Ask HN: Continous growth as a C++ developer

2 points by EternalLight 12 years ago | 2 comments

Hi HN

tl dr: I'm looking for a good way to learn more in depth knowledge of C++, as well as something to motivate me to learn in my spare time. Is a course/certificate a reasonable option and can you recommend any in particular?

I know this might be a bit more of a "career programer" question than what's normal for HN, but I still thought it would be worthwhile to ask.

I've been working with C++ for about 1.5 years now and find my growth stagnating. During normal work hours I find myself solving the problem at hand and moving on to the next problem rather than allocating enough time for deep learning and really gaining an understanding of C++ internals. This is mostly since there's always more to do than we have time for.

I've been thinking about how to solve this and started thinking about taking a course/certification (probably in my spare time) that would allow me code in a more learning oriented way, while also forcing me to code in my spare time. (I read a lot of about programing and technology in my spare time but find most of my own projects fizzling out due to lack of motivation)

Do you think a course/certification is the right way to go? And if so can you recommend something worth taking?

itg 12 years ago |

What courses/certifications are you thinking of?

When I was trying to improve my C skills, I worked on some projects with other people so we can learn from each other while staying motivated. I would also recommend the Effective C++ books by Scott Meyers if you haven't read them already.

EternalLight 12 years ago | |

I'm not sure, I was mostly thinking of something that will involve a lot of coding assignments. The idea being that if I code to learn there will be less pressure to deliver something and move on, instead allowing me to investigate it at a different level. While still having a framework to get me working.

I guess what I'm thinking about is something like c++ for grandmasters (http://www.cppgm.org/), but less epic in scope.