I took a Computer Science course when I started university, but soon discovered that it didn't teach me what I wanted to learn at the time. I had just bought my first computer (Commodore Vic20) so was anxious to learn some programming. However, the best thing about the computer course was the 6 months we spent learning algorithms before even touching a keyboard. Eventually I dropped that course and everything I know now about programming is self-taught. Perl, JavaScript, SQL (sqlite), SVG and web development are areas I'm familar and competent in. I was self-employed doing web development for about 10 years. Running an Apple M1 has also given me exposure to the whole Unix toolbox (awk, grep, sed, etc). I spend half my time in Terminal (shell).
So I would tend to agree with you that a CS degree may not be for everyone, but is definitely pretty handy for a fallback.
Learning data structures and algorithms should be recommended reading for all developers! Glad that part really resonated with you :-)
What book do remember using for the algorithms part? It's a topic that I want to cover in detail for beginners one day, so I'm trying to learn what resources developers like you used and/or liked.
Well, that ship has long since sailed. 1984 was my first year in university and I have no idea what text would have been used then. I do remember the prof though - in a lecture hall he asked us how a computer would walk down the stairs. So think like a computer, and imagine all the steps (pun intended) you would have to do to accomplish that. You have no idea how many steps there are let alone what a step is. How do you move forward, and do so without falling down. What do you do when there's nothing for your foot to stand on. That was an eye-opener for me.
I maintain several of my own web sites and 2 might shed some light for you.
Well, that ship has long since sailed. 1984 was my first year in university and I have no idea what text would have been used then. I do remember the prof though - in a lecture hall he asked us how a computer would walk down the stairs. So think like a computer, and imagine all the steps (pun intended) you would have to do to accomplish that. You have no idea how many steps there are let alone what a step is. How do you move forward, and do so without falling down. What do you do when there's nothing for your foot to stand on. That was an eye-opener for me.
I maintain several of my own web sites and 2 might shed some light for you.
I took a Computer Science course when I started university, but soon discovered that it didn't teach me what I wanted to learn at the time. I had just bought my first computer (Commodore Vic20) so was anxious to learn some programming. However, the best thing about the computer course was the 6 months we spent learning algorithms before even touching a keyboard. Eventually I dropped that course and everything I know now about programming is self-taught. Perl, JavaScript, SQL (sqlite), SVG and web development are areas I'm familar and competent in. I was self-employed doing web development for about 10 years. Running an Apple M1 has also given me exposure to the whole Unix toolbox (awk, grep, sed, etc). I spend half my time in Terminal (shell).
So I would tend to agree with you that a CS degree may not be for everyone, but is definitely pretty handy for a fallback.
Learning data structures and algorithms should be recommended reading for all developers! Glad that part really resonated with you :-)
What book do remember using for the algorithms part? It's a topic that I want to cover in detail for beginners one day, so I'm trying to learn what resources developers like you used and/or liked.
Well, that ship has long since sailed. 1984 was my first year in university and I have no idea what text would have been used then. I do remember the prof though - in a lecture hall he asked us how a computer would walk down the stairs. So think like a computer, and imagine all the steps (pun intended) you would have to do to accomplish that. You have no idea how many steps there are let alone what a step is. How do you move forward, and do so without falling down. What do you do when there's nothing for your foot to stand on. That was an eye-opener for me.
I maintain several of my own web sites and 2 might shed some light for you.
https://www.softouch.on.ca/cgi-bin/kb/index.pl --> search for 'algorithms'
https://www.softouch.on.ca/cgi-bin/stem/index.pl --> here also
Haha! 1984 feels just like yesterday. Thanks for the resources. I'll check them out.
Well, that ship has long since sailed. 1984 was my first year in university and I have no idea what text would have been used then. I do remember the prof though - in a lecture hall he asked us how a computer would walk down the stairs. So think like a computer, and imagine all the steps (pun intended) you would have to do to accomplish that. You have no idea how many steps there are let alone what a step is. How do you move forward, and do so without falling down. What do you do when there's nothing for your foot to stand on. That was an eye-opener for me.
I maintain several of my own web sites and 2 might shed some light for you.
https://www.softouch.on.ca/cgi-bin/kb/index.pl --> search for 'algorithms'
https://www.softouch.on.ca/cgi-bin/stem/index.pl --> here also