3 replies to this topic

[nomonaynohonay]

Hi,

Facebook has been providing internships in my university for sometime. Of the several positions only one is available to those who are in the arts BA. I am in the arts and other than Computer Science 101 I have no background in programming. I have just started to learn HTML. Its fairly simple to learn for me.

Taking a look at the below job requirements; by fluency I assume you must be atleast medicore in one of those languages. And by experienced I assume you must have some working knowledge of all those languages. Can someone advise which languages to learn and in which order? I have the whole summer plus fall semester. Thanks guys! Here is the job description posted on the university site:

Responsibilities:
- Dig through and glean useful insight from massive amounts of data
- Successful applicants will be asked to contribute in one or more of the following ways:
- Backend software engineering to deal with data processing challenges
- Statistical inference over social networks and user behavior
- Web-based front-end engineering for data visualization

Requirements:
- Working towards a BS/BA or MS/MA in Computer Science, Mathematics, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics or related field
- Fluency with Python, Perl, Java, or C++
- Basic understanding of and experience with relational databases (SQL)
- Experience with PHP, Javascipt, HTML/CSS preferred
- Basic understanding of statistical analysis; experience with packages such as R, Matlab, SPSS, SAS, STATA, etc. preferred
- Deep desire to have a quantitative and rigorous understanding of behavior
- The ability to communicate the results of analyses in a clear and effective manner
- Ability to work well in a small team and be self-drive

[WingedPanther]

My advice: wait a year. Do you know anything about SQL? Do you know anything about statistical analysis? Do you know any programming languages comfortably enough that you can create an application with minimal outside resources? My sense, from what you've said, is that the answer to most of those questions is no.

[nomonaynohonay]

Hi,

Thanks for the response. I was just wondering if anyone can point out which programs I should probably start off with? I am not familiar with any of those things. This is sort of a personal project even if I dont get the job I think the learning would be valuable. From HTML where do I go? PHP or javascript? Should I wait till after these things to learn SQL? Etc. :)

[WingedPanther]

The tutorials here will help a LOT: W3Schools Online Web Tutorials
As far as order: HTML, then CSS, then JavaScript, then PHP, then SQL.