PHP college course needed. Are there any?

[randalusa]

All of my web searches have produced zero results. Difficult for me to accept the premise that colleges are failing to offer PHP classes. Yet all I get in results are Google Sponsored Ads showing those outrageously expensive 'business' colleges. They are generally offering 4-day instruction seminars for about $4,000.00.

 

My quest is for a regular classroom setting that meets 2-4 days per week for a full term. Tired of trying to get the advanced stuff down with videos and online tutorials. Very few offer the pagination and multiple functions in one file that the site I am in charge of has, along with complex changes where words are substituted for numbers in multiple choice replies in a form.

 

So,,, anyone here know where to get formal training?

 

 

[Psycho]

Well, first off it's kind of hard to suggest any colleges as we have no idea where you currently reside.

 

But, programming is programming. Go to any institution offering a Computer Science degree. With programming the language is not so much important as is the logic. If you understand how to program you can move from one language to another with little difficulty.Almost all languages have the same constructs with some varriations.

[darkfreaks]

if your looking online i know Zend offers courses in certification

[randalusa]

Well, first off it's kind of hard to suggest any colleges as we have no idea where you currently reside.

 

But, programming is programming. Go to any institution offering a Computer Science degree. With programming the language is not so much important as is the logic. If you understand how to program you can move from one language to another with little difficulty.Almost all languages have the same constructs with some varriations.

I am in Oregon. Location is not critical though, as I may be willing to drive to neighboring states in order to finally get this language conquered.

 

About learning any language, then tranferring, sorry, my brain might lack sufficient stuff to learn the wrong symbols, then try and shift to the right ones. The logic already makes sense to me, how the IF and ELSE/IF works, functions, includes, database calls and stuff.

 

So,,, know of any college within a thousand miles that teaches php?

 

How are most people learning anyway? Must be picking it up with online tutorials and books.

[darkfreaks]

i learned through the manual on php.net and a few other books

[rarebit]

I learnt c, c++ etc and once you know them php is easy peasy, what a great language... if you know how to program then all you need is php.net and this forum and by doing it yourself it'll be more rewarding!

[randalusa]

if your looking online i know Zend offers courses in certification

Zend is one of the $2,000-4,000 courses that last 5 days.

 

Since I am a fairly slow learner, it seems to me the longer course (and much cheaper) is the way to go. Up here in Oregon, college classes are fairly expensive (compared to California) at $500 per term. But that's a whole term for a quarter the price of Zend, along with labs, tutors and assorted resources thrown in for nothing.

 

This is discouraging because everyone has apparently been able to get it. After 5 books and more than a year, I can only READ and fully understand what I am reading. But creating new code from scratch is another matter.

 

Anyway, thanks.

[randalusa]

I learnt c, c++ etc and once you know them php is easy peasy, what a great language... if you know how to program then all you need is php.net and this forum and by doing it yourself it'll be more rewarding!

 

Which is a great language, c++ ?

 

[rarebit]

C is sorta essential, but C++ is the modern extension, php is syntaxically similar, just with a lot more function and variable flexible... As mjdamato say's (or my version), 'been to one city, been to 'em all!"...

[Psycho]

About learning any language, then tranferring, sorry, my brain might lack sufficient stuff to learn the wrong symbols, then try and shift to the right ones. The logic already makes sense to me, how the IF and ELSE/IF works, functions, includes, database calls and stuff.

 

But, that's my point. All languages have the same constructs: IF/Else Statements, Functions, bitwise logic, etc. The difficult part of programming is not the language it is knowing how to create the logic, when to use IF/ELSE, SELECT, etc.

 

For example, PHP uses this != that, whereas some applications use this <> that. It's not like English vs. Chineese

 

You either have the aptitude for programming or you don't. I have learned most of what I know in PHP by:

 

Going through tutorials, reading the manual when I don't understand a command, and coming to forums such as this. There have been many times where someone has asked a questionand I did not know the answer. But, after a few minutes research I had the knowledge to provide a soution.

