Complete Idiot's Guide to a Career in Computer Programming

by Liberty, Jesse

• ISBN13: 9780789719959
• ISBN10: 0789719959
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-13
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Today there is a tremendous demand for professional programmers. This is the single most lucrative and rewarding career path available to the self-taught and self-motivated, and this book tells you everything you need to know to get started. Take this road map and completely understand the work environment, alternative career paths, and the skills needed to be a professional computer programmer. Find out about the really important stuff, too: salary ranges, paths of self and assisted training, interview preparation, obtaining job experience, and how to network for job advancement. The Complete Idiot's Guide to a Career in Computer Programming puts you in control.

Author Biography

Jesse Liberty is President of Liberty Associates, Inc., which provides onsite training, mentoring, consulting, and contract programming. Jesse is the author of Sams Teach Yourself C++ Programming in 24 Hours and Beginning Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, C++ from Scratch, as well as other books on C++ and object-oriented programming. Jesse was a software architect for Xerox, a distinguished software engineer for AT&T, and Vice President of Citibank's Development Division.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Part 1 Careers in Software	1	(40)
Market Opportunity	3	(12)
There are incredible opportunities waiting: I'll tell you where they are and what they pay
How Do I Learn?	15	(12)
I'll help you lay out a course of study from novice to professional
Getting Ready to Program	27	(14)
Let's check out all the equipment and software you need to get started
Part 2 Software Development	41	(150)
Programming Languages	43	(18)
Here's a quick introduction to programming (don't panic!)
Internet Programming	61	(16)
The hottest jobs are programming for the Web. Here's what you need to know
Parts of a Language	77	(18)
Dive into programming and learn your way around
Statements	95	(26)
Find out how you get things done in a program
Functions	121	(18)
Learn to write programs within programs
Classes and Objects	139	(16)
The essence of object-oriented programming is modeling the world in your software: I'll tell you
Quality Assurance Testing and Debugging	155	(10)
Find the bugs before they bite you
What Are Frameworks?	165	(10)
See how to stand on the shoulders of giants
Databases	175	(16)
Ultimately, software is all about information and how we manage it
Part 3 Getting a Job	191	(78)
Looking for Work	193	(16)
Now that you have the skills, how do you find work?
Working with Agencies	209	(12)
Learn to put professional agencies to work for you
Getting the Interview	221	(14)
The hard part is getting the interview. Here's how to stand out from the crowd
Getting the Job at the Interview	235	(34)
You're in the door. How do you convince them you're the one they need?
Appendixes
A Extended Glossary	247	(4)
A handy reference tool for those techie terms
B Reading List	251	(8)
Supplement your study with these resources
C Binary Math	259	(10)
Arithmetic revisited---the basics of binary and hexadecimal math, or how to count on 16 fingers
Index	269