C Programming Masterclass: Pointers & Advanced C Language from Udemy

Welcome to the "Advanced C Programming Masterclass: Pointers & Memory in C". This best-seller course is designed to elevate your C programming skills, with a particular focus on the C language, topics related to embedded C, and advanced C.

Introduction

C programming language still remains one of the most popular and used languages in 2023 and has great career options in different industries, such as:

- Cyber Security.

- Smart Homes & Smart Cities.

- Drones.

- And especially in Embedded Systems.

What will you learn in this course?

There is an 'ancient' phrase saying "to become an expert in C - you need to master pointers".

One of the main objectives of this course is designed to take your basic knowledge of pointers (one of the most significant topics) to the next level. The goal is to take the basic skills you've gained so far in C programming and take this knowledge to a whole new level.

We will cover pointers, memory addressing, pointers to functions, advanced concepts of structs and dynamic memory allocation, and so much more.

The beauty of this course is that it regularly gets updated with new material. And the material being added to the course these days includes lots of information in the low-level programming (the bits and bytes), preparation for usage of Embedded C in Embedded Systems, and other very important topics for the next generation of engineers.

This course covers the topics in-depth, from different angles, and with various visualizations and illustrations - that should make the learning process of pointers and low-level programming much easier and fun for you.

Also, you will get a whole dedicated section on how to use a debugger and what is the debugging process that may help you so much in developing your future applications.

After completing this course you will gain plenty of new skills and knowledge that may improve your chances of getting a job position as a C Developer as well as increasing your chances to pass the exam (if you're still a student).

What's different about this course?

Vlad Budnitski will be your instructor for this course.

He has years of experience working as a Software Developer (also working with complex systems developed in C language). As well as 4 years of experience teaching C Programming for Beginners and Advanced C Programming in College.

So you got lucky on this one because you will get knowledge from a practical software developer and experienced instructor.

You will get a handpicked, concise, and straight to the point material that you will be amazed by the way these complicated pointers can be taught.

This course is also guided with concrete exercises, challenges, and full solution videos - that will help you to practice the materials.

Who's this course for?

First of all, this course is not for "absolute beginners" and it requires you to have at least the basic knowledge of programming. It's assumed you have some knowledge of the basics in C - preferably having completed our "C Programming for Beginners" course (here on Udemy).

This course is great both for students in college as well as graduates who need to learn and understand pointers in depth.

In addition, if you're planning to explore and master the Embedded Systems domain using Embedded C - then this course is a great preparation of various topics for the Embedded Domain. Once you master all the concepts of this course you'll be a few steps closer to proceeding and mastering Embedded Systems, programming Micro Controllers, etc.

So, once again, why this course?

Investment of Time: We've spent hundreds of hours perfecting this course to make your C language learning experience engaging and fun.
Best-Seller Status: Our course stands out among others. It's a top choice for learners due to its in-depth, easy-to-understand approach to complex C programming topics.
Ease of Learning: Don't worry about getting confused or lost. We're experts at breaking down difficult concepts into easily digestible content.
Staying Current: We keep our content fresh and relevant with constant updates and improvements. Currently, we offer over 40 hours of practical C programming content.
Hands-On Training: Theory is good, but practice is better. We provide lots of exercises, complete with video solutions to help cement your knowledge.
Community Support: Got questions or doubts? Our active Q&A community is here to provide answers and support your learning journey.

List of topics

Our course covers a wide variety of C programming topics including:

The ABCs of Pointersin C Language: From declaration, initialization, usage, to dereferencing and more
Unraveling Complex C Programming Concepts: Multiple indirection, pointer arithmetic, and generic pointers
Memory Management: Dive into dynamic memory allocation, using C functions like malloc, calloc, realloc, and free
Advanced C Topics: Learn about dangling pointers, using the Valgrind memory leak tool, sizeof operator, arrays, strings, and the secrets of using pointers in strings
Function Mastery: Grasp function pointers, arrays of pointers to functions, structs, and pointers
Debugging Skills: Enhance your problem-solving capabilities with debugger and debugging techniques in C
Further Exploration: Delve into 2D matrices with pointers, computer architecture, data and structs alignment, sequential and textual files, structural and binary files, and project management
Detailed Insights: Understand MACRO, Enums, Constants, Bitwise Operations (Embedded), and Bit Fields
And more.

