The most efficient way to learn C++ is to start from programming logic and understand its syntax. You can either start learning from C++ Official Documentation, or join any of the best C++ courses.
If you are a complete beginner, you can also explore Youtube to clear your thoughts about the language and later search, and choose your best programming tutor to provide you with a C++ course.
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4 Approaches to Mastering C++
When it comes to learning a programming language, you are left with plenty of options. You can either learn it all by yourself or utilize online courses, books, and ebooks to gather knowledge.
Here are some of the best ways and resources to start your learning journey:
Learn by Yourself
Some people quickly pick up things while others need someone to provide them with the proper guidance in any subject.
Let’s take programming as an example; if you are already a technical type of person with great logical thinking capabilities, why not learn C++ yourself? It is practically possible if you pour all your attention and some of your daily hours into learning.
If that’s you, and you are planning to take it on by yourself, then we highly suggest you check C++ Official Documentation and learn the fundamentals (syntax) of the language.
Sometimes, however, learning by yourself just doesn’t seem to go right. In this scenario, you should explore other options like online courses and books.
You should know that C++ has a very steep learning curve, and you might face difficulties with your code every other day. There is nothing to worry about if you have chosen to learn everything by yourself.
There are online forums made for programming languages where you can drop your questions, and people will be more than pleased to answer your queries. Stack Overflow will be your best companion during your journey; you will find most of your solutions and answers related to C++ on such websites and forums.
Utilize Books
Books are the greatest source of knowledge whether it’s:
- self-help
- motivation
- finance
- programming
The only problem with old books is that they rely on a lot of old IDEs (Integrated Development Environment).
For example, some will start with the C++ command line to learn a complete language. As much as these books’ concepts are still completely relatable, they lack the updated environment where students can comfortably learn and practice.
Furthermore, try to go for the latest editions of these books to get the most out of it. This learning method is strongly recommended for people who are fond of books and find it more interesting to learn and organize their notes.
Here are some of the books that you can order right now to start learning C++ (from Basic to Advance):
- Beginner’s Book: “C++ Primer by S. B. Lippman, J. Lajoie, B. E. Moo.”
- Intermediate Book: “Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by example by Andrew Koenig”
- Professional’s Book: “The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup” (The Inventor of CPP wrote this book himself).
You can take a fresh start from the “C++ Primer” book where you will learn:
- fundamentals
- rules
- syntax
Once you have a strong base, then you can level up your learnings with the “Accelerated C++” book, and last but not least, the Advance level book by Bjarne Stroustrup, who himself is the inventor of CPP.
Online Courses
Online courses are indeed the biggest and most efficient sources of learning and equipping oneself with new skills. There are hundreds of thousands of online courses available by the best tutors.
Some of these courses are completely free, and you can easily find them on youtube, while other paid courses can be found on platforms like Udemy or Udacity etc.
The difference between free and paid training is that free training rarely includes any type of support while paid training mostly offers you instant support if you have any confusion.
You can kickstart your C++ journey with the best C++ courses compiled by professional programmers and tutors. Courses are also divided into three sections, which includes Beginners, Intermediate & Professional.
You can choose one according to your current level. If you are starting, then you must go through a beginner’s course to strengthen your concepts, or otherwise, you will not be able to learn much in the intermediate and advanced courses.
Online Tutorials
Thousands of websites can teach you through their web platforms without charging a dime. These websites are pretty similar to online courses because they also contain videos sometimes, but they are also content-oriented sites filled with all of your required knowledge.
If you love to read articles and pick things quickly, then the websites, where you can start learning C++ right now, are highly suggested:
All these websites provide you with are step by step guides from basic to advance levels. Some of these sites, like SoloLearn, also include interesting quizzes at the end of each section to test your C++ capabilities.
Furthermore, there are code examples included after each section to execute yourself in your development environment.
How Long Does It Take to Learn?
The fundamentals and syntax of the C++ language is easily learnable in 2-3 months for an average person who is totally new to programming. A newbie programmer should spend 2 to 4 hours every day (5 days a week) to have a strong grip over C++ in a given time period.
Is C++ Hard to Learn?
C++’s concepts aren’t much difficult, but using it to solve real problems can be a little complex. It is a multi-paradigm language, and it’s syntax is difficult if compared to other high-level languages such as Python, but at the end of the day, all this difficulty is worth it.
Are you finding it hard to make your decision about whether you should pursue C++ or not? You may first want to learn what C++ is used for.
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