How did you start learning C++?

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Mine was when I was on work placement and the company I worked for used it. I had done Java all through college and learning C++ was a challenging and new experience and I haven't looked back since, ever since I saw this
int main()

compared to the ridiculous Java one
public static void main(String[] args)

Java's verbosity and memory hungriness has turned me off since.
Someone was mentioning about a programming language called 'C++', I was totally new to coding. In fact, I started coding some Lua, which is great for embedding into many different languages, Lua was purely made in C language. I started studying a C book, which got me started creating programs in C, then I built up the courage to try C++. At first I was questioning the difference between C and C++.

I'm also new, hellol :D
I was young and wanted to be the next call of duty video game maker, so i googled what games were programmed in and started there expecting to write an entire 3d game before the end of the year. I eventually came to my senses and became deeply interested in memory management and data manipulation , to make a long story short my immaturity led me to my future college major and job.
closed account (18hRX9L8)
I needed credit, but then c++ just pulled me in and here I am, in the middle of a whirlpool of memory and data.
I was interested in programming (hadn't really done anything yet) and I heard c++ was the hardest language to learn. So what did I do? I learned C++. Some people say I like a challenge. I don't regret starting with it all, I'm very comfortable with it and I've found myself comfortable with other languages I've used. I generally hear the opposite for the other situation; learning some other language before C++ seems to make it a challenge for people to pick it up.
My story is rather boring and retarded, or so I've been told. I've always wanted to entertain people. I thought about a professional writer, but I'm not terribly good at organizing my thoughts. Then I thought about being a comic book artist, but my drawing is nowhere near that calliper. Then I played Mortal Kombat on the SNES at a friend's house. After that I decided I wanted to be in game industry, but I didn't really want to be the designer, I wanted to be the man behind the curtain making it all work. I didn't find out til my freshman year of high school (15 years old) about C++. Sadly, I have no confidence in my abilities so, now at 31 years old, my future is looking bleak. I already know I could never be happy just doing any old 9 to 5 job so now I battle depression over all this.
Well I just started learning like c++ 3 weeks ago. I to like many young boys (I am 14) wanted to make video games. I started learning java, quit after a little while. A month or so later I came back because the whole time I was thinking about all the things I had learned and every time I played my video games or looked at web pages I was thinking how this was done with logical statements or what how many variables they would need for something like this. Came back started learning c then found out through research on Google ( the way every nerd does) that c++ is a better programming language for objects and things of the suck. Then YouTube, through Bucky's videos brought me how far I am. I will never see computers or video games the same way.


wow I made that sound very dramatic :) whatever!
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I'm studying physics, and knowing C/++ for simulations is a requirement.
closed account (D80DSL3A)
I got into C++ in 1998 when I bought my 1st compiler (Visual C++ 6.0).
I was introduced to programming in college while studying for a degree in physics (1981-86).

Programming is a hobby for me because of something BHXSpecter said above:
I already know I could never be happy just doing any old 9 to 5 job so now I battle depression over all this.

For various reasons I never found a career in science. I wound up working in construction instead. I'm a 20yr commercial journeyman union (IBEW) electrician.

I would lose my mind if I didn't have some outlet for my technical interests!

I hang here (in part) because I don't know anyone who I could discuss programming with. I never say anything about it at work because no one I work with knows anything about programming (I may be wrong here. I am surprised at the number of construction workers I've met who have college degrees).

@BHXSpecter: Your post is a little distressing.
I think that depression is a natural response to giving up.
You may therefore wish to reconsider giving up.
I saw in your profile that you graduated from DeVry in 2010.
How many games have you created since then?
I get a lot of satisfaction from writing programs which wind up working as desired. Do you have any projects going?
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fun2code wrote:
@BHXSpecter: Your post is a little distressing.
I think that depression is a natural response to giving up.
You may therefore wish to reconsider giving up.
I saw in your profile that you graduated from DeVry in 2010.
How many games have you created since then?
I get a lot of satisfaction from writing programs which wind up working as desired. Do you have any projects going?

No, like I said my confidence is shot so I can't even bring myself to code anything new. Just the same old that I already have done and am comfortable with. DeVry used Torque Game Engine and Torque Game Builder for the degree so I truly feel like they screwed me as the rest of the things they covered I had pretty much learned about from Cprogramming.com, cplusplus.com, flipcode.com, gamedev.net, and allegro.cc but now feel like I'm a failure in everything. I have dreams in programming, but feel like I don't know what I'm doing to accomplish them. Pathetic I know.
@BHXSpecter
Weren't you working on an IRC client?
@BHXSpecter,

If you are, I'd totally want to help on that. I've been wanting to start an IRC client myself for awhile.
naraku9333 wrote:
@BHXSpecter
Weren't you working on an IRC client?

Attempting to, but bit off more than I could chew. Plan was to use Qt, C++, and Sockets to do it, but never used Qt nor done anything with sockets. Also have to learn the IRC Protocol. A lot of variables I have no clue about.

I love programming and the rush I get when something I program actually works the way I intended. Unfortunately, that feeling is only once in a blue moon due to my previous stated issues.
@BHXSpecter

I love programming and the rush I get when something I program actually works the way I intended. Unfortunately, that feeling is only once in a blue moon due to my previous stated issues.