Words From Our Students

Check out what our students have to say about their experience with us:

“The lecturer explains the material clearly and intelligibly. The teaching material is well developed. So far, so good. ” - Andrejs Ogurcovs

“This course is amazing for embedded systems engineering. Inside of this course there are a lot of examples of curriculum also about pointers that makes it helpful for learning.Finally I have understood to pointers. I wıll use in embedded systems that i have learnt knowledge about c programming in this lecturer.Thanks for your effort Vlad. Best regards.” - Emre Çakır

“This course is I had so many courses for C, and all of them copied each other. They mention about pointers in just 1 (ONE) video (10 minutes). If you have a programming experience, start from this course. If I could have gave 1000 starts, I would do this. The examples, exercises, slides, topics, the voice of the teacher, everything is flawless” - beyza Erdoğan

“Having this opportunity to review C and Pointers is pretty awesome. I have learnt a lot from Vlad about C which could be regarded as the fundamental of almost every programming language. I have taken Vlad's course from C Bootcamp to this advanced pointer course, and now I am confident to say that I know about C because I understand pointers now. Hoping there would be more algorithm contents in the future, thanks Vlad. ” - Matsu Chen

“Hands down this is the best course I have ever done. Visual clarification was very useful for understanding what is happening behind the scenes. I hope Vlad makes extensions of this course with more advanced topics and exercises. Thanks Vlad. ” - Venelin Stoyanov

“Vlad did a great job explaining, illustrating, and covering many essential topics in pointers with enough examples. After completing this course, I feel more confident in using pointers in c programming.” - Abdel Alkuor

“I did the first course C Programming Language for Beginners and I liked it. This course is in the same level or more until now. Thank you so much.” - João Henrique Berg dos Santos

“I struggled so much understanding pointers and how they work, and why do I need them, I also struggled with the dynamic memory allocation, but after that course I think everything cleared, and even if I am still not working perfectly with these things, I finally understood them and how they work. Thank you so much Vlad. It was pleasure watching your videos. ” - Julia Vasileva

“Highly recommend taking this course for any student in college. Saved me so much time and effort. It was clearly explained, straight to the point, covered in a couple of hours more than my teacher covered in the entire semester.” - Nikolay

Do you still have doubts?

That's OK. Pointers can get us all confused to some extent... If you're still unsure if this course is exactly what you're looking for, feel free to go over the full detailed curriculum.

In addition, we offer a full money-back guarantee for 30 days. So, you can enroll risk-free today, and get ready to master the world of advanced C programming. We can't wait to start this journey with you.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Introduction to pointers for beginners
Pointers declaration, initialization, and usage
Pointers dereferencing
Multiple indirection
Pointers arithmetics
Generic pointers
Dynamic memory allocation
"malloc" function
"calloc" function
"realloc" function & "issues"
"free" function
Dangling pointers
Memory leakage tool - valgrind
Pointers arithmetic
"sizeof" operator
Arrays & pointers
Strings & pointers
A few secrets of strings using pointers

Function pointers
Arrays of pointers to functions
Structs & pointers
Debugger & debugging
2d matrix with pointers
Introduction to computer architecture
Data & structs alignment
Sequential and textual files
Structural and binary files
Project management
Macro
Enums
Constants
Bitwise operations (embedded)
Bit fields
Show more
Show less

Introduction to pointers for beginners
Pointers declaration, initialization, and usage
Pointers dereferencing
Multiple indirection
Pointers arithmetics
Generic pointers
Dynamic memory allocation
"malloc" function
"calloc" function
"realloc" function & "issues"
"free" function
Dangling pointers
Memory leakage tool - valgrind
Pointers arithmetic
"sizeof" operator
Arrays & pointers
Strings & pointers
A few secrets of strings using pointers
Function pointers
Arrays of pointers to functions
Structs & pointers
Debugger & debugging
2d matrix with pointers
Introduction to computer architecture
Data & structs alignment
Sequential and textual files
Structural and binary files
Project management
Macro
Enums
Constants
Bitwise operations (embedded)
Bit fields
Show more
Show less

