programming education tree

Question

I was wondering, is there a some kind of infographic or tutorial out there that describes the various branching of programming education? Let me provide an example:

I'd like to create a camera tracking program using, say, Intel IPP and Xcode. This is a pretty advanced project for a beginner, so I'd like to know what I have to know how to do in order to tackle this project. But I'd also like to extend this to general programming education.

Step 1: start by reading a tutorial for non-programmers like cplusplus.com, etc. Step 2: Learn 1 programming language, make GUI's, etc. Step 3: Linking compilers (like OpenCV or IPP), etc. Step 4: Executable distribution, implementing DRM, etc. <-- I am looking for some kind of reference that shows me how to learn all of this without having to ask teachers, etc.

I am really clueless as to how much I need to know in order to start my project. Perhaps I should look at some easier ones, but at the same time I don't know what those easier projects would be...

I apologize in advance if this question seems mundane but I'm not exactly sure how to phrase this into Google so I require some human-ability of semantic recognition of bad queries:) I am a self-taught programmer and so I am teaching myself all my programming using Google.

please let me know if clarification is needed, thanks!

Answer 1

I have heard of an attempt to do such a thing that never came to fruition. It was called "The Learning Graph." (Because it was more of a graph than a tree really.) But that died without anything really ever happening with it. It's a wonderful idea and I'd like to see something happen like it, but I'm not aware of anything of that nature existing right now.

I'd check out the MIT CS syllabuses, they're available online, and so is Knuth's Art of Programming. (I think that's the name of the book anyway.)

Answer 2

What you are asking for is called "experience". You build it by working on small and feasible projects, where you learn what is needed to know in order to get you job done.

When I started to work on my image processing project it was clear that I have not enough knowledge to complete it because this was my first one. I started with small image processing steps and incrementally extended my knowledge to the point where I can finish my initial large and complex project. One reading of paper or post, lead to another and you vision about the subject extend in unpredictable way like a growing tree.