I am a high school student that is hoping to become an engineer. I have heard that engineers should have some programming knowledge, and online research has confirmed this. I already know the basics of JavaScript and HTML/CSS from Khan Academy, but I am hoping to advance further. What courses do you recommend that I take. The key point here is that I am not really looking to go into a software related field like web development. I simply want some background knowledge to help me during college and my career.
What kind of engineering are you planning on studying? The type of engineering you want to study can push you into certain languages. If you are going into electrical or computer engineering, its never bad to have some fundamental understanding of assembly language, not any particular language but rather ‘how’ they work. I’d recommend having a healthy understanding of at least one of the following: C, C++, or Java.
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safarnsworth has good advice to learn c and or c++. Not Java perse.
but codecademy doesn’t have c or c++, so that is a bit of a problem
It’s too early to know what specific type of engineer I will become (assuming I end up as an engineer, at all). However, I am very interested in civil, mechanical, and aerospace engineering. All of those fields require good computer skills, especially aerospace engineering. I am simply wondering if there is a specific language recommended for engineers. Right now, I am learning Python as a start, but I plan on learning a more technical language when I’m ready.
I would get a decent amount of exposure to programming different things in Python, and then try working on C or C++. I find most people I have access to have an easier time with C before moving on to C++, but no matter what you do, try to stay on top of the most recent coding standards.
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What exactly are ‘the most recent coding standards’? Does that simply refer to certain programming conventions that I should be knowledgeable of to ensure that my computer skills are current and up to date, or does that mean something else?
Sorry, that was a bit ambiguous. Exactly what you said is what I meant.
I don’t think its worth stressing over, but it is worth keeping in mind as you continue your studies. I learned C++ in university, and I once took an interview that included a coding portion and a lot of what I saw looked foreign. I wish I had looked more into what the industry was doing to save me a lot of pain in the future.
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