So far, I’ve given you some general ideas of what it takes to start and maintain a career in software development but you’re probably still wanting some direction as to the actual first steps of learning how to program. In this chapter, I’ll give you a sampling of the options available. Pay close attention to…
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Getting Started in Software Development: Part II – Finding a Career
You’ve probably heard people talk about how we’re living in the Information Age with an emphasis on how much information there is to process from all different directions. This is certainly true and it can be a challenge for the average person, especially if they were born even a few decades ago before there was…
Getting Started in Software Development: Part I – More than Writing Code
Ask a lot of people about the requirements to be a computer programmer or software developer and they’ll probably start talking about computer science degrees and years of formal training. Those things don’t hurt but they’re not strictly necessary, either. I personally do not have a degree aside from the accounting diploma I earned from a…
What is JavaScript?
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Should I become a computer programmer?
So, I was glancing at Reddit first thing this morning and saw the following question …
I’m exploring the possibility of being a programmer, wondering what there is to it, and why you enjoy your job.
A very articulate high-school student was thinking about career choices and wanted to know what being a computer programmer was about and if he should explore it. Always wanting to encourage potential programmers, I offered my answer …
On software design …
In my upcoming book, Your First Guide to Database Design, my goal is to provide a clear guide for users at all levels of experience on how to organize their data into an efficient database, regardless of whether they’re using a desktop database like Microsoft Access or a network software such as MySQL. The first chapter…
New Article: Surviving the Programming Interview
While preparing for a recent interview with a local company, I was going through my list of questions to ask the interviewer and suddenly realized it would make a good article for the site: Surviving the Programming Interview: Responding to “Do you have any questions for us?” Although this is primarily written for programmers and…
Tweaking the System – Finding the most efficient application design
Efficiency is one of the overriding considerations when designing almost any kind of application. This requirement affects everything from the algorithms used to the distribution of work within the system.
Using Typed Datasets in Visual Studio
If you’ve worked with Visual Studio or .NET for long, you’re probably familiar with the System.Data.DataSet class which enables you to create a collection of data in memory, often retrieved from an SQL database. Within a dataset object, you can have a series of related DataTables that categorize the data. Moving further down, each table can…
Looking for Square Pegs: Finding a Solution and Turning it Into Code
(Previously published on AndrewComeau.com.) Introduction Programming and software development is a type of engineering. More than just sitting down and typing code, it’s about designing solutions to everyday problems using technical knowledge gained over years of training and experience. Larger projects can include a series of challenges to solve, some of which can’t be foreseen until they’re staring you…