Where is programming taking you and where are you taking it? - Developers

I've seen this question posed in a couple ways, but I want a more concise answer, all in one place. Usually people ask only a part of it. What are you currently/going to do with programming? Going to college? - What's your major/s and how are you enjoying it? Doing most of it on your own time? -Feel free to share how great or terrible that is. Also, are you taking any steps to improve your knowledge and talents? Scouring the internet, asking friends, taking Udacity courses, winging it..? I'm interested in what you guys enjoy doing and how it's working. Currently I've been doing some C# stuff on my own with the help of some books and some online sources, and I'm slowly breaking into XNA and I'm learning Python with Udacity. I'm thinking of either going to Umass Amherst with Comp. Sci and taking a bunch of fun Gen.Eds to give me a broad view, or going to RPI and dual majoring comp. sci with their Games programming course (though it sounds a lil cheesy). Any how, I'm enjoying the work so far and I hope to never stop learning. Now your turn.

Reinventing wheels.

I am currently working on a little project of mine in the very rare occasions I have time to myself. I am going to be starting my computer science degree work this upcoming fall. Whenever I get really bored and have a lot of free time on my hand (the second almost never happens), I just pick a new language and decide to learn it on my own. :v: That's about all I got right now. :v:

I'm going to University of Pittsburgh for CS. They have 'major concentration areas' as higher up courses, and one of those areas is game design so Ill be taking those. I just finished my first semester taking Intermediate Java and I really liked it. It was simple at first but It taught me a lot more and I really enjoyed it. I also took a discrete math course cause we have to, can't say I enjoyed that. I don't really program as much in my free time as I used to. I want to but I just cant motivate myself, although once I start Ill do it for hours. I've been attempting to work on a game for XNA for a while, and am starting to learn LUA for GMod. Honestly I have no idea where I'm going with programming. I'm gonna get some job somewhere someday because I enjoy it, but I'm not really that worried about it. My programming teacher from high school told me to just get through the crap classes and keep doing what I want to do(which is making games).

[QUOTE=Gmod4ever;35679764]I am currently working on a little project of mine in the very rare occasions I have time to myself. I am going to be starting my computer science degree work this upcoming fall. Whenever I get really bored and have a lot of free time on my hand (the second almost never happens), I just pick a new language and decide to learn it on my own. :v: That's about all I got right now. :v:[/QUOTE] What college would that be?

[QUOTE=DoctorSalt;35680079]What college would that be?[/QUOTE] Western Washington University, in Bellingham, WA. :v:

Just a few days ago I started learning on making a C++ program with Windows UI. (You know, with windows.) Planning to learn more about programming entities and stuff for the source engine. Also, I've made a bunch of lua scripts for gmod, mainly based on helping tools for machinima. If I ever get any good ideas, I'm sure I'll be making more lua stuff. Lua is a fun and easy language imo :P Never had any "real" education of programming, but I hope I can get some kind of education, even though I guess that's gonna be about the things I already know. My long future plan is to turn programming from a hobby into a job, of course. Most people say that Java is the first programming language they've learned, but I still dont know much about it. Maybe I should look into it :P And also PHP.

Even though I've mostly been doing web-related programming, next (school) year I'm going to University to study Computer Science. I hope to start with software (programs) and later move to game development.

It's just a hobby for me.

A nice dinner under the stars. On a more serious note, I program on and off as part of my degree is based on programming. Outside of education I program random things when I'm bored, usually having to do with particles or sound. No idea why. Undecided to whether I shall pick Software Engineering or Mechatronic Engineering next year.

I'm using my game programming college as a "place to go to work on programming". All I know I've taught myself. I'm a self starting, self motivated and self driving programmer with 6 years of good knowledge in C++ and 2d game programming. The sad thing is that there's noone in my class that has the same attributes as me, which makes me alone, because I can't team up with someone with less knowledge than me, because I can do what they can do better and much faster. Which makes me very lonely. I have programming friends in my class, but I can't start a project with them because I'm too advanced. Once I start mentioning interfaces they drop off. I hope to get a serious project started next semester, which will be a showcase for future applications. I sound selfish, I know I do, but it's the truth and I can't avoid it.

I try to make others peoples life easier, because I believe that making life easier is an essential part in programming. Game programming doesn't really interest me anymore, the market is full and I'm not interested in money. Utilities on the other hand: QuickMagicks and SRCDSGUI are perfect example of what I mean

As a hobby, I try to expand my knowledge by programming. I've picked up on the basics of C# (A little XNA), Lua (Mostly using LÖVE), PHP and such just from reading on the internet. I also very much enjoy it, so further education may be an option. It's a bit early for me to decide what I want to do since I'm still doing GCSE's and anything programming related is far off in the UK's education.

^ Thanks. I'm finding all this input very helpful! jack5500: I think this is a very good point that not everyone realizes, how much ones interest can change, and that it's okay to do nongame programming even if that's what you went into it for.

[QUOTE=jack5500;35699707]Game programming doesn't really interest me anymore, the market is full and I'm not interested in money. [/QUOTE] Even if you were interested in money, games aren't the way to go.

[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;35706016]Even if you were interested in money, games aren't the way to go.[/QUOTE] Unless you find it giving. I do it purely as a hobby. I don't have any friends that are into programming either, other than internet-friends.

I'm a senior at my university with a major in game/simulation programming. Thanks to school I am very confident in my abilities and consider myself one of the most employable programmers around. However I can't say that for anyone who gets a degree in programming, even the same degree as I'm getting. Why? Basically this: [QUOTE=AtomiCasd;35699648]I have programming friends in my class, but I can't start a project with them because I'm too advanced. Once I start mentioning interfaces they drop off.[/QUOTE] I've said it before and I'll say it again. A degree means nothing unless you make it mean something. I've been fortunate to have people push me and motivate me but a lot of people don't have that, and would rather get the bare minimum. Which is, frankly, a waste of time and money. That said I spend a lot of my time programming. It was an intense hobby of mine over the years but it is turning into a career choice. I feel that I enjoy programming as much as I have when I started. No, I enjoy programming more than when I started. I have never been the most motivated programmer, but given motivation I always get stuff done. I heavily believe in trial-and-error programming. Ask Mordi, I like redoing things. I setup a system that I think will do everything I need it to do and never fail. Then it doesn't do this and that, and fails given some odd circumstance. The next time I make it I am more confident in its abilities, but it still has issues. By the nth time, it is a flawless system. Given several years of trial and error, perhaps... (I'm looking at you, networking) One day I hope to work for an easy-going company. Valve would be lovely. I also have aspirations to be self-employed, doing my own thing. I'm playing it by ear.