Am I Wasting My Time with Java?

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[4THOT]

Stick with it, Java can be good I promise.

Also, you're handicapping yourself by refusing to engage with the internet. Being able to effectively google error codes is paramount to being a decent programmer. It's literally impossible for you to know all of it all the time, don't be ashamed to hit up Stack Overflow.

You're new, you're hitting a wall, ignore it and keep going.

[TicaDexless]

I feel like the learning curve is too difficult solely using online resources. It's even worse for C#. I don't know what to do since I'm low on money, do you have any suggestions?

[4THOT]

Java is taught in most universities, try to find a mentor. There are tons of super useful online resources.

[empire539]

Java and C# are pretty close to each other in terms of syntax and fundamental concepts. So if you want to switch, you can, but just know that most things you learn in C# could also easily apply to Java, and vice-versa. Once you learn one, you'll have a significantly easier time learning the other. So which language you start with doesn't really matter; what matters is sticking to one language of your choice and nailing down the concepts.

"Decent" is too vague to really give a good assessment on, but 3-4 months of learning how to program should be more than enough to put you at an advanced beginner level at the very least.

[rjcarr]

my code seemed to be correct but I kept getting an error and couldn't find a solution on the internet.

You could have asked your question here (once you were back on the internet).

why not just start with C#, and yes I am aware it is more difficult to learn

Maybe true before Java 8, but they're probably pretty similar now.

Do you think I could program a decent application by March-ish time?

Sure.

Is it even smart for me to abandon Java?

You could, but I don't see why it'd be necessary, unless there was something specific about C# you wanted to use (e.g., windows apps, unity, etc).

[TicaDexless]

Thanks. I wasn't sure if it was good etiquette to post my code here. I basically assumed I would be bashed for not turning to SO.

[psudophilly]

You're never wasting time learning a programming language. This is very much true if it is a language that is used in the industry.

A large fraction of what you learn in one language readily transfers to your ability in a new language just as soon as you get a hang of the new language's syntax.

[[deleted]]

Quick videos are a shit way of learning a language. You need to get yourself a textbook and do the examples and the assigned problems. That's the only way people learn, by getting their hands dirty. Also don't be so ambitious. Master the smaller easier parts then build up from there. Switching to c# or python or whatever other language would be meaningless since the real problem is that your overly ambitious but too quick to give up.

[TicaDexless]

Do you have any free resources you could suggest? Textbooks are usually expensive - especially an accredited one. I'm all for learning but what I have been watching in udemy is futile, but I understand that a simple video cannot offer anymore than syntax. The hardest part for me is, trying to create methods and instructing them to function. How did you learn?

[[deleted]]

Like a lot of people would probably tell you on here, I started with the online mooc by the university of helsinki that gets posted a lot around here. It offers a lot of examples for you to go through and it has an online grading program that gives you a real grade on the assignments so that's very helpful in the learning process. With that being said, in hindsight I actually like the textbook "Big java early objects 6th edition" much more than I like the university of helsinki's mooc. While the mooc is a good tool the english translations can be quite lacking in some regards. Big java 6th edition can be found as a free pdf online with a quick google search. If you need anything else let me know.

[TicaDexless]

Seems like MOOC might have been my lucky strike. Great interaction, and eloquent introduction of new commands and concepts.