What to learn in my summer holidays?

Question

I am finishing my graduate and i am into a sotware company. I am a fresher and have some knowledge in Java and JEE. I can program servlets and JSP and have also developed some Swing applications. I dont have that much knowledge in web frameworks.

I want to use my holidays usefully at the same time i dont want to spend a lot of time into programming. What can i learn. Suggest me something usefull.

I prefer learning some programming tips/algorithms.

I am living in a remote village in India and cant get access to Internet or any books so easily. What i can have is my PC and i can manage to download some ebooks.

Answer 1

It may be worth your time to learn a console text editor like vi or emacs.

As for learning new languages/frameworks, you make no mention of C#, which is similar to Java in many ways.

If you have a lot of free time, maybe consider learning Python. It's cross-platform, easy to learn, and comes with a nice standard library.

Last time I was on holidays, I started writing a compiler. Although quite involved, it's not as difficult as it sounds and can be quite rewarding.

Answer 2

Learn a new languge or even a new programming paradigm - try Haskell for size. It is a functional language and the concepts are different enough from OOP that it will expand your thinking and approach to programming.

Answer 3

If you aren't a CS/Engineering major, how about a course on algorithms (link below)? A lot of the concepts taught in these classes are applicable in the real world; at the very least, they will aid you in your endeavours in developing software.

http://academicearth.org/courses/introduction-to-algorithms

Answer 4

• Lern typing fast and without failures ;)
• Read a book about desing patterns
• Read stackoverflow ;-)
• Train you brain with http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems&page=1

Answer 5

When I was young, I went for summer jobs during the summer holidays. There was not much money (only US$ 400 a month) but there were real tasks to accomplish. I worked in an advertisement agency. Within that holiday, I picked up dBASE III+, completed a HR and payroll system.

That was 1985, Hong Kong.

Answer 6

Learn how to mix a damn fine cocktail. This should keep you well away from programming and stand you in good stead in later life. Kick back, it's summer, you'll return to your work in the autumn refreshed and relaxed and raring to go.