Like many folks, I've occasionally been drawn to 'write a book', despite a real need for it. Mid 2020, I had a couple inspiring computer science majors contact me via Reddit for advice, mostly involving 'what is CS' and 'How do I get into CS', but one exchange left me puzzled. A young man from Ireland, just leaving high school was accepted into university but later rejected as a result of Covid reduction in campus actions. He asked what he could do to get a head-start in self-study or prepare for the industry in the event he never gets in. My suggestion was simply; "go to the university bookstore, find the CS textbooks, buy them and begin self-study". I heavily encouraged going to university, and stressed that I doubt I'd be a professional in the industry had I not done so, but as a plan-B aligning your self-study with the university curriculum would be better than adhoc YouTube, influencer offerings, or code camps.
To my surprise, I quickly found I'm out of touch with how universities teach as of late. Many no longer have physical textbooks, or virtual ones for that matter, instead they teach via interactive websites with automated grading. Restricted to university students closed the avenue to my suggestion. So, over a few days I got a bug to write a book, a collaboration of my CS university teachings in a manner I had wished it was presented to me. Worse case, after spending some time on it, I'd know how lofty an effort.
On and off, I return to this passion project unsure of it's practicality but it helps rekindle my love for this career.
Attached is a snippet of my work in progress, not even titled yet;
I'd welcome any feedback on the chapter as well as experiences from anyone who has authored and published a book.