Syllabus

Welcome To Pointers In C Programming! Here you will enjoy the "Introductory Video To C Course On Pointers" as well as "Curriculum" that describes the "About The Course"

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Prepares learners to master embedded systems by teaching them to program microcontrollers using Embedded C, which is essential for low-level programming

Explores debugging techniques in C, which enhances problem-solving capabilities and is crucial for developing robust applications

Requires learners to have basic knowledge of C, which may necessitate completion of a prerequisite course for absolute beginners

Covers advanced concepts of structs and dynamic memory allocation, which are essential for understanding complex systems developed in C

Includes a dedicated section on using a debugger, which is an important process that may help in developing future applications

Teaches memory management using functions like malloc, calloc, realloc, and free, which are essential for efficient resource utilization

Reviews summary

Mastering c pointers & advanced concepts

According to learners, this course is a highly effective deep dive into challenging C programming topics. Students say the instructor explains complex concepts like pointers and dynamic memory allocation with exceptional clarity, often using helpful visualizations. The hands-on exercises and challenges are frequently praised for solidifying understanding. Reviewers find the course particularly valuable for those preparing for embedded systems roles or needing to master pointers for technical interviews. While it requires prior basic C knowledge (it's not for absolute beginners), learners with the right foundation report significant skill improvement and confidence gain after completing the course.

Not for absolute beginners in programming.

"This course is not for "absolute beginners" and it requires you to have at least the basic knowledge of programming."

"If you have a programming experience, start from this course."

"Assumed you have some knowledge of the basics in C - preferably having completed our "C Programming for Beginners" course"

"Don't take this if you don't know basic C first."

Illustrations make concepts easier.

"Visual clarification was very useful for understanding what is happening behind the scenes."

"Using various visualizations and illustrations - that should make the learning process... much easier"

"The diagrams really helped solidify my understanding of memory."

"The instructor's drawings were very helpful."

Builds confidence in using pointers.

"After completing this course, I feel more confident in using pointers in c programming."

"Now I am confident to say that I know about C because I understand pointers now."

"I finally understood them and how they work."

"My comfort level with pointers increased significantly."

Great preparation for embedded C.

"Amazing for embedded systems engineering."

"I wıll use in embedded systems that i have learnt knowledge about c programming in this lecturer."

"A great preparation of various topics for the Embedded Domain."

"Helped me understand the low-level details needed for embedded work."

Exercises and challenges aid learning.

"The examples, exercises, slides, topics, the voice of the teacher, everything is flawless"

"Guided with concrete exercises, challenges, and full solution videos"

"Practice is better. We provide lots of exercises, complete with video solutions"

"Hands-on coding and projects are the strongest part of the course for me."

Instructor is knowledgeable and teaches well.

"Vlad did a great job explaining, illustrating, and covering many essential topics"

"Knowledge from a practical software developer and experienced instructor."

"It was pleasure watching your videos."

"His teaching style makes difficult concepts easy to grasp."

Complex pointer concepts are explained clearly.

"Finally I have understood to pointers."

"I struggled so much understanding pointers and how they work... but after that course I think everything cleared"

"The lecturer explains the material clearly and intelligibly."

"Vlad did a great job explaining... many essential topics in pointers with enough examples."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in C Programming Masterclass: Pointers & Advanced C Language with these activities:

Review Basic C Syntax and Data Types

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Strengthen your understanding of fundamental C concepts before diving into advanced pointer manipulation.

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Review your previous C notes and assignments.
Complete online quizzes on C syntax and data types.
Write small programs to practice using different data types.

Create a Pointer Cheat Sheet

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Consolidate your knowledge by creating a concise reference guide to pointer syntax, usage, and common pitfalls.

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Gather information on pointer declaration, initialization, and dereferencing.
Organize the information into a clear and concise format.
Include examples of common pointer operations.

Read 'Understanding Pointers in C'

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Deepen your understanding of pointers with a dedicated resource that focuses specifically on this challenging topic.

View Pointers on C on Amazon

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Read the book chapter by chapter.
Work through the examples provided in the book.
Take notes on key concepts and techniques.

Four other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all seven activities

Reference 'C: A Reference Manual'

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Use a comprehensive reference manual to clarify any doubts or ambiguities regarding C syntax and pointer behavior.

