, and he say's it's great. I had another friend in UL, doing CSSE as well, said it wasn't great.

Another friend did programming in GMIT in castlebar, and works for a software company in dublin atm, on a pretty good wage. Said that course was really good. Don't know if they do that one any more...

I did the CSSE course in NUIM and found the comp science course brilliant, but i found the maths really difficult. College level Calculus sucks


To be fair in my first year, i learned more than enough to pass the year in two weeks thanks to The New Boston The java tutorials are great!

Oh and you'll generally be starting on Java.

Thanks .... great detail there

much appreciated

i will look into nuig

It will really stand to you in your career if you do a course with a high / integrated maths content.

something like this.

http://www.maths.nuigalway.ie/pstudents/undergrad/brochure/benefits.shtml

there are lots of people who can code. showing that you can do it in a well-designed way is another thing. the mathematics will give you that rigour.

also statistics can be particularly useful these days with the move to Big Data etc.

DesperateDan

I did a games degree in DKIT and a games Masters in TCD, would recommend both. Started off with Java then moved onto C# and C++ and at this stage have done a few others. I would really recommend C# for the basics though rather than Java, Java is much more fragmented and outdated. C# has been getting lots of praise recently:

Eight Reasons C# is the Best Language for Mobile Development

C# is the language of 2012

If you are serious about it I would really recommend 3D Buzz, try it out for 1 month (about €25) and do the beginner stuff in C# to get a feel for what it's all about.

glasso

glasso wrote: »

It will really stand to you in your career if you do a course with a high / integrated maths content.

something like this.

http://www.maths.nuigalway.ie/pstudents/undergrad/brochure/benefits.shtml

there are lots of people who can code. showing that you can do it in a well-designed way is another thing. the mathematics will give you that rigour.

also statistics can be particularly useful these days with the move to Big Data etc.

a uni course with a work placement is also good in terms of having some experience when you leave it - more attractive to an employer.

youlooksilly

glasso wrote: »

It will really stand to you in your career if you do a course with a high / integrated maths content.

something like this.

http://www.maths.nuigalway.ie/pstudents/undergrad/brochure/benefits.shtml

there are lots of people who can code. showing that you can do it in a well-designed way is another thing. the mathematics will give you that rigour.

also statistics can be particularly useful these days with the move to Big Data etc.

yep... i totally agree with you there

i am doing honors maths so i understand the benefits

thanks you for you info on the subject

youlooksilly

youlooksilly wrote: »

yep... i totally agree with you there

i am doing honors maths so i understand the benefits

thanks you for you info on the subject

good luck with it. if you do a joint type of degree you'll have more and better options imo. even if you decided after not to work in IT the maths itself would open up many career opportunities. not many people (ouside maths grads & engineers) do maths at uni so you'd be at an advantage. be aware that uni maths can be tough enough though so make sure that you have an aptitude for it - particularly on the more abstract side of things e.g. calculus, complex numbers, linear algebra etc.

youlooksilly

glasso wrote: »

good luck with it. if you do a joint type of degree you'll have more and better options imo. even if you decided after not to work in IT the maths itself would open up many career opportunities. not many people (ouside maths grads & engineers) do maths at uni so you'd be at an advantage. be aware that uni maths can be tough enough though so make sure that you have an aptitude for it - particularly on the more abstract side of things e.g. calculus, complex numbers, linear algebra etc.

hahaha

i actually like calculus/ complex no.'s as opposed to statistics because there is no interpretation

thanks for your input

Fysh

A good grounding in maths will help an awful lot in terms of most programming because both require a disciplined and rigorous approach to analytical thinking and step-by-step problem-solving.

I would pick a language you want to learn and focus on it; you'll be learning syntax at the same time as design ideologies like object orientation; you don't want to make it even harder by trying to learn more than one language at a time.

None of this is Windows-specific.

I wouldn't get too hung up on what language to learn as that would be picked in college for you anyways. although if you have the time and interest to do some learning in advance of college an object-oriented version of c like c++ or c# wouldn't be a bad idea. although java wouldn't be bad either just to introduce concepts.

Capt'n Midnight

Moving here because "how long is a piece of string"

The $64,000 question

Anyone know what the big thing to know in 3-4 years time will be ? :pac:

Or do you have family connections who can get you a job in X company, in which case find out what they use.

Other than that do a course you'll enjoy.



Move this thread on if it's in the wrong place.

RealistSpy

People have their opinions regarding college and college courses. one person will say a college course is bad and another person might say the same college course is good. It's just a matter of preference. This is why I believe we have college open days?

You need to figure out what you actually want, in terms of web development, mobile, desktop/business and what ever else I am missing.

I won't be too hang up about maths, being a master at maths doesn't automatically means you will be a good developer. I am bad at maths but I don't believe it stops be from programmer, though it's useful especially for graphics programming.

