Do You Know How To Drive?

Yeah, I know how to drive. But do you know what the lights mean? What the signs say? Big difference. You really should ask the question, Do you know how to drive and all the laws that go along with driving.

Do you know how to program? Yes I know how to program. Do you know all the laws 🙂 – well not laws, but the differences of each language Do you know if, then, end if? While, Do While, Dim x as Int, string s; pInfo->Blah Blah etc?

If you know the basics of programming, you shouldn’t have to worry about the what language you are writing. Just like if you know how to drive, you shouldnt worry about the signs, because you can read them as you go, figure them out on the fly.

I see to many students get hung up on the fact that they just learned C++, Java, or vb.net. First, if you know vb.net like a rockstar, you know C# (or is id D flat?)

If you know C++. or C – then you should be able to learn or know Java and C# easily. With that syntax, you should be able to pick up javascript easily too.

VbScript? – you know VB6, VB.net. And like I said – VB.net – you know C#, so it comes full circle. You’re money 🙂
And if you know .NET – create a website and you start learning ASP.NET – which isnt a language as so many people think, but a paradigm – you can use C# or VB.NET to code – so don’t worry.

I started of with C++, then JAVA, then VbScript, VB6, throw in some wacky stuff, Batch files, KixStart scripting, Javascript, then VB.NET – and then C#. There is alot of other stuff that I really don’t know, COBOL, Python, whatever. But you can learn if you need to. If you want to get started with programming – start with Batch Files and VBScript. Look up WMI. Just do anything you can with scripting – it will just broaden your knowledge into the OS and Windows in general.
You also can’t forget SQL. Any programmer should know at least basic SQL – SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, etc. Without SQL, coding data aware applications is pretty tough.

I can’t say I’m an expert, or even close to one, in any of these languages, but I know enough to get me by, and if you know how to ask the right questions, then you can figure out what you need to know to complete your toolbelt of programming.
To really complete your toolbelt – Take a blank computer – setup Windows, IIS, ASP.NET, Visual Studio 2003, 2005, SQL 2005, etc. Its almost like a mechanic. Do you think mechanics don’t know how to get their tools in order? The machine, and the software you use are your tools. You should know them in and out. (Ex: My rachet is squeaky when I use a 1/2 socket). Things won’t always be set up for you. You need to know how to set up your tools! If you are a guitar player – you need to know how to tune your guitar. How else can you play anything good?
So, do you know how to drive?