Head First
- Austin Smith
- Jun 12, 2017
- 2 min read
Up until this point in time, I have been reading articles, blogs, and websites all in an attempt to further my skills with Java. I have covered everything from classes and arrays to GUI’s and java.swing but there were still basic concepts that just weren’t clicking in my mind. That was when I read about “Head First – Java” by Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates.
The book takes complex topics such as encapsulation or enhanced loops and through word association and puzzles, makes the challenge of using them not so daunting. Now does this mean any “average Joe” that used <HTML> on their MySpace back in 2001 would be able to grasp these concepts, no. But, anyone with basic or even advanced coding or scripting (Java, C++, Python) that understands basic lingo and architecture will find that this book takes thinking to the next level. It walks you through the design of “prep code,” to building “test code,” and finally the “real code.” They don’t tell you how to think or build; more so they give you the direction and the kick in the butt so you don’t get lost. The exercises at the end of each chapter are also not for the faint of heart. Anyone can read the chapter, translate it into a simple program and make it run. But what happens when you come across a class that won’t compile, or a method that won’t run. Well you are out of luck. I’m sure you are probably thinking, “gee, I really wish I had taken time to do the examples in the book.” The exercises help you analyze code, build code for different scenarios using pre-written snippets, and make you write your own code to solve everyday mysteries taking your thought process into overdrive.
Three hundred pages into the book in the past two days and I have already seen the way I look at code and the way I analyze code change immensely. Don’t worry everyone, I will let you know how the book ends, and bring some of the programs I build to the page under the “Projects” tab. Until then, Cheers!
Comments