I came to this forum awhile back for help on Python but since the University focuses on C/C++ or Java, I figured they were more important. Besides, with all the job listings I read, barely any are Python related.

Ok, so I start CS in fall of 05. Dabbled with LibertyBasic and Python.

That's approximately 10 months away. Reasonably, what level would one be at in that amount of time if casual study was applied?

What do you suggest for a study plan? I plan to purchase either C for dummies or an O'reilly book. Every day for an hour? more? less? Remember- 10 months, casual, not serious.

Which one should I focus my time on?

Just looking to get a head start. I appreciate your advice and/or suggestions in this matter.

Cheers

I would grab up the O'reilly book.

The title that i would recommend is:
O'reilly's Practical C++ Programming.

>Remember- 10 months, casual, not serious.
Accelerated C++ by Andrew Koenig and Barbara Moo. It's short, very high quality, and works at a nice pace for a beginner. Even better, it uses C++ properly. ;)

>O'reilly's Practical C++ Programming
This book is more or less a cut and paste of his C book with the appropriate parts converted to ugly C++. Practical C Programming wasn't a very good book either. But if it keeps you interested enough to practice then it can't be all bad.

I've never read the dummies book, but, as evinced above, I've heard great things about O'Reily's Practical C++ Programming. And if you studied for 10 months one hour a day then you would have a serious head start on the class. You would get quite a bit accomplished, I think.

If you're learning C, C For Dummies is the best one out there. Without exception. Make sure you get the All-In-One - it's the new, fat edition.

Read C by Example by Greg Perry...Great book

Thank you all for your quick responses. Really helped on this being the busiest shopping day of the year. :)

Im headed to B&N to scan through O'Reilly's which Im sure they have and C for Dummies... of course Im open to scan through others and will likely be that geek in the corner of the bookstore who's been there awhile with his head deep in a book oblvious to the public around him. :blink:

I have the O'reilly's Practical C++ Programming, I think I even recommended it to Pizentios. Bottom line is, any O'Reilly book is worth its weight in gold... that's the law.

You can learn C++ and indirectly Java in that time frame with a few hours of reading and coding... maybe an hour a day will suffice for you, depends on how well you pickup new material, etc.

good luck.

SO how advanced does one have to get?
Say one year of 7-10 hours of C++ Study every week.

Would a competent individual be ready to take on real programming assignments?
In the real world,

I guess what I am asking is, how practical is it for someone to expect to go from beginner to entry level pro in one year?