Programming Language and relevant resources ?

Although many companies still need people to know VB6 to keep legacy software operational, the move towards .NET is becoming very heavy. If I were you, I'd want to know as much .NET as possible because it is looking very good on a resume. I've been working at my new job for nearly two months now and everything we do here is .NET based, and all we've been doing is software and web applications for state agencies (lots of $ for contract work doing that)

Pay especially careful attention to the algorithms part. While documentation is important, and usually graded as such, if you understand what your teacher and the literature is telling you about how to do things, then the rest should be straightforward. For an introductory programming course, the thing to remember is you don't have much perspective yet. The school will probably have good reasons for choosing this or that language, but you are learning the language and the discipline and it is very possible that if you study ahead (focusing on C++) you may find that what you have studied are the wrong things. The same may be true of your fellow students. On this topic, the Wikipedia is a very good resource. Since the content is user-generated, it does have some flaws, but it has such a wide variety of contributors, especially on computer-related subjects, that as an introduction to many subjects it is as good as the sites which limit their contributions to certified "experts". I know there are arguments going on about this right now, but we're talking about the Wikipedia when it is read critically. You will get your textbooks in August or September. They should be what you need for the specifics of how you are going to get through the class. Any general introduction to the subject of programming should help. If only by putting your mind at ease.