C# training. Please suggest. URGENT...

[iamrachel]

Hello All,

I need your help. Please suggest me some good C# training schools in US. I am new in programming. I need to know this ASAP. I have heard there are some in California, Chicago and some more places. But I am not sure where to go exactly. Also, I have heard there are some online courses too Does that helpful for a beginner?

Also, if there are some more suggestions other than above(how i pursue programming) please suggest me. I want to go into programming field. Help me please!


Thanks in advance.
Rachel.

[BigEd781]

Do you really need a formal course to learn a programming language? Your best source of information is right at your fingertips.

[postmortem]

Hello All,

I need your help. Please suggest me some good C# training schools in US. I am new in programming. I need to know this ASAP. I have heard there are some in California, Chicago and some more places. But I am not sure where to go exactly. Also, I have heard there are some online courses too Does that helpful for a beginner?

Also, if there are some more suggestions other than above(how i pursue programming) please suggest me. I want to go into programming field. Help me please!


Thanks in advance.
Rachel.

Only promising way to get in programmer field nowadays is to attend 4 yrs college. It won't happen overnight, forget about focused courses - they make money to ones who teach them.

With so many programmers laid off, you won't be able to compete otherwise.

If you are not willing to sacrifice 4 yrs, well good luck then, most employers actually like people who were willing to go to school for 4 yrs.

[HanneSThEGreaT]

Well I guess that would depend postmortem. I work as a C# and VB.NET trainer
In other words, you are telling me that courses like MCPD and MCAD etc. are all useless ¿

[iamrachel]

Well I guess that would depend postmortem. I work as a C# and VB.NET trainer
In other words, you are telling me that courses like MCPD and MCAD etc. are all useless ¿

Hello Hannesthegreat. You work as a C# and VB.NET trainer. Could you please suggest me some good training schools? Or is there anyother way I can learn programming?

Thank you.

[BigEd781]

Only promising way to get in programmer field nowadays is to attend 4 yrs college. It won't happen overnight, forget about focused courses - they make money to ones who teach them.

With so many programmers laid off, you won't be able to compete otherwise.

If you are not willing to sacrifice 4 yrs, well good luck then, most employers actually like people who were willing to go to school for 4 yrs.

That's funny, considering I am a self taught programmer who got his first job two years ago. I am now a full-fledged (i.e., not 'junior') engineer in a systems programming group. College is recommended, but it is hardly the "only" way to get into the field. I just worked my *** off.

[HanneSThEGreaT]

Hello Hannesthegreat. You work as a C# and VB.NET trainer. Could you please suggest me some good training schools? Or is there anyother way I can learn programming?

Thank you.

Hmm, Call me biased but I'd recommend the place that I work, I cannot advertise it here, as it against the AUP. And, I'm in South Africa....

That's funny, considering I am a self taught programmer who got his first job two years ago. I am now a full-fledged (i.e., not 'junior') engineer in a systems programming group. College is recommended, but it is hardly the "only" way to get into the field. I just worked my *** off.

Well said!

When I started, way back when there wasn't TV ( OK I'm not that old but still very long ago - 12 years ), I studied myself, and played around with the stuff. It was not easy, and to quote BigEd's words, I also worked my *** off. The best way to get into programming is to do programming, however difficult it may be.

Good luck!

[postmortem]

Hmm, Call me biased but I'd recommend the place that I work, I cannot advertise it here, as it against the AUP. And, I'm in South Africa....


Well said!

When I started, way back when there wasn't TV ( OK I'm not that old but still very long ago - 12 years ), I studied myself, and played around with the stuff. It was not easy, and to quote BigEd's words, I also worked my *** off. The best way to get into programming is to do programming, however difficult it may be.

Good luck!

I didn't say yo guys are excluded for ever handing a job. But there is a whole batch people coming out with com Sci degree every year, and big companies will look to hire them. It is getting harder and harder for self-taught people to compete with ones formally trained. I do not want long discussion about how you can self-learn everything and beyond. Just fact is some/many companies won't hire without 4 yrs degree.

[milan.malkani]

This is a difficult question to answer online since it really depends on your background and work ethic when it comes to learning new technologies. I used to teach in-person courses for Microsoft .NET and, while they are expensive, you can learn quite a bit. The risk that you take is that those courses are only as good as the trainer, so if you happen to get stuck with a trainer that has no real world experience, then you've just paid $2,000 for material you could have learned through Google. If you're looking to go the self learning route, I always suggest taking an application that you don't think you're qualified to build and start working from step 1. When I was trying to learn C++ many years ago, I tried to create a Windows based Monopoly game (based off of the board game of course) just for the learning experience. I would definitely suggest going to Barnes and Noble and picking up a good C# book and focusing on Object Oriented concepts. Stay away from any books that offer to teach you ASP .NET or Windows development along with C# in under 21 days.

