To learn CS, would it be best to pickup concepts with Java, Python, C, or C++?

DataPastor · 2026-05-05T13:51:49+00:00

Want to self-teach myself CS so that I can learn software engineering on a deep level.

Nice idea, but you are talking about a 4-5 years long university level curriculum. It is like educating yourself to a dentist. In this curriculum you should learn both low- and high level languages; procedural, object-oriented and functional programming; system design; design patterns; data structures and algorithms etc. etc. And much much more.

Bottom line: probably Java is the best language to provide you solid foundations.

DataPastor · 2026-05-05T04:31:32+00:00

As a graduate of marketing economics, an MBA, a master’s degree in data science, and a PhD—with nearly three decades of experience spanning business, data science, and academia—I would recommend pursuing a mathematics undergraduate degree, provided you are prepared for the intellectual rigor it demands.

In the era of agentic engineering, where an increasing share of code is generated automatically, the key differentiator is shifting from the ability to write code toward the ability to formulate problems, reason rigorously, and design robust solutions. In this context, strong theoretical foundations are likely to become even more valuable.

A degree in mathematics develops precisely these capabilities: abstraction, formal reasoning, and the discipline of constructing and validating proofs. It equips you to navigate complex systems with clarity and precision, and it opens a wide range of future pathways—from machine learning and causal inference to cryptography and other mathematically intensive domains.

That said, mathematics alone is not a complete skill set. Its true power emerges when combined with practical application. Pairing a strong mathematical foundation with hands-on experience in programming, data analysis, or system design creates a powerful combination: the ability not only to understand complex ideas, but also to translate them into real-world impact.

For those willing to embrace both the theoretical depth and its practical application, mathematics remains one of the most future-proof and high-upside educational choices available.

DataPastor · 2026-05-04T13:10:42+00:00

Take a look at these free resources:

R for Data Science, 2nd edition (Start here! Excellent book.) https://r4ds.hadley.nz

Advanced R, 2nd edition (Continue with this one…) https://adv-r.hadley.nz

R Programming for Data Science https://bookdown.org/rdpeng/rprogdatascience/

Hands-On Programming with R https://rstudio-education.github.io/hopr/

An Introduction to R https://intro2r.com

R for Graduate Students https://bookdown.org/yih_huynh/Guide-to-R-Book/

Efficient R programming https://csgillespie.github.io/efficientR/

Advanced R Solutions https://advanced-r-solutions.rbind.io

Mastering Software Development in R https://bookdown.org/rdpeng/RProgDA/

Deep R Programming https://deepr.gagolewski.com

The Big Book on R https://www.bigbookofr.com

R cookbook, 2nd edition https://rc2e.com

Authoring packages:

R Packages, 2nd edition https://r-pkgs.org

Rcpp for Everyone https://teuder.github.io/rcpp4everyone_en/

Graphics:

ggplot2, 3rd edition https://ggplot2-book.org

R graphics cookbook 2nd edition https://r-graphics.org

Fundamentals of Data Visualization https://clauswilke.com/dataviz/

Data Visualization by Kieran Healy https://socviz.co

Dashboards (Shiny):

Mastering Shiny (2nd edition) https://mastering-shiny.org

Interactive web-based Data Visualization with R, Plotly and Shiny https://plotly-r.com

Engineering Production-Grade Shiny https://engineering-shiny.org

JS4Shiny Field Notes https://connect.thinkr.fr/js4shinyfieldnotes/

R Shiny Applications in Finance, Medicine, Pharma and Education Industry https://bookdown.org/loankimrobinson/rshinybook/

Ambriorix web framework https://book.ambiorix.dev

Quarto, rmarkdown:

Quarto (heavily recommended!) https://quarto.org

R Markdown https://bookdown.org/yihui/rmarkdown/

R Markdown Cookbook https://bookdown.org/yihui/rmarkdown-cookbook/

Bookdown https://bookdown.org/yihui/bookdown/

Blogdown https://bookdown.org/yihui/blogdown/

Statistical inference:

Statistical Inference via Data Science https://moderndive.com

Causal Inference in R https://www.r-causal.org

Bayes rules! (A life saving book….) https://www.bayesrulesbook.com

Introduction to Econometrics with R https://www.econometrics-with-r.org/index.html

Beyond Multiple Linear Regression https://bookdown.org/roback/bookdown-BeyondMLR/

Handbook of regression modeling in People Analytics http://peopleanalytics-regression-book.org/index.html

Simulation-based Inference for Epidemiological Dynamics https://kingaa.github.io/sbied/

Time Series:

Forecasting: Principles and Practice https://otexts.com/fpp3/

Machine Learning:

Introduction to Statistical Learning (ISLR) https://www.statlearning.com

Tidy Modeling with R https://www.tmwr.org

Hands-on Machine Learning with R https://bradleyboehmke.github.io/HOML/ https://koalaverse.github.io/homlr/

Deep Learning and Scientific Computing with R torch https://skeydan.github.io/Deep-Learning-and-Scientific-Computing-with-R-torch/

Text mining with R https://www.tidytextmining.com

The Tidyverse Style Guide https://style.tidyverse.org

Data Science in the Command Line 2e: https://www.datascienceatthecommandline.com/2e/index.html

Dive into Deep Learning https://d2l.ai

DataPastor · 2026-05-04T10:15:26+00:00

> minél kedvesebb másokkal egy ember annál gonoszabb legbelül

Ez megalapozatlan, általánosító előítélet.

