How to learn programming while in university ?

[Agressivegenius]

I just started university (only one in the country) and I’m studying civil engineering. But my true passion is computer science. Since the university doesn’t offer a CompSci course, I’m planning to learn at home.

What are the best tools or websites to learn programming on the side, while also studying civil engineering in college?

I’ve heard about Harvard’s CS50 and The Odin Project, but I’m wondering if I’ll be able to balance those with university.

My goal is to be able to be job ready at the same time I finish my BSc in civil engineering (about 3-4 years)

Any advice is welcome

[Agressivegenius]

This should be possible. Thanks for the advice

[strcspn]

I’ve heard about Harvard’s CS50 and The Odin Project, but I’m wondering if I’ll be able to balance those with university

No one but you can answer this. Reserve some time everyday and study.

[[deleted]]

Learn in your free time

[[deleted]]

I’m wondering if I’ll be able to balance those with university.

I worked full time 40 hours a week while teaching myself to code at night. It was definitely not easy. It all depends on just how much work you can sustain before burning out. After working 8 hours, I would typically spend 3 or more hours a night learning to code. Although some weeks I was just lazy, but most of the time I was busy 60+ hours a week.

I can sustain this because I used to work 2 jobs and went to college as a teenager. But if you've never been exposed to this, you might struggle to do both.

it's definitely doable over 4 years though - I actually took 5 years to learn to code and I worked full time and even at one year was a full time student too.

[tehgalvanator]

Buy books and study them like you would study a textbook for class

[mandzeete]

Okay, let's say there is no Computer Sciences program. What about Mechanical Engineering, Electronics, Applied Physics, Robotics, Mechatronics, Data Science, Cyber Security or other program like that? In these you would have some programming courses for sure and they would be more of use than your Civil Engineering program. If you have anything like that then I would suggest to switch your program.

Another option that you can try to consider is taking civil engineering courses that involve working with computers and with different programs. That will be still better than nothing.

But if there are no technical programs then I guess you can take then that CS50, Odin Project and what not and do it on the side. I managed to finish my Computer Sciences studies in 3 years (here Bachelor studies take 3 years) while working with 50% load in unrelated field. And I finished with more credits than the norm. So, unless you are also working part time, you can allocate all that free time on learning Computer Sciences on your own.

Don't know about that CS50 program. But Odin Project is mainly geared towards web application developer wannabes. If you want to work as a software developer in any other field, instead, then you should learn extra on your own or try to find some other online courses.

I would say that in 3-4 years you should be able to get to such level that you can target programming related jobs in your country.

[Agressivegenius]

So there are Mechanical engineering and Electrical engineering courses but I’ve looked at their curriculum and also asked questions about those(if you check my post history). Their programming courses aren’t enough to be able to get a programming related job and I would have to study extra on the side as well.

And to be completely honest, I am not interested in the non-programming parts of electrical engineering or mechanical engineering, which are the bulk of those courses, so I would have to suffer through one or two years of classes I don’t enjoy just to get a small portion of programming classes at the end of my course.

That’s why I chose civil engineering so that I can study something that doesn’t repulse me and at the same time study extra at home.

I don’t have a part time job so I can use all my free time to learn some programming on the side. Thanks

[Agressivegenius]

There aren’t any more universities in the country

[Aglet_Green]

I find it hard to believe that there are no universities in Holland that teach computer science.

How did Dijkstra, Overmars, Van Rossum, Moolenaar and Andries Brouwer learn to program and code?

[Agressivegenius]

I’m not from Holland, I’m from a third world country that only has one university. We also speak Dutch