Rating: Summary: Excellent book, maybe alittle too much programming? Review: I loved this book. It was fun and easy to read, and made alot of sense from the very start. Now, Im a professional computer games programmer, but I bought this book out of pure interest. However, my only "complaint" is the programming part of this book. It is supposed to be a guide into to a career as a computer programmer, and it starts explaining subjcts such as Recursion etc. I dont think this should be in the book at all, but naturally, some programming should be in there. Maybe some easy material such as keywords, variables etc...But this is only a minor glitch. The book itself is excellent. It teaches you alot about how to get a job, write your resume and how to act in a job interview. It also open you to a world of books (which Jessy recommend any wannabe programmer to read), and you get the inside scoop on how it is to be a programmer. My advice to anyone who want to begin programming: Read this book first! Then read Jessy's "Teach Yourself C++ In 21 Days" (that is, if you are going the C++ way). Excellent work Jessy!
Rating: Summary: Excellent book for anyone considering a programming career. Review: I strongly recommend this book to anyone contemplating a career (or a career change) in programming. As a relative novice, I'd found it difficult to find straight answers about such things as the differences between the various programming languages, their uses, strengths and weakness, and the salary expectations associated with them. Liberty's style is friendly and clear enough for the uninitiated while he manages to avoid dumbing it down too much to be substantive. In addition, the author personally supports his books in a helpful online forum. I appreciate his help and I recommend this book highly.
Rating: Summary: A really great book! Review: I think this book is the best choice for peaple who are wanting to learn how to program but don't know where to start. It doesn't teach you how to program in a specific language, but it shows you the basic thing of lots of languages. It has lots of book and magazine suggestions also. This book is very easy to understand. Although you might not agree with what Jesse Liberty is suggesting for your career, it's a great book.
Rating: Summary: Clear & Expert Guidance from a Veteran Review: If you have any aspiration to become a computer programmer, this book will serve you well. They say wise men learn from other people's mistakes (i.e. experience). Why not learn from Jesse Liberty's 20 years of experience by reading this book? He covers all the major programming languages that you will likely consider in your quest for a programming career. Even if you have already decided on a specific programming language, it can only help to be familiar with the alternatives. The author covers all the platforms and technologies that a successful programmer will need to know. Mr. Liberty has provided a valuable service to aspiring computer programmers. Before you sign up with a search firm or step into your first interview (or even buy your first compiler), make sure you pick up some real-world advice by reading this book. Good luck!
Rating: Summary: Almost, but not quite Review: Jesse Liberty has a very clear and informative style and most readers will gain a lot from this book. There is something of a bias towards C++, as this is the most popular commercial language, although there arguably should be a little more infomation on other languages that are used commercially, such as VisualBasic and COBOL. Information on online programming courses would be helpful, while I think that some of the books that Liberty recommends for further reading are a little technical for the target audience. Still, I think this book, along with Greg Perry's Teach Yourself Beginning Programming in 24 hours, and Wallace Wang's Dummies Guide to Programming, is definitely worth buying if you want to become a computer programmer.
Rating: Summary: Decent book, but why the C++ bias? Review: Jesse's book is informative enough. It answered a lot of needed questions about languages, what to learn, where the field is headed, what's most lucrative, what area of development fits you best, etc. What I don't understand is that even though the author has 20+ years of programming and has written numerous tutorials on the subject why he would shift the entire learning focus of the book towards C++. Surely he would know that using C++ as a start-up language is going to turn a lot of newbies off to the subject, due to its cryptic syntax and numerous operators. C++ is one of, if not THE most difficult of OOP languages to learn. It's written FOR advanced programmers BY advanced programmers. Granted, you're compensated better for knowing it, but C++, compared to VB is also like taking the blanks out of the gun and putting in real bullets. That's not to say that VB isn't a serious developmental language; VB and it's numerous objects make application development easier than ever. There's a tremendous demand for VB programmers anywhere, and it's beneficial for when you move to scripting in Visual Interdev. C++ works better and more efficiently with your machine, which makes learning the detail all the more important. There has to be a learning progression. You're better off starting with VB and working your way up to C++ and Java; the main reason being that, assuming the user knows nothing to begin with, VB will be easier, less frustrating and take less time to learn than C++ will. Before learning any language, I also recommend books about general programming and software design. "Code Complete" is good, if not somewhat dated.
