some advice on what classes to take

[ilikeapplepie]

hi,
i am studying comp. science. i just finished basic C language.
i just wanted to know if i decide to study object oriented programming ( c++ and java), sql and a class on operating systems without taking the class on data structures, will i be alright?
we studied arrays and one chapter on data structures in the basic C class.
i will take data structures but probably after i have finished object oriented programming.
will it hurt me in java, sql etc if i did not take the class on data structures?
Data Structures class is the prerequisite only for one class - compiler design in the university where i study.

thank you and a very Happy New Year to you all.

[tabstop]

Basic rule of thumb: if the department thought you needed data structures in order to take Java, they would have made it a prereq. Presumably your Java class will probably be about as introductory as your C class was, just from an OO standpoint as opposed to a procedural one. Most SQL people probably don't know what a data structure is (I'm kidding, but it's not going to come up). The OS class could be a bit of a stretch, depending on whether this is OS in the terms of "files are organized in directories. today we will learn how to set up a directory on the computer" or OS in the terms of what's actually going on. (Although even at that level there's not that many data structures going on; mostly stacks and the occasional list.)

[ilikeapplepie]

the department had kept data structures as a prerequisite for object oriented programming about 2 semesters back.
so if it's not required now, i should not be worried i guess.

thanks for the info. i had no clue as to what ill be studying in sql.

[Eman]

I think it is probably OS in terms of what is going on.
we had to learn stuff like mutual exclusion, context switch, deadlock and so on...
Although they might teach you a bit of Unix, if they do then they will go into directories and stuff...
they never do Windows :S

If you can learn some data structures on your own that would be cool. But for a beginner, you don't need it, right? Only in the advanced stages, and you haven't started some OOP yet.

[ilikeapplepie]

I think it is probably OS in terms of what is going on.
we had to learn stuff like mutual exclusion, context switch, deadlock and so on...
Although they might teach you a bit of Unix, if they do then they will go into directories and stuff...
they never do Windows :S

cool cuz i know basic unix shell scripting.

[Eman]

cool cuz i know basic unix shell scripting.

yeah, i had to learn a bit of bash. A tiny bit..but it depends on your course structure.

[Elysia]

Data structures and algorithms is a topic that is important to all programmers, regardless of language, and is by its nature, language independent. So if you've finished such a course already, then you shouldn't need any other.
If you haven't taken it, then do it.