Hello, my name is Gustavo and I want to know:
What one needs to be a good programmer of computers?
Which your advice are to be a good programmer?
How is the logic acquired?
Is it true that people that are good in mathematics are made easier the
programming of Computers, for the logic?
Is it Visual Basic. Net the language easier of learning?

Thank you for your attention.
GUSTAVO from Colombia.

Gustavo,

You are likely to get many answers to these general questions. Some will tell you that you need a degree or perhaps to pursue certifications. While these will indeed help in obtaining jobs and with making you a more proficient programmer, I'll deal with your questions on an even more basic level.

To be a a good programmer, you need to read a WHOLE lot. It's rather cliche to say so but the computer programming industry changes very quickly. You need to keep up and the only way to do that is to read. There are numerous books that can be purchased but given the amount of free information you can get simply by perusing the Internet, I'm not certain how neccessary it is to actually buy books; although, I do so frequently. I happen to like printed text.

Second, you need to program. That sounds trite but it's something that many beginning programmer overlook. They buy some programming books and work through them or they take some courses and get passing grades but they don't actually write any programs. Even if you aren't getting paid for it (it is sometimes hard to find a job at first), roll up your sleaves and actually write some code. Choose a small project that you find interesting (an address book, a tic-tac-toe game, etc) and sit down and code the thing to completion. I stress this point. CODE IT TO COMPLETION. Two or three well-done, complete projects will do you more good than 50 partially completed, abandoned ones.

I don't know how everyone else acquired the "logic" for programming but I acquired it by reading books, writing programs and asking many questions on forums just like this when I got stumped. There is the traditional way, going to school and learning it through professors.

A good foundation in mathematics certainly doesn't hurt. In fact, I have found that most programmers that I know are quite well versed in mathematics. I don't know if my own experience is universal.

Visual Basic .NET is easier than some programming languages and harder than others. I know that isn't a very satisfying answer but it is true. VB.NET is probably easier than MOST other languages. The question to ask yourself is, "What do I want to do in programming?" and then determine which language to learn. If you want to program 3D game engines I would suggest C/C++ and a healthy dose of physics and mathematics. I've found that VB 6.0/VB.NET satisfies the vast majority of the engineering and business applications that I write for a living. It really depends on you, which language to learn.

Andrew Cooper

Andrew Cooper
[email protected]

I think it can be a bit daunting knowing where to start given the rate that the industry changes. It seems that by the time you have a sound understanding in one particular area of programming, the "goal posts" have been shifted. But at the end of the day, I believe that if you can really understand the logic that drives the computers, and have the discipline to apply this logic, you will have gone a long way to becoming a good programmer.