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  • Hello, my Socratica Friends!

  • Were here to help you be a Great Student.

  • Today were answering a request from a viewer.

  • Yes, we listen to your requests.

  • Our viewer asksCan you give me some advice on how to study Computer Science?

  • I want to be a Programmer, but I don’t have any idea where to start.”

  • We can help.

  • And I saywe,” because today well be talking to my friend Ulka, who teaches

  • programming here at Socratica.

  • Ulka is a web developer, and studied Computer Science in college.

  • But is that the only way to become a programmer?

  • Absolutely not.

  • You do not HAVE to study computer science in college in order to be a programmer.

  • In fact, it is very difficult for universities to keep up with the rapidly changing technology.

  • If you took a class in programming while in college, by the time you graduate and start

  • working at a job, that language may be all but defunct.

  • So why do people study Computer Science in college at all?

  • What do you get out of a CS degree?

  • It’s important to remember that Computer Science and Software Engineering are two different

  • things.

  • A CS degree will help you learn to think like a programmer.

  • It changes you.

  • Molds you...

  • into someone who can code for a lifetime.

  • Think of your CS degree as a kind of meta-cognition.

  • It may not teach you the specifics of coding, but it will teach you what coding IS.

  • The important part of studying CS is to understand the theory.

  • While the specifics of software engineering may change, the underlying theory of computer

  • science remains constant.

  • Can you tell us what would you learn in a CS degree?

  • The curriculum varies, depending on the university.

  • But you can likely expect to learn about Data Structures and Algorithms, Operating Systems,

  • Networking, Cryptography and Search, and about Programming Languages in general.

  • You may also learn about such topics as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

  • Graphics.

  • And Math.

  • Don’t forget the importance of Mathematics.

  • CS problems are essentially Math problems.

  • AI requires Probability and Statistics.

  • Graphics and Animation use Linear Algebra.

  • You want to study Cryptography?

  • That means youll also study Number Theory and Modular Arithmetic.

  • But what if our viewer can’t go to school full time to get a CS degree?

  • Ideally, you should pursue your skills both academically, in courses, and non-academically,

  • through self-study.

  • There are many online courses to address the academic side, if you can’t enroll full-time

  • at a university.

  • Well include links to some free online courses from universities like Harvard and

  • MIT in the description below.

  • Now, what about the non-academic road to becoming a programmer?

  • Can you tell us more about that?

  • The best way to learn to code...is to code.

  • I recommend you start with something very simple.

  • There are coding tutorials that use visual interfaces.

  • These help you get a quick win.

  • By that, I mean you will quickly learn that you CAN code...as long as you are logical.

  • Well, our viewers are certainly logical.

  • What next?

  • For beginners, it is important to be project driven.

  • Give yourself increasingly difficult tasks, and solve them.

  • Look forhour of codechallenges.

  • Meetups.

  • Hackathons.

  • Read forums that discuss coding.

  • This is a good way to meet other people who are learning how to program and who can review

  • your code.

  • Speaking of reviewing code

  • Yes?

  • Reading someone else’s code is an excellent way to learn programming.

  • Find a simple bit of code, preferably one with documentation, and try to break it.

  • You will find, very quickly, what mistakes look like in coding.

  • Alternatively, take other people’s code and try to USE it.

  • There are many open source projects that require work to learn how to use them.

  • Where does someone go to find pieces of code to try to understand?

  • GitHub is a well-known code hoster.

  • You will find many open source projects there.

  • This is also a good place for you to build your own portfolio.

  • Then, share it with others and learn from their comments.

  • How do you know what language to start with?

  • You can start programming with something simple, like JavaScript.

  • I can also recommend an EXCELLENT Python course.

  • Wink.

  • Wink.

  • But you should pick one language?

  • I actually recommend you learn more than one language.

  • This will let you see what is common in programming, and what is specific to one particular language.

  • Each programming language has its own strengths and weaknesses.

  • What about the people who have learned a little, but they really want to take it to the next

  • level?

  • You could sign up for an Immersive Bootcamp.

  • Those usually last about 6 months, and by the time you get out of it, youve spent

  • a few thousand dollars, and youll have a certificate and a lot of experience coding.

  • {youre thinking of a but...here}

  • I sense a “butcoming here

  • BUT...it might make more sense to just get a job.

  • Like on-the-job training?

  • Exactly.

  • Create a profile for yourself on a job site, and be honest about your experience level.

  • Take on projects for friends.

  • Learn to code something useful, like a game you want to play.

  • Youll learn more this way than almost any other.

  • It’s a test by fire.

  • There you have it, my Socratica Friends.

  • You can go to school for Computer Science, but ultimately you learn how to be a programmer

  • by BEING a programmer.

  • Let us know how you get on in the comments!

  • We love to see you learning.

  • It’s all part of being a GREAT student.

  • Hello Again, my Socratica Friends. We're here to help you be a great student by making great educational videos!

  • This is a real labor of love for the Socratica Team.

  • We spend all our time researching, writing, filming, and editing our videos.

  • In fact, there aren't enough hours in the day to do it all.

  • How can you help?

  • You can support our work on Patreon.

  • This is not an obligation.

  • Our videos will always be free on YouTube for everyone to watch.

  • So if times are tight, don't send money.

  • You can still help us by watching our videos all the way to the end,

  • and then sharing them on Twitter, Reddit...tell ALL your friends.

  • If our work is valuable to you, please help us continue. Thank you!!

Hello, my Socratica Friends!

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