I've done this a couple of times before, thought I'd do it again.
I've been getting to program for almost a decade now. Worked on all sorts of interesting things - security, operating systems, super computers, networking, the list goes on.
Go ahead and ask me anything about the subject, I'll try to answer to the best of my ability...
How difficult is it?
Coolest thing you've created?
What do you suggest for beginners?
Mac or pc?
Im about to begin my second semester of freshman year in college and will hopefully be taking more programming courses. I'm just nervous that a degree in computer programming might not be the best decision with how many people are starting to pick it up. You know anything about the marketability of such a skill?
>>29582394
Where should I start if I want to learn how to program in general?
What are the foundations needed to understand the process?
If I want to make games what should I learn specifically?
Thank you in advance OP
>>29582416
>>How difficult is it?
Ultimately not that difficult. Writing good software is akin to being a good lawyer or writer, you get better with practice. In terms of raw intellectual difficulty something like pure mathematics is an order of magnitude more difficult
>>Coolest thing you've created?
I've made a lot of cool things... for example, a big chunk of the traffic that gets routed on the internet runs through a packet driver I wrote. I can think of others, but I'd put myself at risk
>>What do you suggest for beginners?
Think about something you'd like to make, and try to make the simplest, dumbest version of it in an easy to pick up language like python
>>Mac or pc?
Can I say neither?
Reminder that this is the worst career for anyone with a brain that you could possibly imagine and that anyone who says otherwise doesn't know shit about IT, startups, or anything.
>>29582466
Programming as a major is probably not worth it At the end of the day it's a skill and is something that's developed through practice. I would probably take a couple of classes to make sure you have the skill, but make your actual degree in something that you're interested in+challenges you.
As for whether the skill will go out of fashion... well, its sorta like writing. Everyone knows how to write but there is a good demand for excellent writers. The same thing will likely happen for programming
>>29582593
I want to pick it up as a hobby because creating things is fun
>>29582394
how would I go about learning gamemaker language?
>>29582471
>>Where should I start if I want to learn how to program in general?
Go to codecademy.com and do the python course. This should give you a bare bones minimum perspective of what you do for 90% of programming
>>What are the foundations needed to understand the process?
A little bit of arithmetic, the ability to think in a logical, structured way, and a lot of patience. A LOT of patience because you're going to suck and the computer is merciless about it. If you'd like to become a good writer, becoming a good programmer is not too different.
>>If I want to make games what should I learn specifically?
In order, learn the basics with python, learn a bit of C#, and then pick up the Unity engine. Do some tutorials and you can branch off from there...
>>29582593
Hah... there are days when I think like this too, but at the end of the day, I get paid an outrageous amount of money to come in at 12, bum around for a few hours then go home and do w/e I feel like. Other careers have things like dress codes, years and years of schooling, going into heavy debt, extremely poisonous work cultures, and other similar things.
It gets tougher the older you get, but programming gives you some runway to figure what to do as you get older anyways...
>>29582650
six seconds on google:
http://tecfaetu.unige.ch/etu-maltt/nestor/morandl/clef/learn_gml.pdf
>>29582673
Thanks for the detailed and to the point answers.
I tried to learn before and it was really fun but I felt like I was missing some base knowledge that prevented me from understanding properly.
Now I know where the starting line is
>>29582394
How do you get a job in IT?
What questions do they ask you?
Anything that would help get me a job?
>First year comp sci student
>>29582796
I've never worked in IT before, only as an engineer/developer.
But in general, do good in your classes, be sure to have a side project (doesn't have to be anything big or unique), DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO GET AN INTERNSHIP in your junior year, practice the leetcoder type interview questions before you have an interview, and you should be more or less good to go
>>29582394
I've read some books on the cpu. What exactly do the peripherals send and to where? How are things loaded from the ram to a general purpose register? You would need the memory address, would this come from the peripherals and in that case where would the instruction code come from?