If your confidence is low, why don't you choose 1 thing to work on (Like Qt say). Start with some thing very simple, get it working, then gradually add more small things to it. That way you can get a small rush every time you get the extra little thing done. Over time you will have accumulated quite a bit of knowledge, and know how to do a number of things. You can reflect on where you started compared to where you are now. This is much better than taking on too much at once.

Qt is a big topic, but it has lots of examples (my version has 100's), lots of help, plenty of others who know lots about it. Look at it as a series of steps on a ladder, rather than a huge cliff face. One can't be expected to know everything, so you just have to plug along towards a goal, which might be part of the entire system.

Speaking of goals, can you sort out what you would like to do? The important part is doing something that you like, and something that is attainable. Then make plans to work towards that goal.

You might need to think outside the square a bit. For example, when I was at high school, I could never imagine liking being a teacher. I do Ballroom Dancing as a sport, and I have found that I get a kick out of seeing someone improve because of advice I gave them - especially if it was something small I said, but it resulted in a big improvement.

Maybe, you could aim at a teaching job at a local PolyTech? Could be all right if the class size was small, and the students wanted to learn. Just an idea.

Or can you become involved in an open source project? There was a post about the MorroWind project in the lounge. If you contact them, I am sure you could fit in somewhere, it doesn't necessarily have to be programming, and it would give you a sense of being part of something. Open source project experience might lead to a job someday.

Any way the main idea is to have a plan & chip away at it.

I hope you and your family have a great holiday season - cheers :D
TheIdeasMan wrote:
Maybe, you could aim at a teaching job at a local PolyTech? Could be all right if the class size was small, and the students wanted to learn. Just an idea.

Or can you become involved in an open source project? There was a post about the MorroWind project in the lounge. If you contact them, I am sure you could fit in somewhere, it doesn't necessarily have to be programming, and it would give you a sense of being part of something. Open source project experience might lead to a job someday.

Don't even have the confidence to do that. At least on here, if I'm wrong someone can correct me and point out where I'm wrong, but as a teacher I would worry myself to death thinking I was teaching them wrong. As for open source, I tried three projects and ultimately quit them due to feeling like I had no clue what I was doing. Doing the console applications they teach you in the books I read was easy, but once I went to trying to make my own I felt overwhelmed and slowly started losing my confidence in my programming abilities and can't seem to do anything to get it back.
get more sunlight and work out specter dude, play basketball :D go plinking or my favorite was go to a nice restaurant or all you can eat and spoil yourself, do it on your own so you spend more time watching people and thinking. actually just be depressed or do something about it, depression is a hormone in balance that stops you from doing things about your situation, its a great survival skill and not only stops stress from building up into a positive output loop followed by a breakdown instead you sort of go into an adrenalin hibernation and studies have found, you make better decisions when depressed too.

drink tea and play sad music and watch french art house noir films and stare out the window and watch the rain ^_^, im begining to want to be depressed now
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closed account (N36fSL3A)
I learned it about 7-9 months ago, and I'm still learning. Actually, C++ was my first programming language, and I learned about it when I learned Ruby (Which i was Medium Beginner at) was programmed in C. So I just decided to use C++ instead of Ruby, which isn't very fun to program in.

I guess I just like the challenge of C++... :)
@BHXSpecter

Maybe you can go with my advice about learning Qt?
devonrevenge wrote:
depression is a hormone in balance that stops you from doing things about your situation

When did you get your phd?

That is the general bs answer doctors give for long term depressed patients who have no clue why they are depressed. My confidence sucks due to being told repeatedly for 16 or so years that every project I decide to do is too large and will fail to where the first bump I hit and ask for help all I got was a heap of "I told you so" and no help. Adding to the depression is that my wife and son are wheelchair bound, son has a trach and feeding tube and bed ridden. They are wheelchair bound due to Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. Due to this I can't work as I have to stay home and take care of them. It feels like my time to program is almost none existent lately. After finishing my degree I found I couldn't program any better than when I went in, was told me degree wasn't recognized as a legit degree in any industry. My diet is salads, veggies, fruit, tea, and such (though I don't work out much outside of walking, that I've not done since it started getting colder). I hate sports.

Actually, when I said I wanted to do an IRC client and said I had to learn network programming and Qt I was told I had bitten off too much and was going to fail. Seems everywhere else I post at I am told I'm going to fail due to lack of knowledge.

According to my doctors I'm in perfect health, as I've got checked for depression per my wife's request.

TheIdeasMan wrote:
Maybe you can go with my advice about learning Qt?
Already started doing their tutorials to get used to using Qt more.
@devonrevenge
The absolute worst thing to say to a depressed person is something that trivialises it, makes them think you don't care or don't take them seriously, or worse, makes them feel guilty for being depressed. You're technically right, it is to do with chemicals in the brain - all psychology can be reduced to that - but it isn't so simple; if it was, anti-depressants and depressed people wouldn't co-exist. I'm not saying anti-depressants don't work - I know a couple of girls who are on them, and 90% of the time you can't tell that they have depression - but they aren't a cure.

@BHXSpecter
I don't think an IRC client is outside the realm of possibility. Network and GUI programming aren't easy, but Qt should simplify things a fair bit. Basic IRC is actually quite simple to implement once you can send and receive server messages.
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