Beginner to Software Engineering

If your program is based around Java, I would definitely get a head start learning that language now, so you can "hit the ground running" so-to-speak. I'm sure you will get several book recommendations from other users. There's a lot to take in when learning to program, so feeling comfortable with the syntax before starting will be a big benefit as things tend to move quickly.

 

If you want to be a software engineer you need to know how to learn, how to solve problems, communicate clearly, and on a good day write some code. The syntax of a single language is pretty insignificant compared to everything else you'll need. Start reading about algorithms and discrete math. Having a firm basis in complexity, logic proofs, etc. will serve you well in every program you write in any language.

Good luck!

-Lee

also: data structures

 

If you want to learn Java, have a look over Head First Java. This should be more than enough. ...2/index.html]C Programming: A Modern Approach. It's (one of) the best introductory books on C I've read so far.

For C++, you may want to go through Thinking in C++. This is a free ebook, but it's where I've learnt C++ from.

If you want to study algorithms, I think Introduction to Algorithms is what you'll be looking at.

I hope this helps.