View C, a reference manual on Amazon

Show steps

Identify areas where you need clarification.
Consult the reference manual for detailed explanations.
Take notes on key points and examples.

Implement Data Structures with Pointers

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Reinforce your pointer skills by implementing common data structures like linked lists, trees, and graphs using pointers.

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Choose a data structure to implement.
Write C code to create and manipulate the data structure using pointers.
Test your implementation thoroughly.

Develop a Simple Memory Manager

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Apply your knowledge of dynamic memory allocation to build a basic memory manager with malloc and free functionalities.

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Design the memory manager's data structures and algorithms.
Implement the malloc and free functions.
Test the memory manager for memory leaks and fragmentation.

Contribute to an Open Source C Project

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Gain practical experience by contributing to an open-source project that utilizes C and pointers extensively.

Show steps

Find an open-source C project on GitHub or GitLab.
Identify a bug or feature to work on.
Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete C Programming Masterclass: Pointers & Advanced C Language will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Embedded Systems Engineer

An Embedded Systems Engineer designs, develops, and tests software and hardware for embedded systems, often found in devices like smart appliances, automotive systems, and industrial equipment. This course is directly relevant to this career path as it emphasizes embedded C programming, pointers, memory management, and low-level programming, all critical skills in embedded systems development. The course’s coverage of bitwise operations and memory allocation helps build a foundation for working with microcontrollers and hardware interfaces, essential components in embedded systems. Learning debugging techniques will help in tracing errors in embedded systems code. This course prepares future embedded systems engineers to write more efficient and reliable code.

See salaries and explore the career path for Embedded Systems Engineer

Firmware Engineer

A Firmware Engineer writes low-level software that controls the hardware of electronic devices. This role involves working closely with hardware and writing code that directly interacts with it. This course is ideal because of its focus on advanced C programming concepts such as pointers and memory management. The course’s discussion of dynamic memory allocation, bitwise operations, and debugging tools prepare firmware engineers to write optimal code. As firmware often requires direct control over memory and hardware components, it benefits from a deep understanding of C's memory management capabilities detailed in this course. A firmware engineer will find the material on embedded systems helpful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Firmware Engineer

Software Developer

A Software Developer designs, writes, and tests code in various languages, and could be involved in developing operating systems or software that interacts with hardware. While many software roles use high-level languages, some require a profound understanding of low-level operations and memory management. This course helps build a foundation for these more specialized software development roles. A software developer will find that this course’s coverage of pointers, dynamic memory allocation, and debugging techniques provides a deeper understanding of how software interacts with computer hardware. This can be very useful when optimizing software for performance or debugging complex issues.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

Cybersecurity Engineer

A Cybersecurity Engineer works to protect computer systems and networks from threats and attacks. This could involve analyzing and reverse engineering software, particularly malware, which requires a deep understanding of how programs behave at the low level. This course is beneficial because its instruction on memory management and pointers, which are frequently exploited by malicious software, provides the foundation for a cybersecurity engineer to better understand and neutralize threats. The ability to debug and trace the execution of code, taught in the course, is especially helpful for reverse engineering tasks. This course may help someone interested in developing security solutions or performing penetration testing.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cybersecurity Engineer

Robotics Software Engineer

A Robotics Software Engineer develops software for robots, including control systems and other software that interacts with sensors and actuators. Mastery of C programming is often sought for this role, particularly in embedded environments where performance is critical. This course helps build a foundation for working with the microcontrollers within robotic systems. The material on pointers and dynamic memory allocation is crucial for managing device resources and interactions with hardware components. The debugging skills and low-level programming knowledge are also valuable for understanding and resolving issues that may arise in robotics projects. The course may be useful for engineers working on control systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Robotics Software Engineer

Operating Systems Developer

An Operating Systems Developer builds or maintains the core software that manages hardware and software resources on a computer. Developing low-level software that needs direct interaction with hardware requires a deep understanding of memory management and system resources, making this course relevant. The course's focus on pointers and memory allocation is key to managing resources at the operating system level. This course helps those who aspire to work on core operating systems code, where performance and resource efficiency are primary concerns and where the principles of dynamic memory allocation are foundational. An operating systems developer will also use the debugging skills taught in this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operating Systems Developer

