I just started my first semester after switching majors to computer science B.S.

What can I do to get ahead of my class? Right now, we are just learning basic C++ programming. I want to go beyond that and be way ahead.

read your syllabus to see what's next, then learn it. or if you mean other classes, then sit in those classes.

Is there any good books to read?

I don't want to go by the syllabus, but learn quickly on my own so I can get a better paying job before my degree.

you should start by learning about...

functions
if statements
loops (for and while)
switch statements
arrays
classes and how to instantiate them
data structures (lists, maps, etc. Learn how to use them, not how to create them for now)
polymorphism (interfaces, for example Dog, Cat, Cow all extend Animal class)

These are the fundamentals of object oriented programming. You should learn this stuff in c++ and java first.

Next, you should learn SQL. Using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio is the easiest way to practice MS SQL statements, but you will also be required to know MySQL and possibly oracle SQL.
You should know how to create tables, alter them, add columns, update rows.

After that, it depends on your course outline.

I suggest you to start side projects. You'll learn alot from theses

Learn algorithm, get better in every language. And programming is not really about knowing the language or w/e, its just about reflexion. Getting in the code right after u got an exercise subject is wrong. You should get a paper, a pen, your brain, and reflexion. THen you code. Learning things by heart is the worst thing, do a lot of exercises, learn to think as a machine, and you will get better.

But algorithms man, its the key. Look at the Robert Sedgewick course and lectures on the MIT site and buy the Cormen Algorithm book, it worth his price.

And practice, practice, practice ... Dont go further if your are not cool with the basics like data structures etc ..


A language, oo or not, is just about syntax. Of course you cannot do the same thing in C as easier as in Java, but its syntax matter, and its pretty easy to learn, its maybe 5 or 10% of the job.

This post was edited by Bremen on Feb 22 2015 04:16am

Computer science is more than just knowing your code. Learn what a memory address is, how pointers work (even if you don't have to code in a low level language!) and in general be curious about what lies behind the code you're making. A lot of people in object-oriented programming will tell you that you shouldn't care about what lies beyond the garbage collector, but if you have a program with millions of lines of code, strange things begin to happen in most languages unless you plan and optimize.

Great job on comparing a OOP language to a non OOP language. That's like saying it's easier to go faster in a Ferrari then a ford focus.

Just to say that java, c, c++ or w/e is just a matter of syntax for a beginner. Does he need to know the underground difference between them ? Nope.

I really like things like Code School or Code Academy (just google these) for learning some new languages.

Your best bet is to learn a language like Java or Ruby and go from there. Java is being used EVERYWHERE.

Also, work on projects from start to finish. Don't just code shit up in notepad++ and be done. Work on learning how to commit/pull/push/etc on GITHUB and learn how to install CMS software onto a server etc etc. I would definitely recommend practicing with a CMS like Joomla since it's free and easy to do.

You can set up an apache server on your laptop to host completely free and in under an hour havei t all going.

This post was edited by HoneyBadger on Feb 23 2015 08:55pm