Finished first year of comp sci at university... What to do for summer?

Question

Basically we did 2 terms of Java, and one term of Unix and C in one course... I wanted to learn some stuff during summer, got some ideas for which books to read from that best books question....

But as for a language goes, what should i learn? I was thinkin of studying HTML, and CSS and JavaScript and everything else related to web design, since web design is very important... What do you guys suggest?

EDIT:

Ok so i'm gonna start working on html, what are some good books (hopefully available on ebook) or sites, that can get me started... I registered for a free website so i'm gonna practice on that

Answer 1

in my opinion just have fun.. :)

when you start to work, you may not find time to enjoy.. :/

Answer 2

If you want to learn HTML/CSS/js I would suggest setting up your own homepage as a first project, and coding it from scratch. You can use the tutorials at w3schools to get started.

Answer 3

Find a girlfriend and forget computers for this hot summer. :)

P.S. From reading the comments, em... guys, suggest reading specs to a newbie is basically like suggesting start learning a foreign language by reading a dictionary. Funny and useless.

P.S.#2. Why don't you create a homepage or a personal blog? A simple and practical way to start with web.

Answer 4

Maybe look at assembly. Especially if it is a course you will be taking later.

Could look at Art of Assembly

Maybe go back and look at a c or java assignment you had and attempt to rewrite in assembly.

Will help you to better understand what the High Level Languages might be doing for you.

Answer 5

I would agree with the others that you should just have fun, but, if you want to do some programming, first get better at Java or C first, then start to learn other languages. Experiment with these two languages, try out new ideas, write a game.

Basically, go beyond the coursework and actually try to write a program that may be of interest to you to use, if to no one else.

You could learn a lot by writing a simple tile-based game in OpenGL, for example, as there is a great deal there to learn, and you will master pointers very quickly.

If you are doing this on Unix, then I would suggest looking at Eclipse as an IDE, since it can do Java and C.

But, above all, relax and have fun. :)

Answer 6

A lot of our students do internships at the Uni, working on real research projects as assistants. Some others I know try to setup their own lil businesses as freelancers. Maybe find a fun project you can work on with a friend. I'd suggest looking at something like hak5.org or similar and get an idea for a fun summer project thats hands on and has some outdoor aspects.

Answer 7

Stackoverflow Archive:

• Which Programming Language Should I Learn?
• I’m a professional Java developer, should I learn .NET?
• Which is the best pick?
• What language should I learn next?
• What languages should I learn before University?
• Should I learn C++ and Java simultaneously?

Answer 8

Learn whatever language your school won't be teaching you. Most courses will touch upon HTML/CSS/ECMAScript, but what about Prolog, Haskell or Lisp?

Answer 9

Go travelling and see the world before you find yourself trapped behind a tft screen for 8-12 hours a day.

Answer 10

It's probably to late to get one this summer but I suggest you start looking for an internship as soon as possible. Spending time in a real workplace will teach you more about how to be a successful programmer that can function as part of a team more then any amount of reading programming books and tutorials. Since you have a free summer I'd suggest learning a web framework like Grails It's similar to java so the language learning curve shouldn't be bad and you'll learn things like MVC which are applicable to multiple languages and frameworks.

Answer 11

Just answering what you should do for the summer...

Find a simple open source project you like in a language you're familiar with, learn it and then see if you can improve it.

Answer 12

• Set up your own website and code it by hand, as others have suggested. There are many free resources on the web to get you started.
• Once you have your crappy-looking site in place (and understand how you did it), Google for a free web template or web design tutorials and spend a little time trying to make it look a little less like crap.
• Rather than focusing (at first) on learning a new language, why not work on applying a language you already know in the real world? There are tons of open source projects out there - I'm sure you can find something interesting that uses Java. Knowing how to use one or two languages really well and understanding real world development challenges is a lot more useful (again, in the "real" world) than knowing 5 languages and having only worked through books and samples.
• Got this far? Great! Now add a resume/CV page to the website you created in step one that includes all your new open source project experience. Or better yet, start writing your own "real" product or OSS application.
• Oh yeah, and in your spare time after your job or between sessions working on your first product, that's when you start monkeying around with Ruby or Python or Cocoa or whatever else floats your boat. Have fun!

EDIT: This SO question will point you in the right direction for HTML resources: What are some good HTML beginner tutorials? I would personally stick to online resources and skip books for this since it is such a general, well-covered topic.