i want to dedicate my life programing, need some tips and advice

I dont know how old are you, but the best what you can do: go to university to study computer science, it it's not only about programming. You will need know how computers are working. What happens when you call function, ..... A lots of basic stuff you will need to learn to become good programmer.

If you really wanna dedicate you life to programing and don't or cannot go to university then definitely start with low level programing languages - assembler + C. Learn how to rewrite simple C code to assembler, recursion, memory allocation .... Code searching binary tree, linked list and other famous data structures in pure C (no c++). Learn how to create processes and threads, what is mutex, semaphore ... Code concurent server with berkeley sockets or try to implement some network protocol with raw sockets. And then write interpret of simple imperative language in C, than you will be sure that you are good programmer.

Next move on C++ and C#/Java, learn OOP, UML, GRASP, design patterns ..........
 
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Well right now, I would say java is the most useful language to know. It is definitely the most widely used, since java programs can be run on any operating system. c++ Is also very important to know. mean most languages are the same, you just need to learn the minute nuances and differences with their syntax's but data structures, etc are all the same from each programming language. I mean once you understand the concepts of loops, methods, functions, classes, you can transition from language to language very easily. That being said, I recommend you start with Java or Python, then once you are comfortable, move on to c++.
 
I 100% agree with small_town_boy.
If you're older then 18 forget about it.
Btw learning languages isn't such a big part, if you've learned the principles it then will take even months to learn a new language.
 
don't listen to those that say it is too late for you to program !
i learned programming when i was 22 years old and i can tell you i'm doing fine , even if you are not the best coder in the world , what it matters is the ideas you have ! if you have good ideas then you can make good softwares !
When it comes to Programming you can become very good at it in 2 to 3 years with a good programming language like C# or VB.net
 
small_town_boy said:
First of all, how old are you? If you are over age of 18 and have no programming experience then you can pretty much forget it. The guys who create master pieces are usually programming from childhood (starting at about 7 years). Just know that there is a guy in India who is dedicating 20 hours a day to this, so you will have to compete with him.
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This is categorically untrue. I tried to come up with an analogy but I couldn't because this is such a bizarre statement.

The people I see who try and fail and programming are those who can't wrap their head around discrete math. Typically they are brilliant when it comes to continuous math but they are unable to think in the land of integers and graph theory. This isn't a hard-and-fast rule but I have been exposed to a lot of coders and potential coders; it is where I tend to see the line between mediocrity and excellence drawn.
 
small_town_boy said:
First of all, how old are you? If you are over age of 18 and have no programming experience then you can pretty much forget it. The guys who create master pieces are usually programming from childhood (starting at about 7 years). Just know that there is a guy in India who is dedicating 20 hours a day to this, so you will have to compete with him.

C#, C++, java are a good choice, but it will take you about 10 years to master a single language. That's about 10'000 hours. How will you support yourself through it?

......

Yes, takes less investment, but without marketing you will be nowhere. Everyone is jumping the app market now and it's becoming harder day by day. You will not survive alone and without a bulletproof plan and a big marketing budget. Also, a great app. PROTIP: Great app will set you back at least $20k.

Basically, it really depends how old are you. I think you are pretty young judging from your language. I advice you to determine which direction you want to take and just do it. Try to get into MIT if you are serious about it.
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I started at 18 and after 6 months i started programming professionally - paying my rent, university taxes, food. I was mediocre at best, but i had some valuable skills to offer. I continued to improve my programming skills, while working.
So your statement is not true.

Developing a mobile app will cost you almost nothing, but your time. Marketing will be costly, but $20,000 ?
I agree the competition is a killer, there are more than 700k apps at apple store, but most of them are crap.
 
If you want to be a programmer you need to live, breathe, shit and eat programming.

I've just had programming for breakfast and I can already feel the algorithms buzzing around in my mind.
 
Yup, don't listen to small_town_boy's talk. he's talking as if your life depends on it and you're in to to compete.

Programmers are as good as their ability solve problems and creating better algorithms to solve them, not how much time you spend programming. You have to be able to visualize algorithms and codes in your head, and how it will perform, rather than rutting yourself with programming. As i've learned you need time to think the algorithms and program flow freely to be able to program better. I don't buy spending 10 hrs programming is going to get you the ability to solve real world problems. And programming isn't about competition, its about being able to solve computational problems with coding. If you can solve your problems then its good enough for me then you can start solving others problem and get better.

If you are creative and hardworking, programming can come easy to you. And once you're good at one programming, it doesn't take long to learn new programming languages.

Start by focusing on a single programming language as c# or php, try to create something that's in your head. when done start with another creation. Also there are courses on youtube and also sites like udacity and coursera.org that are providing you free courses on programming. Also take open source to your advantage and go through others code and how they've accomplished something. You're never too old to learn.
 
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I think programming is part science and part art.

The science of it is how good you are at logic, picking up syntax etc.

The art bit is why not all programmers are created equal.

A lot of design and forethought comes into play before JUST typing a single key.

joe @ software covers this. Saying that there is a really HUGE difference in efficiency between a "rockstar" programmer vs a normal programmer.

Sure 100,00hrs of coding practice will make you into an efficient programmer however in some way in may not be the only thing that separates programming skill.

Its like a painter... not everyone can create a van gough (no matter how much practice). However everyone can learn to at least paint the side of their house.
 
Hey OP,

don't listen the guys that talks you may be too old, you need 10-15 years to be "good" and things like that ..

