Programming for undergrad physics major

[plancking]

I'm starting my undergraduate degree in physical/mathematical sciences at the University of Toronto in the fall. My long-term goal at this point is a career in academia, probably theoretical physics, but I don't want to close any doors on the experimental side. Other than coursework, I would like to volunteer with a research group. Are there any programming languages that I should self-study before I get there? U of T's physics curriculum doesn't seem too heavy on computational physics but I want to be well-prepared.

Also - tangentially related - are there any software programs with a steep learning curve that I should start learning now?

 

[MarneMath]

Well, there's quite a few programming languages you can and should learn. I tend to recommend python, because it's extremely useful and relatively easy to learn. Once you learn one language, learning more becomes a bit more simple.

On the software side, it wouldn't hurt to learn a basic mathematical program like matlab, mathematica, maple and on the statistical side SAS or R(it's free!).

 

[plancking]

Thank you, that's very helpful!

 

[NeoZeon]

C++, learning to read fortran, Python, and Matlab should serve you well. Maybe java.

 

[Moneer81]

Python, Matlab and LabView

Also Linux/unix

 

[ZombieFeynman]

I second the suggestions of C++ and Matlab. I also suggest being very familiar with Mathematica.