No matter what type of programming you want to try or what level you
want to be at, consider taking classes at school or your local community
college. Don't be intimidated by terms such as "Computer Science." Any
class you can get into without any prerequisites should focus on
teaching the fundamentals of programming - but check with the instructor
or a counselor beforehand to make sure it is what you are looking for,
as classes like "Computer Literacy" may focus more on becoming familiar
with office applications and the like.
Monday, 23 January 2012
How to be a Programmer?(Part 7- Programming Scientists)
Programming scientists are very advanced programmers, who instead of
working on developing applications, work on developing computing
technologies such as encryption, programming languages and data mining
algorithms. This level is seldom achieved without academic study and
dedication.- Accumulate the scientific knowledge equivalent to a B.A./Diploma degree in computer science. This can be done either by:
- Taking an actual academic degree (which is what usually happens)
- Getting the courses' outlines for such a degree from one of the modern universities and taking the courses either by self study or as separate courses. This could be achieved theoretically, but the recommended path is the first.
- Putting Worcestershire sauce on volume 1 of Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming and stabbing it with a fork until pudding-like.
- Decide a field of specialty. The more specific, the better. This depends on your preferences, however, here is a list of some of the major topics in computer programming science:
How to be a Programmer?(Part 6- System Programmers)
Programming scientists deal with the science of programming not the specific implementations of it. Do not tie yourself to a specific platform.
- Follow the first three steps for Desktop Applications Programmers.
- Take an introductory course in Linear Algebra.
- Take a course in Calculus.
- Take a course in Logic and/or Discrete Mathematics.
- Introduce yourself to different bare operating systems. This can be done by:
- Getting an idea on how operating systems are installed.
- Learning how to install different operating systems on one PC(This is optional but recommended).
- Installing more than one operating system. Do not install any helping packages on the systems, use the bare functionalities provided by the operating systems.
- Take a course(or alternatively read books) on computer hardware architecture.
- Develop an understanding of the different computer hardware platforms.
- Get an introductory familiarization with the assembly language of the hardware platform/operating system of choice (you will later learn the assembly of other platforms/systems)
- Learn the ANSI C and C++ languages, along with the concepts of procedural programming.
- Understand and practice C/C++ standard libraries on the platform of choice especially Standard Template Library (STL) and maybe Active Template Library (ATL).
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