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i have been learning c++ for a while. i had also tried java a little and i am loving it both. but i'm confused what path to choose after i finish this. i mean what are the types of programming i can try after this. because of not knowing the different streams of programming and its languages, tools, etc i'm not able to plan anything. and i don't have a cs degree. so are valid diploma courses available for the same? please help me with this. i'm not getting motivated without good idea in hand. thanks in advance :)

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This is a rather vague request. Do you want to learn about Databases, Numerical Analysis, Symbolic Computation, build mobile applications, build web applications, work in embedded systems or something else? There are a lot of details left out in this question. –  JB King 2 days ago
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@JB King: thanks for the reply first of all :). the main problem is i have no idea about any of what you've mentioned here. i just gave c++ and java a try, i liked it, so studying it. that is what happened. are these the main categories of programming? is this where i should start? –  optimist 2 days ago
 
What I'm talking about are various components within the world of programming. How does one manage data? How does one want to look at numbers? What platforms do you want to use or build yourself? Any of these could be taken and you could spent more than a few decades before achieving some level of mastery. –  JB King 2 days ago
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Questions about what language, technology, or project one should take up next are off topic on Programmers, as they can only attract subjective opinions for answers. There are too many individual factors behind the question to create answers that will have lasting value. –  GlenH7 2 days ago
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The choice largely depends on the project at hand and the market you are in (assuming you are doing this for a living). If you want to go the web path, it is common (INMO) to use tools other than C++. –  Emmad Kareem 2 days ago
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1 Answer

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Find a language that your friends use, that you can get help with, that you won't get bogged down in boilerplate code, and that doesn't have a IDE to learn before you can begin effectively coding in the language.

Python, Javascript, VB.net are valid good starting languages.

The key with your first language is one that you won't get so frustrated that you stop. As long as you are moving and growing you will be quite successful with or without a degree. Learn new languages to suit your needs.

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thank you so much. finally got something to start with. as you have mentioned a list of languages which are good for starters like me, i'll do some searching on the same and pick the one which i feel comfy. Is there anything else i need to consider? i mean you did not mention c++ or java in your list. so am i wasting my time learning c++ in the first place? –  optimist 2 days ago
 
Later you will find that languages are not much of a barrier. If you like C++, feel free to start with it, I did. However I found that managing memory caused me to learn important programming concepts more slowly and I found myself oft frustrated trying to accomplish things my friends could do with relative ease in their languages. It's not that C++ wasn't valuable, it's that it's probably not the most effective starting language because it is so focused on being FAST to run instead of fast to write. Java is good, but you might find yourself being bogged down. –  BeardedO yesterday
 
If you were dedicated you could learn C# or Java, I don't recommend them quite as frequently because the IDE itself presents a learning curve, that is to say you have to use a complex tool. It's better to learn what it means to code, the underlying concepts and structures. Then other languages that use the same concepts will be easy to you. It will take very little effort at all to move languages. So I started with C++, but then I learned python, and python led me to ruby, and then javascript, and then C#, and currently haskell –  BeardedO yesterday
 
Let me leave you with this. As long as you are programming, and learning from what you program, you are not wasting any time. Read lots of code too. –  BeardedO yesterday
 
thanks a lot man. that was a great help and motivation back there. so i'm gonna start off with python now. let me see how it goes. thanks again! –  optimist 8 mins ago

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