The follow-up to Cory Althoff's bestselling The Self-Taught Programmer, which inspired hundreds of thousands of professionals to learn to program outside of school! Fresh out of college and with just a year of self-study behind him, Cory Althoff was offered a dream first job as a software engineer for a well-known tech company, but he quickly found himself overwhelmed by the amount of things he needed to know, but hadn’t learned yet. This experience combined with his personal journey learning to program inspired his widely praised guide, The Self-Taught Programmer. Now Cory's back with another guide for the self-taught community of learners focusing on the foundations of computer science. The Self-Taught Computer Scientist introduces beginner and self-taught programmers to computer science fundamentals that are essential for success in programming and software engineering fields. Computer science is a massive subject that could cover an entire lifetime of learning. This book does not aim to cover everything you would learn about if you went to school to get a computer science degree. Instead, Cory's goal is to give you an introduction to some of the most important concepts in computer science that apply to a programming career. With a focus on data structures and algorithms, The Self-Taught Computer Scientist helps you fill gaps in your knowledge, prepare for a technical interview, feel knowledgeable and confident on the job, and ultimately, become a better programmer. Learn different algorithms including linear and binary search and test your knowledge with feedback loops Understand what a data structure is and study arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, hash tables, binary trees, binary heaps, and graphs Prepare for technical interviews and feel comfortable working with more experienced colleagues Discover additional resources and tools to expand your skillset and continue your learning journey It's as simple as this: You have to study computer science if you want to become a successful programmer, and if you don't understand computer science, you won't get hired. Ready for a career in programming, coding, or software engineering and willing to embrace an "always be learning" mindset? The Self-Taught Computer Scientist is for you.

Sharpen your coding skills by exploring established computer science problems! Classic Computer Science Problems in Java challenges you with time-tested scenarios and algorithms. Summary Sharpen your coding skills by exploring established computer science problems! Classic Computer Science Problems in Java challenges you with time-tested scenarios and algorithms. You’ll work through a series of exercises based in computer science fundamentals that are designed to improve your software development abilities, improve your understanding of artificial intelligence, and even prepare you to ace an interview. As you work through examples in search, clustering, graphs, and more, you'll remember important things you've forgotten and discover classic solutions to your "new" problems! Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the technology Whatever software development problem you’re facing, odds are someone has already uncovered a solution. This book collects the most useful solutions devised, guiding you through a variety of challenges and tried-and-true problem-solving techniques. The principles and algorithms presented here are guaranteed to save you countless hours in project after project. About the book Classic Computer Science Problems in Java is a master class in computer programming designed around 55 exercises that have been used in computer science classrooms for years. You’ll work through hands-on examples as you explore core algorithms, constraint problems, AI applications, and much more. What's inside Recursion, memoization, and bit manipulation Search, graph, and genetic algorithms Constraint-satisfaction problems K-means clustering, neural networks, and adversarial search About the reader For intermediate Java programmers. About the author David Kopec is an assistant professor of Computer Science and Innovation at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. Table of Contents 1 Small problems 2 Search problems 3 Constraint-satisfaction problems 4 Graph problems 5 Genetic algorithms 6 K-means clustering 7 Fairly simple neural networks 8 Adversarial search 9 Miscellaneous problems 10 Interview with Brian Goetz

You know how to code..but is it enough? Do you feel left out when other programmers talk about asymptotic bounds? Have you failed a job interview because you don't know computer science? The author, a senior developer at a major software company with a PhD in computer science, takes you through what you would have learned while earning a four-year computer science degree. Volume one covers the most frequently referenced topics, including algorithms and data structures, graphs, problem-solving techniques, and complexity theory. When you finish this book, you'll have the tools you need to hold your own with people who have - or expect you to have - a computer science degree.

The goal of this book is to teach you to think like a computer scientist. This way of thinking combines some of the best features of mathematics, engineering, and natural science. Like mathematicians, computer scientists use formal languages to denote ideas (specifically computations). Like engineers, they design things, assembling components into systems and evaluating tradeoffs among alternatives. Like scientists, they observe the behavior of complex systems, form hypotheses, and test predictions. The single most important skill for a computer scientist is problem solving. Problem solving means the ability to formulate problems, think creatively about solutions, and express a solution clearly and accurately. As it turns out, the process of learning to program is an excellent opportunity to practice problem-solving skills. That's why this chapter is called, The way of the program. On one level, you will be learning to program, a useful skill by itself. On another level, you will use programming as a means to an end. As we go along, that end will become clearer.

A walkthrough of computer science concepts you must know. Designed for readers who don't care for academic formalities, it's a fast and easy computer science guide. It teaches the foundations you need to program computers effectively. After a simple introduction to discrete math, it presents common algorithms and data structures. It also outlines the principles that make computers and programming languages work.

The author examines issues such as the rightness of web-based applications, the programming language renaissance, spam filtering, the Open Source Movement, Internet startups and more. He also tells important stories about the kinds of people behind technical innovations, revealing their character and their craft.