I'm interested about learning software engineering. which direction should I take?

i'm currently enrolled in a community college in the florida panhandle. the first class i'm taking is programming logics and concepts which is the absolute beginner's course. should i start with visual basic.net and then move my way up to c, c++, Java, perl and Ruby? i just need to point myself in the right direction.

I'm interested about learning software engineering. which direction should I take?
I recommend learning C programming first. It is a procedural programming language and it'll introduce to programming syntax and alogrithms...along with memory blocks and pointers, etc. From there, I'd move on to C++. At UC Davis, my C++ professor said the C++ course was the "make or break course" for Computer Science majors. C++ will introduce you to object-orientated programming. You may want to take an introduction to logic course as well. You could also take Java before you take C programming...it's widely used in the industry right now and would be helpful to you, especially if you get into Web 2.0 RIA development. I'd also look at the ciriculum of 4 year universities in your area to see what courses they require in their programs too. Best of luck!
Reply:In addition to a solid background in programming languages (like the ones already mentioned), don't forget that there's much more to Software Engineering. In particular, you need to look at courses in OO Design, design patterns, UML, Testing, Databases etc. A well rounded and effective software engineer has some solid knowledge in these other areas as well as good programming skills.
Reply:Current computer languages, despite their frequent attempts at generality, are just tools suited to specific purposes. You will need to be fluent in several of them to be a competent software engineer.








Pick up "Compilers, Principles, Techniques and Tools" by Aho, Sethi. Read every chapter slowly, and do every lesson thoroughly. Done correctly, it should take you many months, and should require you to do research on the web and ask many more questions





If you know how languages work *in general* it won't matter what language you decide to use later. This book, more than any other, has served me well in my 10 years as a programmer.