Rating: Summary: Decent book, but why the C++ bias? Review: Jesse's book is informative enough. It answered a lot of needed questions about languages, what to learn, where the field is headed, what's most lucrative, what area of development fits you best, etc. What I don't understand is that even though the author has 20+ years of programming and has written numerous tutorials on the subject why he would shift the entire learning focus of the book towards C++. Surely he would know that using C++ as a start-up language is going to turn a lot of newbies off to the subject, due to its cryptic syntax and numerous operators. C++ is one of, if not THE most difficult of OOP languages to learn. It's written FOR advanced programmers BY advanced programmers. Granted, you're compensated better for knowing it, but C++, compared to VB is also like taking the blanks out of the gun and putting in real bullets. That's not to say that VB isn't a serious developmental language; VB and it's numerous objects make application development easier than ever. There's a tremendous demand for VB programmers anywhere, and it's beneficial for when you move to scripting in Visual Interdev. C++ works better and more efficiently with your machine, which makes learning the detail all the more important. There has to be a learning progression. You're better off starting with VB and working your way up to C++ and Java; the main reason being that, assuming the user knows nothing to begin with, VB will be easier, less frustrating and take less time to learn than C++ will. Before learning any language, I also recommend books about general programming and software design. "Code Complete" is good, if not somewhat dated.
Rating: Summary: It has worked for me completely!!! Review: Some time ago (December 1999), I wrote a review on this book and I stated that it was working for me. Well, I wanted to update that message and say that it has worked for me completely. I am now a Test Engineer (since May 2001) for a major company ... and I have completed my first project. I created the program using MFC(Microsoft Foundation Classes) and C++. It has impressed my supervisor throughly and is in use at the company at this time. This came about by hard work and study on my own part (I did not go to college.) and by studying and applying the information found in this book and some others (especially Jesse Liberty's "Teach Yourself C++ in 21 days" and Scott Meyer's "Effective C++"). If you are really serious about changing careers to computer programming, BUY AND USE THIS BOOK!!! I did and within one year I started a better paying career that is very enjoyable and rewarding to me.
Rating: Summary: It has worked for me completely!!! Review: Some time ago (December 1999), I wrote a review on this book and I stated that it was working for me. Well, I wanted to update that message and say that it has worked for me completely. I am now a Test Engineer (since May 2001) for a major company ... and I have completed my first project. I created the program using MFC(Microsoft Foundation Classes) and C++. It has impressed my supervisor throughly and is in use at the company at this time. This came about by hard work and study on my own part (I did not go to college.) and by studying and applying the information found in this book and some others (especially Jesse Liberty's "Teach Yourself C++ in 21 days" and Scott Meyer's "Effective C++"). If you are really serious about changing careers to computer programming, BUY AND USE THIS BOOK!!! I did and within one year I started a better paying career that is very enjoyable and rewarding to me.
Rating: Summary: Encouragement always welcome Review: Thanks to Mr. Liberty for writing the book on "Complete Idiot's Guide to a Career in Computer Programming." I am not an idiot, at least not after my morning coffee, but I sure felt like one while trying to become a computer programmer. When I was struggling, in the mid-1990s, to switch from copy-editing/data-entry to Web programming, there was nothing to help me. No how-to books, and not much on the Web. You trip over stuff now, there's so much. Two things that kept me going were a firm conviction that computer programming was the thing for me, and the help and encouragement of coworkers who were already programmers. This book may help others start their careers. That's a good thing. I intend to use it to help further my career. That's even better. Keep up the good work. I look forward to future editions. This field begs to be explored in a larger volume next time around. I am already looking forward to the newly revised edition whenever you get around to writing it. I sincerely hope there will be a revised edition for the new decade. I enjoyed this one a lot, and still refer to it. Perhaps there will be two career sections, one for standard, "old economy" programming, and another for "new economy" Web programming. I can dream, can't I?
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