An extensive field of the IT industry, computer-programming is also called software-engineering or software development. Computing-devices have run programs from their very first inception, & so software engineering is actually quite mature. Most electronic devices would be not a lot more than dumb boxes if they did not incorporate applications. Almost every bit of technological hardware that exists incorporates a program running it. Undoubtedly, a lot of this is what we call firmware, or a basic operating-system that allows the equipment to function; video recorders & DVD Players are good examples. Imagine the navigation-menu which pops-up when you are watching a DVD or Blu-ray - that is software, & so is the on screen inter-face that you use to set up a recording on your Television. When you click 'play' on your DVD Player and settle down to watch a movie, an item of 'software' takes the binary code off the disc & converts it into video information incredibly quickly.

Many factors make it largely recognised that 'C' is the best language for the commercial-programming student to begin with. Its a very disciplined language & several modern 'languages' are based on it; which means once it's learned, you will find the transition in to other 'languages' much simpler. 'C' is the principle 'language' for systems. It is amongst Microsoft's most supported languages in their 'development' environment 'Visual Studio', and within it's certification programs. The knowledge that MS endorse it so happily, and offer an array of commercial accreditation in this 'language', is even more reason why its worth-while using it as starting point. As a matter of interest, 'C' started life back in the 60's (it wasn't actually named C until the 70's though.) The transition to what's known as 'object-oriented' 'C++' (in other words the program is not merely a single, 'linear' pattern of events - it can be a number of objects talking to one another) was completed in the eighties. During the very start of the 21st century, Microsoft launched a '.NET' enabled adaptation which is now named C# (C Sharp,) leading us all right up to date. .NET was obviously a significant advancement, as 'Windows' software writers could now gain access to pre written programs that completed a lot of the fundamental tasks for them.

Understanding where you'd like to get to is vital before starting this (or any other) specialist qualification course, so that you can schedule the correct route. Agreeing to a training course in an ad hoc manner might easily result in you getting to a completely different position to that which you assumed you were working hard towards. The IT arena can seem really unclear to an outsider, & software qualifications sometimes just appear to be a list of acronyms! We would suggest you talk to a knowledgeable advisor before you finalise your full career path. Do not fritter away your time (& significant amounts of your money) by missing out on this important stage.

Systems programmers work in low level 'languages' such as 'C', though modern-day 'C' is a long way away from where it started - and its really a lot more user friendly today. Higher-level 'languages' are employed by applications programmers. All these languages (& there are many!) are different; they have their own instructions & rules and each are geared to be more suitable for particular tasks. So database programs are most probably destined to be written in an appropriate 'language' that sits well in the database environment, but games programs want a low level language (such as 'C') to run fast enough. It doesn't really matter if screen changes take a couple of milliseconds longer with database 'applications', but it counts a great deal with games applications. We need capabilities that are intended to make life easier for the database-user, consequently a stripped down 'language' created for speed would be wholly in-appropriate. Its rather like making a difference between the family-estate car & a racing car. The estate car provides family transport at the right quality and price, but its certainly not going to win in a race! For the purpose of driving the youngsters from one place to another though, it ticks all the right boxes.

A number of years ago Microsoft up-graded their principal qualification paths. They up-graded from their previous MCAD/MCSD (Microsoft Certified Application/Solutions Developer) exams to the MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) & the 'MCPD' ('Microsoft Certified Professional Developer') exams. Before you can tackle the full 'MCPD' examination, you need to complete 2 'MCTS' programs first. Don't be confused by the fact that Microsoft call their very first unit a foundation module. If you are new to programming, consider doing a programming-introduction module first of all. It's also usually a good idea to gain a 'support' certification before both of these, so that a reliable idea of software-environments & software-support can be acquired. Doing this will in addition aid in getting your very first job in the I.T. market. A complete career-track will require roughly 600-700 hours of study time, so if you're studying part time you should be able to complete within approximately twelve - eighteen months.

In it's simplest form, a program will make use of a certain 'language' to instruct a piece of electronics exactly how to carry out a task. As you might imagine, that massively over simplifies the process. When you get to the level of Windows on your computer, it's probable there are around 100 different programs running in the background, enabling the operating system so that you can perform tasks. Computers in essence run on 2 separate levels of software - the operating-system is low-level, and the applications run by the operating system are higher-level. Windows from MS is probably the operating-system most people know best. 'Windows' is actually a very advanced group of programs, all inter-acting together to run everything - the space on the desk-top, how you interact with it, your internet & network access, all the storage-mediums & all of the connecting devices.

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