I don’t really want to go in depth into programming, I just want to know what I’m looking at if I ever come across anything like that at my job (mechanical engineering) and maybe solve some simple problems.

I learned C and Java in my first year in college, but it’s all mostly forgotten. I’m leaning towards Python since I read it’s relatively simple and used a lot nowadays, and it’s what my teachers used later on in college anyway.

What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance!

  • nik282000@lemmy.ml
    2·
    3 years ago

    Python is easy to pick up but it is very different from Java/C/C++ so it may or may not help you in understanding other people’s work. If you are just messing around I would recommend looking at Python, Processing.org (Java) and Arduino(C++). If you can solve the same simple problems with all three you will be set for most anything (and you get to play around with Arduinos).

  • maporita@lemmy.ml
    2·
    3 years ago

    Apart from a front end language like Python it’s always good to know basic SQL. A lot of engineering software uses some sort of relational database and it’s handy to be able to query the data source directly. If you’re going to be doing any kind of data analysis then look at R also.

  • Miro@lemmy.world
    2·
    3 years ago

    Humble Bundle is actually running a pretty good promotion on Python courses/materials.

    I haven’t opened them yet but there are like 45 items in that bundle. I had decided to learn a new language myself and this made the choice for me.

  • ramblingsteve@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    3 years ago

    To flip this around, think of some projects you want to do. The languages are just tools and will be determined by what you want to do, and then each type of project has it’s best tool chain. Think of the problem(s) you want to solve first and the rest will follow.

  • Rhin0@lemmy.world
    32·
    3 years ago

    C is the way to go my friend. The popular languages such as Python which you mentioned, are just C in a trench coat. It’s all abstraction. If you understand C, you will be able to understand any language.

  • justsayit@lemm.ee
    0·
    3 years ago

    Python or Go.

    I recommend people try learning Python through Jupyter Notebooks as a first attempt. It’s nice being able to run individual blocks of code and auto printing of output is great for learning more quickly.

    Go is just a generally straightforward language and is known for being productive after a short time of learning. Plus generating binaries that can run anywhere can be a motivator if you’re planning on sharing the output of your programming.