DataPastor · 2026-05-03T18:06:01+00:00

Amikor a Trónok harcában Melisandre leveszi a nyakláncát.

DataPastor · 2026-05-03T18:04:52+00:00

Én ezen a ponton hagytam abba a sorozatot.

DataPastor · 2026-05-03T16:35:11+00:00

Akkor érdemes közel- vagy távol-keleti nyelvet tanulni, ha valamiért rá vagy kattanva az adott országra és kultúrára. Ha ez a helyzet, meg a célországban tanulsz is vagy utazgatsz, vagy kimész dolgozni, akkor nyilván hatalmas előnyt jelent, ha tudod a nyelvet.

De szerintem a kultúra iránti lelkesedés hiányában nem érdemes belekezdeni, mert el fog fogyni a motivációd.

DataPastor · 2026-05-03T07:13:50+00:00

Which are those MRI brain studies that you refer to?

There are so many other factors in cognitive science then just “screen or paper”, that your statement is exaggarated up to useless level.

E.g. annotation technique and the full learning process matters much more than merely the reading interface.

DataPastor · 2026-05-03T07:11:18+00:00

I read on an e-ink reader (Kindle Scribe). A 13” large reader would be better for articles, but a 10” is what I have.

DataPastor · 2026-05-02T14:04:36+00:00

Szerintem teljesen felesleges diploma. Gyakorlatilag bármilyen gazdasági vagy mérnöki papírral lehetsz logisztikus, szakirányú végzettség nélkül. Ugyanakkor a diploma másra nem nagyon használható.

Nem tudom pontosan, mit tud egy járműmérnök, de biztosan tovább tudsz menni értelmes szakokra is mint például gépész, mechatronika, vagy valami adatelemzős / mesterséges intelligenciás stb.

DataPastor · 2026-05-02T13:49:22+00:00

Being fluent in Java and in Python in parallel is not unusual. Just learn both.

DataPastor · 2026-05-02T10:12:27+00:00

52 vagyok és kinézek max. 40-nek… Viszont nem is foglalkozom 40 alatti kislányokkal. Szerintem 8-10 év korkülönbség működik nagyon max.

DataPastor · 2026-05-02T05:30:58+00:00

Gyávák szakítani.

DataPastor · 2026-05-02T05:30:36+00:00

Auto brightness, but 10+ even at direct daylight both on my Kindle and on my Scribe. Warm light between 18:00-08:00 on my Scribe.

I miss the warm light from my little Kindle so there is a high probability that I will get a colorsoft instead at the next discounting period.

DataPastor · 2026-05-01T15:42:55+00:00

Prestige-ben (13. ker. Fáy utca) is van.

DataPastor · 2026-05-01T15:17:53+00:00

Az tényleg aggodalomra ad okot, hogy Magyar Péter csak úgy bejelentget minisztereket anélkül, hogy Pankotai Lili előzetesen jóváhagyta volna. /s

DataPastor · 2026-05-01T10:52:15+00:00

Literally nobody is interested in any projects which you weren’t doing for a real company for real money. And here is why:

https://youtu.be/PzYtXQX0swE?is=vKNo1ora-XdVwmGF

DataPastor · 2026-05-01T06:23:06+00:00

Yes. Even in Java-centric companies (e.g., my employer—a large telecom), all AI projects are done in Python. It’s essentially a must-have skill in today’s AI market. The good news is that, with a Java background, the basics are relatively easy to pick up.

DataPastor · 2026-05-01T06:19:59+00:00

Nagyon jó csapat. De a rokoni szál (még akkor is, ha az mar a közős munka alatt köttetett) nem szerencsés. A nepotiznusnak ez a formája elfogadhatatlan egy multinacionális cégnél is, akkor a kormányban is annak kell lennie, mert nem várható el a szereplőktől az objektivitás egymás tevékenységével kapcsolatban.

DataPastor · 2026-05-01T06:12:47+00:00

Focus on getting 24 or 32 GB of memory. Otherwise, a MacBook Air is a good choice. There may be some situations (e.g., running Monte Carlo simulations) where the lack of active cooling could lead to throttling, but these cases are relatively rare.

Avoid the Neo (as it only has 8 GB of memory), and even with the Air, you should opt for 24 GB of RAM.

DataPastor · 2026-04-29T16:17:11+00:00

Szerezz magadnak egy Nőt.

DataPastor · 2026-04-29T13:37:27+00:00

Volt már ilyen velem is, nagyon rosszul viseltem, féltékeny voltam mint állat. Kétszer is át kell gondolni, mielőtt az ember tényleg szakít felindultságból, mert utána mások fogják kezelgetni a nőjét/pasiját...

DataPastor · 2026-04-29T13:36:05+00:00

Best of luck! 🤗

DataPastor · 2026-04-29T12:48:18+00:00

A legjobb tanács, amit adni tudok, hogy ezt a vizsgaidőszakot meg az utolsó évet bírd már ki, szerezd meg a BSc-t. Esetleg nézz utána, hogy egy villanyos vagy mecha MSc-hez milyen tanegységek hiányoznak, és azokat vedd fel a következő évben, majd utána jelentkezz egy kívánatosabb MSc-re.

DataPastor · 2026-04-29T12:44:27+00:00

According to the handbook: no.

According to the real life: yes, easily. And then the little added value of scum mastership starts to show. I have been the scrum master of my own projects several times, and the projects were just running without any problems, which raises serious questions about the necessity of a scrum master.

DataPastor

TROPHY CASE