How can I get into C# as a career?

Question

1.00/5 (1 vote)

See more:

Hi,

I currently work in a job which I no longer want to work in. I want a change in career and would like to be a computer programmer.

What I want to know is; which programming language would you recommend me learning so I can have a career (I live in the England UK) - I quite like the idea of C# but I am not too sure on which language what is a good career choice?

I am a beginner but feel as though I am fairly good at understanding computers. I think what I am looking for is for someone to be able to give advice to be able to help me understand programming, I'm looking for advice on what websites, books etc are good material to work from. I have searched loads of videos, internet websites etc and there is soo much to look at that I'm not sure where to start! I'm wanting to know if you were in my position e.g no money to pay for a course, working a full time 9-5 job with only free time in the evenings, how would you go about learning c# from scratch?

My idea initially was to watch examples of mini projects and learn the code that way but then I seen code that I didn't really understand so I thought it would be better if I understood the code prior to making mini projects. I also thought about asking local companies if I could go in on a Saturday so I could watch and learn off programmers who actually do it as a job but there is no software companies near to me. The nearest is approximately 2 hours drive away.

I was hoping I could come across course material e.g practice exams, literature etc which students actually use to learn it but so far I have not came across this??

I'm really enthusiastic and wanting to learn C#... Please help :)

What I have tried:

I have tried searching the internet but there is that much to look at i'm not sure which material is good and which material is bad. I want to be able to learn C# but then once I have learnt that then learn other languages so I can have a career in programming and potentially move abroad when i'm grey and old.

Posted 14-Feb-17 8:24am

Member 13001138

Updated 15-Feb-17 1:42am

OriginalGriff

Add a Solution

Comments

j snooze 14-Feb-17 17:42pm

Tough to learn just one language...but I'm speaking from a web development point of view where javascript, html and whatever choice of server side language you choose(php, ruby, c#, vb.net etc...) If you want the software development route learning a single language is fine to start, but don't assume its the only one you'll ever need :)... I can recommend checking out Microsofts virtual academy (https://mva.microsoft.com/) its completely free and they have videos that show you how to do stuff from the absolute beginner to more advanced stuff. Download the Visual studio 2015 community edition (also free) for the latest development software to make c# apps. I used the academy site to learn MVC (a web programming methodology which of course is now ancient). Get the basics google the rest when you run into problems. Happy Coding!

Member 13001138 15-Feb-17 7:18am

Thank you. I understand I will need to learn different languages. I am hoping once I learn C# it will then make other languages easier to learn. Again, many thanks for your advice. I will take a look at the academy site as you mentioned.

[no name] 14-Feb-17 18:26pm

"how would you go about learning c# from scratch", I am fairly certain that the UK has colleges and universities, start there.

Member 13001138 15-Feb-17 1:28am

Ref NotPoliticallyCorrect;
Thanks for your advice. This would have been the route I would have taken but as stated in my question, I have financial restrictions. I should have known better that I would get an answer like this rather than a helpful one. When people ask for advice they don't expect the response you wrote. Show consideration next time and think before you type your "answer". If your going to write the answer you wrote to me then just don't bother as its not helpful for anyone.

[no name] 15-Feb-17 6:56am

Then you should learn how to ask on-topic answerable questions. We have no idea who you are or what "financial restrictions" you have. You would be better off asking random strangers outside your door for career advice than getting career advice from random strangers on the internet that don't have any idea what skills you have, where you live, what opportunities you have in your area, nothing.

The BEST answer that you can get is go to school. And that is the answer I gave your.

Member 13001138 15-Feb-17 7:39am

Sorry, please forgive me as I am new to this site. My intention was not to get into an internet argument, I was purely looking for advice. I came across this site and I thought it was probably the best place to ask for advice due to many of you programming for a living and/or doing it as a hobby. I thought I would ask people who has been there and done it. I do feel as though going to a college or university would be the best way for someone who could afford the large fees and who does have all the time in the world e.g a young 18 year old but at the moment I am stuck between a "rock and a hard place" so I needed an alternative to your answer. The advice I was looking for were the ones where people have posted links to material, or recommended books.
You may well be strangers on the internet but you guys do this day in/day out. You guys are the experts and will be the best people for me to learn from / ask for help from. Sorry if we got off on the wrong "foot".

[no name] 14-Feb-17 19:00pm

If you don't have a degree get one. If you do then a graduate diploma in computing is the best path. Just learning how to program a computer puts you on a path to an increasingly low paying career.