If you do what you love and you're dedicated to it be sure you'll succeed ..

Like someone above me wrote "Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't do something."

Good Luck
 
Nobody likes a virus programmer :/

I can't say I agree with your reasons for wanting to learn, but if you want to learn, do well in school and consider going on to study computer science in university where you will learn important math and multiple languages and important details of how computers work from the bottom up. You will want to learn multiple operating systems, ie: linux. You will probably take modern courses in app development for modern devices ie: android, iphone, blackberry, as well as software and web development. It makes you quite well rounded. "Viruses" just exploit security vulnerabilities, often published online and just bother the hell out of people, I don't see the appeal to writing them its not cool.

I say learn linux as your primary OS, learn C then C++ (no small feat) and also learn a scripting language, ie: perl. That makes you quite well rounded, you can write fast programs, cross platform programs, procedural or OOP, scripts or compiled programs, you will deal with memory yourself in C/C++ and enjoy it's strict typed nature, but be confused then ultimately accept the relatively loose typed nature of a scripting language.

None of this probably makes much sense to you now, it will. The beauty of programming is you can teach yourself so much. If you are a self starter and a self learner there is no limit to your ability in the future.
 
small_town_boy said:
First of all, how old are you? If you are over age of 18 and have no programming experience then you can pretty much forget it. The guys who create master pieces are usually programming from childhood (starting at about 7 years). Just know that there is a guy in India who is dedicating 20 hours a day to this, so you will have to compete with him.

C#, C++, java are a good choice, but it will take you about 10 years to master a single language. That's about 10'000 hours. How will you support yourself through it?


No.


No, you should know at least 3 useful languages as a good programmer.


Everything. Google it.


Yes, but it is extremely hard and an extremely competitive market. You won't be able to do it alone. Prepare investing at least $100k in modelers, programmers, artists and marketing to make a "not crappy game". You would say "Yeah, but Notch". Notch was programming from age of 7, read my first paragraph. He is 30 now, so it took him 23 years for Minecraft success. Where will you be in 23 years?


Yes, takes less investment, but without marketing you will be nowhere. Everyone is jumping the app market now and it's becoming harder day by day. You will not survive alone and without a bulletproof plan and a big marketing budget. Also, a great app. PROTIP: Great app will set you back at least $20k.

Basically, it really depends how old are you. I think you are pretty young judging from your language. I advice you to determine which direction you want to take and just do it. Try to get into MIT if you are serious about it.
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This is some of the worst "advice" I've seen.

You go for it mate.
 
If you can't get a job in the programming field, there's TONS of freelance jobs on odesk, and the like, asking for people to code their websites and make apps for them and ALL SORTS OF STUFF they need to be programmed.

I'm trying to learn some programming too so I can apply for those freelance gigs. It's like 90% of the jobs on these sites want a programmer.
 
I wonder if you can actually make a good living with freelance though. When you compare time spent on each project (plus non-billable time spent bidding and spec'ing projects) vs. amount paid for projects completed, to determine an average $/hr you earn (before tax) I would be surprised if its a decent amount. I might be wrong here but you are competing against lowballers from all over the world.
 
bpmik said:
I wonder if you can actually make a good living with freelance though. When you compare time spent on each project (plus non-billable time spent bidding and spec'ing projects) vs. amount paid for projects completed, to determine an average $/hr you earn (before tax) I would be surprised if its a decent amount. I might be wrong here but you are competing against lowballers from all over the world.
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Yes, it 's not going to be nice if you are competing in the low end. Which is why a freelancer needs to have a strategy for either:
a) Getting to the high end market
b) Making his own business
 
Master C++ and you'll realise that you can transfer a lot of the skills you've learnt to other object orientated languages.
 
milooot will do just fine, because he WANTS to do it. He's already miles ahead of others who do it just because its a job.

People can be functional programmers in a week, let alone 10+ years. Who cares if you've "mastered" it, or just pieced together a functional program based on source code you barely understood, but made it work anyways. It still works, and it still makes you money. Understanding will come with time.

And I don't get why most people seem geared towards thinking he'll sink or swim based on getting hired by someone. Pssst ... you can make money programming for yourself. Yip, it be true.
 
bpmik said:
I wonder if you can actually make a good living with freelance though. When you compare time spent on each project (plus non-billable time spent bidding and spec'ing projects) vs. amount paid for projects completed, to determine an average $/hr you earn (before tax) I would be surprised if its a decent amount. I might be wrong here but you are competing against lowballers from all over the world.
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It depends.
The biggest challange as a freelancer is winning projects. You will spend a lot of time talking to potential clients, creating samples, developing demo applications. The other problem is managing your reputation, having 100% completion rate is like winning the lottery, almost every freelancer will fail a few projects sooner or later, leading to negative feedback. I prefer to start with a new account if this happens(already destroyed 2-3 accounts). I average $200 per project and winning ~10 projects per month. I am losing more than 90% of the projects because someone underbid me heavily, you can't compete with people that will work for $30 per week and i am not exaggerating here...
Still, i am doing better as a freelancer than IM. I am working 25-30 days per month 10 hours straight, 2/3 ot that time is not paid(demos, samples, talking, etc.).
So i am averaging $6.5-$8 per hour and thank you for your question, because i didn't realize what a shity job i have.
It is better to flip burgers at McDonalds, if i was in US, but here one of the shitiest countries in EU, fliping burgers will get you $2 per hour.
 
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