When I was a kid, I learned how to do some basic BASIC. That instilled in me a desire to write computer programs, but it’s been one of those things that has never worked out. The closest I’ve come is working on little bits for this website. But with the ever expanding internet, there are a ton of ways to teach myself, and so I’m making it a point to keep at it.
Why????
With the way technology is going, I feel that programming is going to be like reading; we can survive if we can’t do it, but we’re way better off if we can. It gives us a chance to participate actively in some neat new markets and expand on existing markets. For example, classical music is going further in the direction of digital distribution for live concerts, and software is making further inroads in voice lessons.
Beyond the economic reasons, I’m curious, and it looks fun. I like making things and tinkering. I can only sing so many hours a day, after all.
So here are two resources:
Code Year
One of these is called Code Year. Basically, you sign up with an email address, and they email you with a link to a series of new programming lessons every week. It’s very approachable, and all the programming is done in the web browser so there’s no need to do anything too complicated on your computer. So far I’ve done some very simple things such as making counting games, but it’s quickly getting more challenging.
Free Online University Courses
Another way is to utilize free online courses by major universities. Stanford, in particular, has made it possible to take some of their computer science courses on our own. We can watch the lectures, read the handouts, and download the programs. All for free.
I’m currently checking out “Programming Methodology“. The professor is a lot of fun, and the class is fast paced. So far, I’ve done no actual programming, but that will be changing soon. It’s a little more involved than Code Year since I’ve had to install some software on my computer. You don’t get the benefit of human feedback except that the programs just won’t work if you do them wrong.
For further academic resource, if you look in iTunes University, you can find several whole semesters of courses from different universities.
Hat Tip to Slate “You Need to Learn How to Program” for publicizing Code Year.