Philippe Mori 14-Feb-17 20:32pm

Well, to have some credibility, you need either a diploma or some experience. If doing a degree is not possible, then taking a course or 2 might be a good idea. Well, if you really want to learn by yourself, then start by learning one language (say C#) then learn to develop applications. There are a lot of information on the web. After listening a few videos, do some tutorials...

CodeReady 15-Feb-17 2:05am

Have a look at below links:
1. http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Web-Developer
2. http://blog.careerfoundry.com/web-development/become-a-web-developer/

These links will give an idea about how you can learn the web development. And to get into it as a carrier you would probably required a degree or some experience. As you mentioned financial restrictions I would suggest you to start as a free lancer, It will give you both learning and experience.

Member 13001138 15-Feb-17 7:19am

Thank you. I will take a look at these links. Many thanks for your answer.

4 solutions

Solution 3

There was something that was invented about a thousand odd years ago that might actually help, something you young people don't actually know about but I think it still exists. Anyway, it is called a "book". It's like a website you can hold and it contains words structured in a specific way that allow you to learn about a topic. For example if you want to learn c# then Wrox do books on it, they'll be a couple of hundred pages (think of a "page" like a twitter account, only with 99% less garbage) and will take you from the basics all the way to more advanced subjects and the final chapters are often a complete project you can build. Unlike websites you don't have to watch adverts to read books so you can access them any time you want, even in your spare time in the evening. Good luck!

Posted 14-Feb-17 22:27pm

F-ES Sitecore

Comments

Per Söderlund 15-Feb-17 6:52am

Belittle someones intelligence with sarcasm.
Have you read guidelines for codeproject?
I don´t like this answer.

F-ES Sitecore 15-Feb-17 8:14am

Oh no, a sarcastic programmer...who would have thought! :)

Member 13001138 15-Feb-17 7:21am

Are there any books you would recommend? I understand there is loads of information on the internet but i'm not sure which books people would recommend. Any suggestions would be helpful. Many thanks.

F-ES Sitecore 15-Feb-17 8:13am

I always quite like the Wrox ones

http://www.wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTitle/Professional-C-5-0-and-NET-4-5-1.productCd-1118833031.html

Solution 5

Thank you to everyone who has commented. Your help is appreciated and is invaluable to beginners like me.

Posted 15-Feb-17 1:42am

Member 13001138

Add a Solution

Add your solution here

Treat my content as plain text, not as HTML

Preview 0

…

Existing Members

Sign in to your account

...or Join us

Download, Vote, Comment, Publish.

Your Email
Password
Forgot your password?

Your Email
This email is in use. Do you need your password?
Optional Password

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Please subscribe me to the CodeProject newsletters

When answering a question please:

Read the question carefully.
Understand that English isn't everyone's first language so be lenient of bad spelling and grammar.
If a question is poorly phrased then either ask for clarification, ignore it, or edit the question and fix the problem. Insults are not welcome.
Don't tell someone to read the manual. Chances are they have and don't get it. Provide an answer or move on to the next question.

Let's work to help developers, not make them feel stupid.

This content, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

Richard MacCutchan · Accepted Answer · 2017-02-14T21:48:00

Solution 2

If you have chosen C# as your language of choice then you first need to learn the basics of the language. .NET Book Zero by Charles Petzold[^] is an excellent starting point. There are also some useful tutorials at C# Tutorials (C#)[^], and of course, the CodeProject Articles section. However, getting a job as a programmer without a degree or a few years' experience is extremely difficult these days.

Posted 14-Feb-17 21:48pm

Richard MacCutchan

Comments

Member 13001138 15-Feb-17 7:28am

Thank you. This is the sort of advice I was looking for. I appreciate your comment regarding a degree or experience. My intention is that once I learn C# I will then pay and sit the exams so I get certification. At the moment I cannot afford the £3000 course fees but I could afford the £150 exam fees. Again, many thanks.

Per Söderlund · Accepted Answer · 2017-02-15T00:13:00

I have been in your shoes. I'm a self taught dev.
When I started, Bob Tabor had some free videos I used for a couple of months. Think he moved to learnvisualstudio.net.

Learning for free is viable through youtube, other free sites (with or without videos), MVA (Microsoft Virtual Academy) and so on.
But it´s harder to learn step by step without a plan.
Even if you are limited on money I think it´s a good idea to cut down on something else and go for something like [this].

On the side, write mini projects to help understand.
From my experience, I did a calculator, rss reader, XNA clone games (pong,arcanoid,sidescroller) and just kept going.
Not sure if this helps, good luck.

How can I get into C# as a career?

4 solutions

Solution 2

Solution 4

Solution 3

Solution 5

Add your solution here

Preview 0

Existing Members

...or Join us