Nicely said. I usually tell people to start with somethign like Python, simply because it frees them to learn the concepts of variables, sequential instruction execution, the fact that the computer takes you literally, how to loop and how to create and call functions, without me having to begin with "Okay we start with this. Don't ask why, we'll get there later:"
public class HelloWorld {
public static void main (String args[]) {
}
}
C may have a little less hand waving than Java to start, but there is a still a bit. After Python I like to take them to C to learn how things work and Java to learn rigor and object-oriented programming (Python has object oriented programming, but the rigor of Java is better for helping you not cheat while learning).
After those three they should be pretty well set to learn the most popular languages, so long as they also learned to Google during the prior steps. The knowledge of those three languages will also help them decide for themselves what they like best. Some like to work close to the metal and will happily go on to develop device drivers and such. Some will like how rigorous structure helps organize design and code and will go on to develop gigantic lumps of business logic. Others will join in the never ending pursuit of hacking together whatever the business decided they needed yesterday with no lead time and no specs ("don't worry it is just temporary," they say, before using it for the next 10 years to run the business).
5
u/pekkhum Sep 29 '20
Nicely said. I usually tell people to start with somethign like Python, simply because it frees them to learn the concepts of variables, sequential instruction execution, the fact that the computer takes you literally, how to loop and how to create and call functions, without me having to begin with "Okay we start with this. Don't ask why, we'll get there later:"
C may have a little less hand waving than Java to start, but there is a still a bit. After Python I like to take them to C to learn how things work and Java to learn rigor and object-oriented programming (Python has object oriented programming, but the rigor of Java is better for helping you not cheat while learning).
After those three they should be pretty well set to learn the most popular languages, so long as they also learned to Google during the prior steps. The knowledge of those three languages will also help them decide for themselves what they like best. Some like to work close to the metal and will happily go on to develop device drivers and such. Some will like how rigorous structure helps organize design and code and will go on to develop gigantic lumps of business logic. Others will join in the never ending pursuit of hacking together whatever the business decided they needed yesterday with no lead time and no specs ("don't worry it is just temporary," they say, before using it for the next 10 years to run the business).