This wouldn't be complete without a shameless plug, so here we go...
I also offer online training through www.asteio.com. My online course is pricier than others but that just allows me to focus on teaching C# the way I think it should be taught - OO and the fundamentals first and fancy UI later. If you're willing to pay for a premium online course, than this may work for you as well.

The bottom line is that you have a ton of options, but my suggestion for learning this is the same for anything else - just jump. Get started somewhere and work towards your goal everyday. You'll be lost for a while, but a month or so in and you'll find the right path.

I wish you the best.

[BigEd781]

I didn't say yo guys are excluded for ever handing a job.

But you did...

Only promising way to get in programmer field nowadays is to attend 4 yrs college.

I was just responding to what you actually said, I cannot decipher your intent. You are right; anyone without a degree is at a disadvantage, but to be perfectly honest there are kids graduating every day who have no clue as to what they are doing. People who are willing to work harder then those around them can overcome the disadvantage of not having a degree over time, but it will be hard.

[iamrachel]

This is a difficult question to answer online since it really depends on your background and work ethic when it comes to learning new technologies. I used to teach in-person courses for Microsoft .NET and, while they are expensive, you can learn quite a bit. The risk that you take is that those courses are only as good as the trainer, so if you happen to get stuck with a trainer that has no real world experience, then you've just paid $2,000 for material you could have learned through Google. If you're looking to go the self learning route, I always suggest taking an application that you don't think you're qualified to build and start working from step 1. When I was trying to learn C++ many years ago, I tried to create a Windows based Monopoly game (based off of the board game of course) just for the learning experience. I would definitely suggest going to Barnes and Noble and picking up a good C# book and focusing on Object Oriented concepts. Stay away from any books that offer to teach you ASP .NET or Windows development along with C# in under 21 days.

This wouldn't be complete without a shameless plug, so here we go...
I also offer online training through www.asteio.com. My online course is pricier than others but that just allows me to focus on teaching C# the way I think it should be taught - OO and the fundamentals first and fancy UI later. If you're willing to pay for a premium online course, than this may work for you as well.

The bottom line is that you have a ton of options, but my suggestion for learning this is the same for anything else - just jump. Get started somewhere and work towards your goal everyday. You'll be lost for a while, but a month or so in and you'll find the right path.

I wish you the best.

Thank you Milan for advising me and sharing the thoughts. Can I have your email id if in case i need to have more information regarding C#?

Thank you so much.
-Rachel

[milan.malkani]

Sure. Shoot me an email at support AT asteio d-o-t com.

Milan
www.asteio.com

[nelo]

Let me add my thoughts on this interesting discussion.

I think the points made by postmortem and BigEd781 (+hannesTheGreat) are all valid. I don't think the self-learning is ideal for everyone. You will have to be bright. Very determined and have a certain aptitude to do research and assimilating good information and discarding the bad. Certainly if someone is already in the field and they just want to learn a new programming language or technique self-tuition is probably the best. However some beginners might find this difficult. A lot depends on their background and what they already know. There are a few reasons why certain type of companies like to go for college/university graduates. One reason is the fact that the person was committed to a project (i.e. completing the degree) for a long period of time (3-5 years depending on where you are in the world). Secondly the score they get for the degree can be a good indication of their overall aptitude (i.e. if you graduate with a 1st class, honours, summa cum laude, etc you're not a dummy). I was actually amazed at how many companies were willing to hire and crosss-train some with a top degree in Geography for example for an IT position. They figured out that the top degree you got generally is an indication for your ability to learn, to express what you know (e.g. through homework, essays, projects) and your ability to work with others.
On another point there is the issue of short term courses...There are different kinds. I got a MCPD certification. I attended a few Microsoft-based courses. I enjoyed the courses. However the best preparation for the exams was self-study using the right training material and on the job experience. 3-5 days is not a lot of time to learn. What I like about them is that they are systematic and ensure that you cover the curiculum as opposed to 'cherry-picking' your favourite subjects/topics. The wonders of System.Diagnostics would not be top on most beginners list of things to learn. Training courses are good (I've thought about giving training myself) but you have to access whether its value for money on a personal level. Recently for example our company struck a deal with a training provider that made it quite cheap to go on the courses so a lot of went for them. On another occasion we wanted all the developers to come to a certain standard with C#/.NET (at the time were mainly doing C++ development) so we got someone to deliver a course in house (a very good idea). After we want a course for the .NET compact framework. We weren't satisfied with the standard Microsoft course. We contacted a Microsoft trainer and told what things we would like covered. Again that worked really well.

Overall everyone agrees that you just have to jump and start learning how to program. Ultimately whether you go on a course, you go to college/university or study by yourself the bottom line is that you have to do the learning. There is no substitute for the time the would-be developer needs to spend with the technology.

All the best Rachel. If you're in a hurry I would recommend going with people like Milan. It wouldn't hurt to check this site out... http://www.innerworkings.com. They have some stuff for free.