 

 

[darkfreaks]

i have to agree with all the above tutorials books and manuals help if you cannot understand them most likely you do not have the ability to understand  programming languages. you either get it or you dont

[randalusa]

Well, maybe I SHOULD give up aftrerall. Sure would like a chance at some one on one tutoring and class instruction beforehand though, cuz it feels fairly close.

 

Also, here's a question then:

 

If it's all so easy for the majority to pick up (a couple books online tutorials), why are so many people spending years in college for the training? Maybe they're dumb like me, needing to have it forced into them brains.

 

Oddly enough, I struggled for months trying to understand flying, especially the written portion. And I mean the aspects of flying after getting a private license. I needed an Instrument rating, commerical, flight instructor and twin engine ticket. I got there, however.

 

Then I taught quite a few people to fly themselves. Now I am great at it, both teaching and flying. But it sucked for me getting over the hump.

 

So while I am ready to believe that I am unlikely to ever be an artist or be naturally funny much of the time or find a latent talent for composing music, programming is so much more basic. It requires no talent, great gifts. It's merely learning the language and the interconnections.

 

Just gotta get over my learning disability.

 

At any rate, apparently there are very few, if any, college courses in php. I have spoken to IT people from two universities already. Neither offers a single class.

 

Thanks again for the ideas and observations.

[tippy_102]

why are so many people spending years in college for the training?

If you look at the help wanted ads, you will see that many large corporations and governments are looking for employees with university degrees.

 

 

[Psycho]

If it's all so easy for the majority to pick up (a couple books online tutorials), why are so many people spending years in college for the training? Maybe they're dumb like me, needing to have it forced into them brains.

 

Some observations:

 

I have seen people who have a four year degree in CS who can't program their way out of a paper bag while there are others with no formal training who are gifted programmers. I do a good deal of hiring and even though I know the above to be true, there is only so much you can learn about a persons abilities in a couple interviews and perhaps a knowledge test. So, you have to rely upon the information at hand. If I havce two people that seem equally qualified where one has a degree and the other doesn't I will generally go with the degreed candidate.

 

If you have the aptitude for programming then just about ANY programming instruction will give you the start you need. I had learned Javascript mostly on my own and gravitated to PHP when wanting to do server-side scripting because it is nearly identical to JavaScript, but I am also competent in VBScript (the ASP language) even though the language is very different.

 

I don't know where you live in Oregon (i'm formerly from Portland), but you might want to contact the Portland PHP Users Group: http://pdxphp.org/

[randalusa]

 

If it's all so easy for the majority to pick up (a couple books online tutorials), why are so many people spending years in college for the training? Maybe they're dumb like me, needing to have it forced into them brains.

 

Some observations:

 

I have seen people who have a four year degree in CS who can't program their way out of a paper bag while there are others with no formal training who are gifted programmers. I do a good deal of hiring and even though I know the above to be true, there is only so much you can learn about a persons abilities in a couple interviews and perhaps a knowledge test. So, you have to rely upon the information at hand. If I havce two people that seem equally qualified where one has a degree and the other doesn't I will generally go with the degreed candidate.

 

If you have the aptitude for programming then just about ANY programming instruction will give you the start you need. I had learned Javascript mostly on my own and gravitated to PHP when wanting to do server-side scripting because it is nearly identical to JavaScript, but I am also competent in VBScript (the ASP language) even though the language is very different.

 

I don't know where you live in Oregon (i'm formerly from Portland), but you might want to contact the Portland PHP Users Group: http://pdxphp.org/

 

Thanks for the link. I am going to have a look there now.

 

As for lacking the aptitude, while that is possibly (perhaps probably) true with me, after investing this much time and effort, plus FEELING the victory approaching, I am going to hang in there and get this stinking language conquered, and then finally bring a host of new features to my website.

 

Y'all are kind for helping me gain a greater feel for the subject.