Course Review - Is Coding for Everyone: C and C++ Specialization Worth it?

Suppose you want to develop IoT devices like smart refrigerators or building an operating system like Windows or Linux, and you want a programming language to perform low-level stuff. In that case, you probably need to learn C/C++ programming languages. C++ language is the extended version of a language called C developed by Dennis M. Ritchie and used for creating applications and compilers, and more. C++ was the fourth most used programming language after Java, C, and python according to PYPL  and the best choice for banking applications and creating web browsers like Chrome & Firefox, and developing graphic applications and cloud storage systems more just to name a few.

Active communities are helping you if you find any problem with learning or developing your application. You can find any online course to teach you this language. Still, I would recommend staying with this Coding for Everyone: C and C++ Specialization offered from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Is Coding for Everyone: C and C++ Specialization Worth it?

Now, let's find out whether this Coursera specialization is really worth it or not, first we will see instructor who is teaching the course and then we will look into course structure and what exactly is covered in this course. 

1. The Instructors Review

The instructor of this specialization is Ira Pohl, and he is a professor in computer science. His research in these languages is C, C++, Java, and also artificial intelligence.

2. Course Content

2.1. C for Everyone: Programming Fundamentals

This course is created for students who want to start learning the C language and non-technical people. You will first start with the C language since C++ is an extended version of it. You will learn the history of the C language and how the compiling and debugging process works and then create a simple program that will take the data from the user and produce output.

Then you will move to learn the basics of this language like inserting comments in your code, working with operators, using keywords, expressions, and more. You will also see the flow control of the code and using functions and conditional statements and more advanced functions and recursion and the essential part, which is arrays and pointers.

2.2. C for Everyone: Structured Programming

Before you understand how to program, it is better to know how the algorithms work and how the computer's deep processes. The C language is a good suit for this thing because it interacts with low-level stuff on your laptop. You will learn about the C preprocessor and the Enums as an ADT and more advanced about this topic. You will also learn how to access struct members and using the stack to reverse a string.

You will also about the ADT (Abstract data types) list and get an overview of the binary trees and advanced input/output commands. You will learn more about the file input/output and double-spacing a file. Finally, get an overview of the C++ language before jumping to the next course of this specialization.

2.3. C++ For C Programmers, Part A

This course is for experienced people in the C language who want to expand their knowledge to the C++ language, also used among companies and developers. You will convert a C code into a C++ code and learn some of the basics of this new language and why it is better than a C language. Then you will learn about C++ generics and functions, creating types, and more. 

You will also learn about the classes and object-oriented programming and using points and their constructors, complex aggregates, elaborate list, destructors, and more. You will know more about C++ algorithms and vector methods, STL input files, iterator categories, output a random graph.

2.4. C++ For C Programmers, Part B

Another section in this specialization teaches you the C++ language with more advanced topics for people who want to learn more about this language and advance their careers. You will know more about the standard template library STL, iterator categories, poker probability, Lambda expression, and numerical algorithms. Next, you will see how Hex can be played as a game on a graph and learn the basics of inheritance.

Then you will learn to create the C++ class and learn the plausible move generator and the polish notation, and you will use the Monte Carlo evaluation in complex games like Hex and Go. Finally, you have to pass a practical exam to get your final grade and certificate.

Conclusion

Because embedded systems and desktop applications will increase, the demand for C++ skills will grow every year. This will encourage you to learn these two languages and maybe create your product that solves people's problems and does a business.