Game Engine Programmer

A Game Engine Programmer works on the underlying systems that power video games, often with a focus on performance optimization. This can include memory management, rendering systems, and low level interactions with the hardware. While many game engines are written in C++, a strong foundation in C, especially pointers and memory management as covered in this course, may be useful for those specializing in engine development. The course’s content on debugging and low-level programming helps a game engine programmer who needs to optimize memory usage, improve performance, and fix bugs. This course may be helpful for understanding the intricacies of game engine architecture.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Engine Programmer

Device Driver Developer

A Device Driver Developer creates software that allows a computer's operating system to communicate with hardware devices. This role requires a deep understanding of how hardware interacts with software at a low level. This course's focus on pointers, memory management, and low-level programming provides an ideal foundation. The course's emphasis on debugging also helps a driver developer who needs to troubleshoot issues that arise in hardware interactions. A device driver developer will find the concepts of memory allocation useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Device Driver Developer

High-Performance Computing Engineer

A High Performance Computing Engineer develops and maintains software for high-performance computing systems. These systems often require code that is highly optimized for speed and efficiency. Knowledge of C is frequently sought in this field, as it provides fine-grained control over hardware resources. This course, with its focus on pointers and memory management, helps build a foundation for writing efficient code. A high performance computing engineer will find the debugging techniques helpful in identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks.

See salaries and explore the career path for High-Performance Computing Engineer

Database Systems Developer

A Database Systems Developer works on the underlying software that manages data storage and retrieval. Some database systems are written in or interact with C code due to its performance capabilities. This course, which covers pointers, dynamic memory allocation, and low level memory concepts, may benefit a database systems developer who needs to optimize data structures. This course may be helpful for those who work with custom storage engines, where a deeper understanding of memory can improve both performance and reliability. The debugging skills taught in the course may also help those who work on core systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Database Systems Developer

Systems Programmer

A Systems Programmer works on the core infrastructure of computer systems, including operating systems, compilers, and network software. This work often requires a thorough understanding of low-level programming and memory management. This course, with its focus on pointers, advanced memory concepts, and debugging techniques, may be helpful for anyone interested in systems programming, where these concepts are regularly used for performance and control. A systems programmer will find the material concerning bitwise operations useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Programmer

Compiler Developer

A Compiler Developer works on the software that translates high-level programming languages into machine code. This role requires an understanding of low-level system details, including memory management, data structures, and the way programs are executed. While many compilers are written in C++, a strong grasp of C, and its memory model as taught in this course, may be of use. The debugging techniques learned in this course may prove helpful as well to a compiler developer. The course may be useful to a compiler developer who wishes to explore optimization.

See salaries and explore the career path for Compiler Developer

Quantitative Analyst

A Quantitative Analyst develops mathematical and statistical models for financial markets, often working with data at a very low level. While this role is more commonly associated with languages like Python and R, some performance-critical financial applications may use C for speed. This course might be useful for those interested in low-latency trading systems or high-frequency trading applications, where optimizing code for speed is crucial. A quantitative analyst may use the skills from this course to implement their models with greater efficiency. The course may also be helpful when debugging performance issues.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quantitative Analyst

Scientific Software Developer

A Scientific Software Developer creates software for scientific computing and research, often requiring high performance and low-level control in domains such as simulations or data processing. This course is beneficial for its focus on pointers and memory management. While many scientific applications are written in languages like Python or Fortran, C is often used for performance-critical components. A scientific software developer may find the course’s focus on debugging and low-level programming may help them optimize and troubleshoot performance bottlenecks in their code. The debugging skills taught in this course may be applicable when tracking down subtle errors.

See salaries and explore the career path for Scientific Software Developer

Technical Support Engineer

A Technical Support Engineer provides technical assistance to clients, and might be tasked with diagnosing software issues, debugging code, and understanding system behavior. While this course is focused on software development, the skills taught here, particularly debugging and memory management, may be useful for troubleshooting more complex issues. A technical support engineer may use the understanding of C and low level systems to resolve software issues that arise. This course may be useful for those moving into a technical role. The course may help build a foundation for those seeking advanced troubleshooting.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Support Engineer

C Programming Masterclass

Pointers & Advanced C Language

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What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Mastering c pointers & advanced concepts

Activities

Career center

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