computer shtuffs question

[insertnamehere]

suppose you know nothing about computers (aside from basic operation of windows programs, which doesnt count as anything)... what kind of class would you start off with for becoming a computer nerd? or like, if you could only learn one thing, what one thing would you learn? what would sound neato on an resume?

im really ignorant as to what one does with different programming stuff and stuff. id like to stop being so ignorant, but i dont really know where to start. right now, as far as im concerned, computers involve a little bit of machinery, and lots and lots of dark magic. please help. how does i shot web?

[synch]

Errr... Computer Skills 101?

What are your options and how computer illiterate are you?

[insertnamehere]

There's an "intro to computers and their uses" which isn't really what I'm looking for. That's like, formatting spreadsheets and saving things to flash drives and shit like that. That seems to be really the only basic class though. Other choices are intro to fortran, intro to C++, and intro to java. everything else requires one of those last three as a prerequisite.

there are other computer related classes i know, im not exactly sure where to look for them, these are the "computer science" classes. different majors have different little special classes that have to do with modeling and stuff.

[The Notorious LOL]

I guess it depends on what your interests are computer-wise. As you said, theres a lot of different things to learn.


If you're more mechanically inclined, look towards a computer hardware class.

C++ and Java are programming. Programming requires a very mathematical frame of mind...not necessarily numbers specifically but the process of computations. You have to enjoy typing long lines of code and documenting the outcome.

Desktop support is more a combination of hardware and software. It typically involves a bare bones understanding of everything inside the case itself, as well as a intermediate understanding of some software apps (Windows XP, Office Suite).

If you're doing this to gain a better understanding, good for you. Theres this ridiculous attitude in a tech setting that everyone who knows everything about PCs was born knowing it.

If IT/IS is the direction you want to go, I say go for it. However, I must caution that it is not what it used to be. Contrary to what any asshole at college may tell you, the job market is VERY stagnant and it can be hard to get in. Couple that with the fucking egos of some of these douchebags. I've worked alongside Tier 1 Help Desk people (lowest on the totem pole) who think that they're far too good for their job but fail to realize if they were so good they would have something better.

You can blame India for the market. Have a backup plan if it doesnt work. If I were to lose my job and couldnt find another one Id probably go join the plumbers union.

[insertnamehere]

partially i want to learn for better understanding, partially i want to learn for job reasons. not that i specifically want to go into that field and get my degree in computer science or anything, but i think it would look good on paper and be good to know. right now im trying to change my major to psych (im not sure that i'll succesfully be able to with my grades) but specifically im interested in human factors and erganomics, and part of that is designing computer systems in a manner such that they're easy to use for your average joe. knowing how programs actually work seems like it would be good for that. being more realistic, i wont get a job in that but some other random officy type job, in which case i would think and employer would still be like "oohohhhh she knows how to do stuff with computers. this could come in handy, and we wouldnt have to call the IT people so much"

so i guess the short answer is yes, i want to learn it more for personal reasons than for a career. and so that i can get all the lame computer geek jokes.

[insertnamehere]

can you give me a list of pros and cons or just basic differences for c++ and java? i know a girl whos sister is like a java/flash designer engineerer person for google and says java is gonna be a big deal because of its practical applications for interwebs sites

[insertnamehere]

back when i was a younger i was pretty slick with dos. i dont remember anything about it at all though. i thought i had skills too, haha. man im a loser.

all i remember is whenever our computer would start to act too fucked up i'd deltree that bitch and reinstall everything

i also fooled around trying to do the phone phreaking stuff in AC.

man i was lame.

[ET]

Also, if you're going into programming you'll focus on thinking logically as well as learning the languages themselves. A friend of mine is in Comp Sci but for some reason there's an unwritten law that any students absolutely can't share any knowledge about assignments with each other. I think this completely goes against real world applications as you are almost always on a team when you work on a project.

Make sure you speak to someone in depth about this path before you take it. Desktop support is whatever, I'd say. I learned a lot of things just by going to forums but maybe I just have a knack for it. It's a nice job on the side though. (y)

[synch]

can you give me a list of pros and cons or just basic differences for c++ and java? i know a girl whos sister is like a java/flash designer engineerer person for google and says java is gonna be a big deal because of its practical applications for interwebs sitesThere is a big difference between Java and Javascript. If you want to be working on the flash side then Javascript is more likely to be used.

Java is used for building (web) applications, javascript is used for interactivity in websites.

Either way, learning a programming language isn't the best way to get some basic computer skills. It's like learning Greek to know a bit more about Greece.

If you are dedicated to it then good for you! Go for it!

[tracky]

Go for C++, don't let any lower level languages kill you if you are serious about programming.

It's not really so much about learning the "language" either - most of the structure is fairly simple - It's about learning to manipulate that structure to achieve a goal usually with the best performance possible.

However, I will say this - if you want to learn a language which is going to be useful in the office in real life situations then VB is the go. The ability to write simple little macros in word, excel, outlook etc. is a good skill

[skinnybutphat]

Contrary to what any asshole at college may tell you, the job market is VERY stagnant and it can be hard to get in.

I'm really starting to see this. I posted a position on Craigslist that is essentially an entry level position and I am getting responses from people that have been in the game 10+ years. One dude graduated from Devry in 79'.

[jabumbo]

fortran is like C+'s little wimpy brother that always got beat up as a child. don't touch it because its useless!


but the way i am reading this, is that it doesnt seem like programming language would necessarilly help you do what you are looking to do. now, maybe there are other practical applications to knowing Java or something, but i have no idea really. it seems like you just want to know your way around the computer a little better. but that stuff seems like its best learned by just fooling around yourself.

[The Notorious LOL]

I'm really starting to see this. I posted a position on Craigslist that is essentially an entry level position and I am getting responses from people that have been in the game 10+ years. One dude graduated from Devry in 79'.



I have a friend who has been doing IT work for 10+ years, lost his previous job, and was unemployed for 8 months before something else turned up.

Its a very stagnant field because everyone jumped on the bandwagon simply because 90% of the training is quick and the whole "computrz r teh futureeee" mentality has been beaten into peoples skulls. Unfortunately, theres too big of egos in the field. People do it because they think it makes them a big swinging dick to know tech shit. No one cares that much, they just want a fix.

So far Ive invested a few grand in IT, and its doubtful I'll do much more unless an employer pays me. Im contracting now, and if I get a full time job Im straight...if that doesnt happen and nothing else comes my way I'll exit stage left and find some other line of work and get some vague ass bachelors in business or some shit. I cant really expect to maintain job stability in a field with such a sparse and dying market.

[The Notorious LOL]

on top of that, I realized how bad it had really got when dice.com (basically a monster.com for IT people) added a "career change" discussion board.


When a website geared specifically towards tech geeks has a bunch of people discussing what fields they're going into instead, you know its all fuckin downhill.

[insertnamehere]

^ hahahaha. i just had some lettuce go the wrong way


joel, if i haven't made this clear in the past, i am in love with you.

[insertnamehere]

I bet you'd rock at is. Anyone with as poor a grasp on socially acceptable behaviour as you has to be awesome at computers.

[insertnamehere]

you've got ass burgers right?

i didnt mean anything bad by it.

socially awkward FTW!

[insertnamehere]

people with ass burgers are instantly better at computers. i wish i had it. im just socially retarded without all the smarts.