Anyway OP good luck and practice programming.

onlyup

The course you do really doesn't matter.. and 2 points:

* The bigger the course, the more people.. most people like to say their course is great.
* Courses change content/structure/lecturers all the time

If for example (not the only area) you wanted to work in the lucrative area of quant finance programming (some people earning £200k plus in hedge funds) you definitely need the maths. Sure you can easily get a programming job these days with any IT degree or maybe even a diploma but you're certainly differentiated if you have maths too for higher paying opportunities...

youlooksilly

glasso wrote: »

If for example (not the only area) you wanted to work in the lucrative area of quant finance programming (some people earning £200k plus in hedge funds) you definitely need the maths. Sure you can easily get a programming job these days with any IT degree or maybe even a diploma but you're certainly differentiated if you have maths too for higher paying opportunities...

yeah .... it seems every one is pushing for maths.
i suppose it is connected ro so many areas

thanks to every one who has written replies .... i have made out my cao now :cool:

youlooksilly

youlooksilly wrote: »

yeah .... it seems every one is pushing for maths.
i suppose it is connected ro so many areas

thanks to every one who has written replies .... i have made out my cao now :cool:

so what courses have you put down out of interest...? be aware that in terms of companies abroad some universities in Ireland are better known that others. Trinity, rightly or wrongly, is well-known for example because it's so old. I don't know anything about the comp science and / or maths dept there tho myself.

ChRoMe

Computer applications in DCU had a very good reputation as far as I'm aware.

Granted that was about ten years ago...

lemon_remon

https://www.edx.org/courses/MITx/6.00x/2013_Spring/about

You should sign up for that. It's free and, probably, a lot better than most courses in Ireland. It starts tomorrow.

lemon_remon

lemon_remon wrote: »

https://www.edx.org/courses/MITx/6.00x/2013_Spring/about

You should sign up for that. It's free and, probably, a lot better than most courses in Ireland. It starts tomorrow.

yeah but the op is in school and is doing his leaving cert and wants to go to university...

lemon_remon

glasso wrote: »

yeah but the op is in school and is doing his leaving cert and wants to go to university...

Yeah, but I only read titles...

12 hours a week isn't a huge workload. It'd be worth doing anyway, mainly to see if the OP wants to do a "coding" course or a computer science course. A lot of people don't understand the difference and think that computer science == programming.

Elvis_Presley

glasso wrote: »

It will really stand to you in your career if you do a course with a high / integrated maths content.

something like this.

http://www.maths.nuigalway.ie/pstudents/undergrad/brochure/benefits.shtml

there are lots of people who can code. showing that you can do it in a well-designed way is another thing. the mathematics will give you that rigour.

also statistics can be particularly useful these days with the move to Big Data etc.

This.

Being good at Maths and having a good grounding in programming (especially C++) and computer science principles will really make you stand out - you can market yourself as a computational scientist. There is huge worldwide demand in this area and the money is fantastic and this area is only going to grow. Parallel computers are becoming more mainstream and not many people can program them well - it's f*cking hard, many many more times challenging than normal programming. Find a good course - there are many in the UK also - and go for it. A pure maths/physics/engineering course could also be useful to do with a masters in programming afterwards. Decide what it is you want, find out what you are especially good at and what interests you and make your decision from there. Good luck.

youlooksilly

glasso wrote: »

so what courses have you put down out of interest...? be aware that in terms of companies abroad some universities in Ireland are better known that others. Trinity, rightly or wrongly, is well-known for example because it's so old. I don't know anything about the comp science and / or maths dept there tho myself.

1. LM118 Electronic and Computer Engineering
2. LM095 Materials and Engineering Technology with concurrent Teacher Education
3. LM116 Engineering (Choice)
4. LM051 Computer Systems

dont know what else to put down

THANKS TO EVERYBODY YOU HAVE BEEN REALLY HELPFUL

youlooksilly

Elvis_Presley wrote: »

This.

Being good at Maths and having a good grounding in programming (especially C++) and computer science principles will really make you stand out - you can market yourself as a computational scientist. There is huge worldwide demand in this area and the money is fantastic and this area is only going to grow. Parallel computers are becoming more mainstream and not many people can program them well - it's f*cking hard, many many more times challenging than normal programming. Find a good course - there are many in the UK also - and go for it. A pure maths/physics/engineering course could also be useful to do with a masters in programming afterwards. Decide what it is you want, find out what you are especially good at and what interests you and make your decision from there. Good luck.

computational scientist--- i like the sound of that haha

[-0-]

Software Development in IT Tralee was the course I attended. 5 year degree course, I graduated in 2006. When we went on work placement I was placed with a few lads from Computer Systems in UL working at Intel and I was miles ahead of them. The ITT course was brilliant.