General

@iDrinkOJ: Lmao if you really want too when I die you can.

@DragonBandit:

Can I practice on you?

I usually just start typing away, but if i cant find what i want, i start to sketch some logic down on to some paper. it really helps.

@iDrinkOJ: Sure you can. How do you think the first brain surgeons came to be? Do you think there was a college/medical school advertising to be the first brain surgeon?

I wanted to get into programming when I was in college last year... took a programming course and failed it. Took another programming course and passed with a B-. I hated programming so much, at first I thought it was easy, then loops came... and switches... and it was impossible for me to understand (this was c++). I'm now doing electrical engineering and liking it better.

visual basic lol

[quote=iDrinkOJ]Can I teach myself to be a brain surgeon?[/quote]

Play surgeon simulator.

DevBootcamp.

[quote=DragonBandit]Reading books, studying and practice, practice, practice. I suggest learning C++, and java pick one stick with it. Then when you get the hang of things which will take a while move on to java. Expand it is all about studying and dedication.

I am currently teaching myself to be a mechanic. You don't need school to learn just dedication.[/quote]

Can I teach myself to be a brain surgeon?

print 'Hello World'
All you have to know ^^

Reading books, studying and practice, practice, practice. I suggest learning C++, and java pick one stick with it. Then when you get the hang of things which will take a while move on to java. Expand it is all about studying and dedication.

I am currently teaching myself to be a mechanic. You don't need school to learn just dedication.

My personal path was as follows:
Python
HTML//Javascript
C++/Java

Then back to Veralog for some inane reason, lol.

But as an above poster stated, programming and computer science is essentially a mindset. If you're able to write pseudo code and make a logical statement, then it doesn't really matter which language you choose, as long as you adapt how you read/write it.

http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0
http://www.khanacademy.org/cs
http://www.edx.org/courses/MITx/6.00x/2013_Spring/about

Have fun.

HTML is a waste of time. Learn a real programming language like C++ or java.

[quote=TryToHard]As idealistic as it sounds, I want to try to program all of those haha. But HTML seems like a good idea. It seems like websites would be another level up from HTML.[/quote]

HTML is easy for a beginner to mess around in (as you can "see" what the code does), but I recommend starting with an actual language like C++, Java, or Python.

[quote=Omegathorion]A lot of people will ask which languages, but programming is really about getting into the mindset. Pretty much all languages have the same kind of core foundations: if/else/while loops, variables, function calls. If you learn some Javascript, you'll be able to read C++ code, and after you study a bit of its syntax you'll be able to write C++ code too.

What are you trying to program? Video games? Websites? iPhone apps? I started with HTML: it has like no interactivity, but it's as decent place as any to start, and you don't need special programs to use it either.[/quote]

As idealistic as it sounds, I want to try to program all of those haha. But HTML seems like a good idea. It seems like websites would be another level up from HTML.

Read a book, download software to create programs, try making easy programs
C++ was harder to understand than java, i suggest learning C++ first over java.

Download Scratch.

scratch.mit.edu

A lot of people will ask which languages, but programming is really about getting into the mindset. Pretty much all languages have the same kind of core foundations: if/else/while loops, variables, function calls. If you learn some Javascript, you'll be able to read C++ code, and after you study a bit of its syntax you'll be able to write C++ code too.

What are you trying to program? Video games? Websites? iPhone apps? I started with HTML: it has like no interactivity, but it's as decent place as any to start, and you don't need special programs to use it either.

Java, C languages, Python(easy to pick up)
are used a lot so try those
once you get the hang of one, other languages become
much more easy to understand and then you can learn
the basics of a bunch of languages since languages
are base stuff from other languages.

It's kinda like actually learning a language, learn french, then maybe spanish then italian, german, etc.

Well to get started you can always look for classes or courses or programs that teach you programming.
Or maybe read a book, like -programming language- for dummies, or some other books about a programming language.
They are plenty of ways and opportunities to learn.