0v3rd0s3

i think you can learn to program entirely from books but you will also need to following

-practice
-practice
-practice

you also have to really want to make good programs, if your in it for anything other than for the desire to solve the problem, i think it will definitly slow you down..also i might add, its really nice to have friends to help, it speeds things up...

Xero

You can learn programming from books, but that doesnt mean you'll be good at programming. Like others have said, its all about practice. Dont get me wrong, books are helpful, but it takes a combination of books and practice to be good.

Every programmer has a different technique or way they would approach a problem. Without practice, one would have less options of approaching a problem.

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Berto

Tbh i think you are all thinking of this the wrong way around, i personally dont think you can learn all from books not because of the lack of proactice as well, if you learnt programming without touching a computer your not learning, and from that learning comes problems solving etc, so in theory that is all from a book.

I feel that solo stuff can only take you so far you need others to look over what you ahve done critisise it and point out ways to do things better etc.

I would say book learning is more solo learning which comprises of practice as well....

ArchAngel

Books can help you, to the extent, that they show you what you need, but it up to you, to put it into practice.

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People say I'm crazy, but I have the heart of a little boy. It's in my desk at home.

Christian_Rosenkreuz_777

Start out with books, but you have to code on your own. My first book was Beginning Programming for Dummies, but all the other languages I know I learned from computer manuals and such, which allowed me to theach myself alot.

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Cavear Emptor

gardon

No matter what anyone says, the key to programming is:

TEACH YOURSELf

Classroom computer science classes are based on the class, not you. You can get so much farthur by yourself if you're not constantly nagging on the teacher to help you.

For examples, I have never been to a computer science (programming) class in my life, and there are kids who have signed up for numerous classes over the years, and still aren't any good! I've been programming in c++ for about 6 months now and I can code better than someone with 3 years experience!!! Figure that one out!

The next thing is like those kids in school who are extremely dumb and can't hold a pencil to my knowledge. However, they get straight A's because they study non-stop, suck up to the teacher, and are constantlyl getting help. While me on the other hand, don't study at all, never pay attention, never ask questions to the teacher, and still maintain an A/B average (Genius cannot be proven in school)

Which brings me to my point. If you're a "programmer" that constantly has to ask questions and learn from someone else (thus the point of schooling, to learn from someone who has previous knowledge of that subject), then you will never make it in the real world, just like school. I know for a fact that in college either you know it or you don't, and the professor won't be helping you every square inch of the way...

My point of this post... well...

Teach yourself! you can go at your own pace, learn your own things, and have a fun time. There's nothing more that I can't stand when i'm sitting class, bored as hell, wishing I was at home learning by myself because I'm wasting my time (my basic school day), and when people 100 times dumber than me are pulling off better grades then me.

Viva la independence!

Ooble

Tell that to the teachers. I know more about computers than most, yet I still got an A/B in my Computing exams - irritated me just a bit.

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Me :: You :: Them

gardon

Thus, the SAT and ACT were made! Unspoken geniuses come out. That's why I'm relying on those scores to get me into college.

And when I say a/b average, I mean a/b gpa. I get c's and b's mostly in my classes, but they are honors classes no less, and there is a letter grade bonus for honors classes, thus, making it b/s and a/s, averaging out to a 4.5 gpa (on a 5 point scale)

I do really well on standardized tests, because most of the questions are based on algebra 1 stuff (so everyone has no objects on what you learned in school). I think my 1500 SAT and 34 act can get me just about anywhere I want to go.

Know what's also funny? When I was signing up for my classes next year (for senior year) my councelor refused to let me take computer science AP, because I had b/s and c/s in my physics and calculus classes. Like she would know how programming works. I laughed at her. I told her that math tests and physics test along with the dreaded, no time to do, homework assignments, only prove what you can learn in school.

Debugging is for programming, so use it! Just because I forgot a plus sign on my math test doesn't mean I don't know how to do the problem, or just because I don't show work on my physics tests doesn't mean I don't know the material (she grades more on work than the right answer, figure that one out. I just stopped trying after that)

It just really gets to me that they put up a fight because they thought programming would be way over my head. Anyways, I told em that I'd take it and I would write them an operating system if they let me into the class (even though I've only been programming in c++ for 6 months now, but it still was a risk I was willing to take), and they let me in.

Sorry for the long post,

Thanks,

School sucks

Hockeyman

Just make sure you don't limit your options too much by not getting a post-secondary education. I realize that there are jobs available based on experience only, but from my experience they are few and far between, and not easy to get (check monster.com, try to find a job posting that DOESN'T include a requirment for dipomas/certificates).
I've been taking computer classes at college for about 2 years in the evenings and I've been forced to spend more time/effort working on it than I would have on my own. There is NO way I'd be as far into programming as I am, or even a fraction as knowledgeable about other c/s areas without my classes.
I've also taken a few distance courses, where it's just me and a textbook with assignments that have to be submitted online, and I can tell you they are always far more difficult to complete on my own than in-class courses where I can have an instructor point me in the right direction, or so absurdly easy that they are a waste of time.
I hated high school when I was there - and I agree that testing in highschool is laughable - but I'm also realistic enough (and have been working long enough) to realize that I have a better shot at getting a job a really want by having a CS degree than I would without.
When I graduated high school, I debated going to college - my dad (who was director of HR for a relatively techy company) told me that it doesn't really matter what's on the piece of paper you get from college, but it's the ticket to the game - if you don't have it, you can't play. I didn't finish my degree the first time around, haven't been able to find a good job without it, and am back to get what I missed .

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gardon

Thanks for the invite