Hello every one,

I've decided to start programming before entering univeristy. As I want to study in mechatronic engineering I want to know where should I start from. Which language should I take first? I want to know what languages I should learn and by what order.

Please help me out this is a question which is roaming in my head and there's no one to answer it.

Thank you

 

C-language would be a good one to add to your list.

hgmjr

 

C is a good, powerful, high level language that is used in many devices. Also, many other languages use the same type of structure.

It is a good language to know.

 

Also, if you happen to know what processor you will be using in the courses, you can study the assembly language. You should be able to find out what micro by checking into the course synopsis.

hgmjr

 

Can you post some links with course description? I also know that Labview is in mechatronic engineering

 

If you can swing it, I suggest you consider a slightly different approach than just going out and trying to learn a programming language. Try to take an Algorithms and Data Structures class, preferably one that lets you learn a programming language while you're taking the class. This is typically a beginning computer science class and is one of the most useful of all such classes. You can learn such material in combination with any programming language, but I would recommend using a language with pointers, such as Pascal, C, or C++. A typical lower division course will use mostly or all high school math, so you can focus on the concepts, not get hung up on the math.

If you want some great reading to go along with it, pick up "Programming Pearls" by Bentley.

 

I'd say it doesn't really matter, pick one with a good development environment which makes debugging easy. You will use many different languages in the future.
I did a mechanical engineering degree and probably less than 10% had done any programming before the degree, so all the lessons assumed zero knowledge.
In fact it was quite frustrating having to sit through lectures on the basics of programming.

 

I started with the BASIC language, which was incredibly simple. The reason I started out with that lanuage, was to get a affinity for programming in general and to program by algorithms. Now I am studying C, and many of the BASIC language attributes are very similar to that of C. This prepared me for learning the C language more rapidly.

Austin

 

I had to teach myself C, a loooong time ago and I am still making a living out of it to this day. What worked for me, was to define a simple project and not to give up until it does what it is supposed to.

Download the new Visual Studio Express from Microsoft's website. It is a very IDE and the debugging excellent. Its also free. Get a good command reference, MSDN is very comprehensive.

Most important aspect to grasp in C, is pointers. Once you get your head around that, you will learn the rest quickly.

After you are finished doing all of that, all that's left is practice, practice, practice....