An effective path to learn C++ (or any other programming language)

~~ I have all the answers, but I don't remember the questions. ~~

Yes, this post is about learning C++, but the suggestions apply to any other programming language.
I could have named it "The True System to Learn C++ in an Easy and Painless Way in less then 30 minutes", but I'm a bit shy.

First and foremost, a little bit of history.
I didn't learn programming in a class, I'm self-taught.
Well, that's not totally true. I took a programming 101 course at University. I learnt FORTRAN (it was The language for scientific applications back then, and no, I'm not that old).

Anyway, at one point I decided I needed a more "modern" language, and I decided to learn C.
I hate from the bottom of my hearth the "X for Dummies" kind of books, so I took The Source: The K&R (Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, C Programming Language).
I loved and hated that book. It's a beautiful manual, it tells you exactly all what you need to know about C, but it tells you nothing about how to use it. Well, it does... but just a little bit. It's like if somebody would explain you exactly how an engine works and how to build all the parts, but not how to actually build one.
It's the sort of book assuming that, if you know exactly how the parts work, then putting all together is easy. It isn't.

Then I moved to C++, and since I learn from experience, I grabbed The Book: Bjarne Stroustrup, 

The C++ Programming Language. Ok, that wasn't a smart move.

I loved that book, but it's a manual as well. I had to read it THREE times to start understanding something. It makes it clear from the beginning that C++ is powerful but it's not simple. It explains everything (and by everything, I mean it). It's a reference manual. But definitely it's not a simple way to
learn C++.
I still suggest to buy it, and keep it on your desk as the Reference Manual. Not as a learning book, tho.

I've learnt C++ the hard way, and I was able to write fairly complex programs. By fairly complex I mean a whole network simulation framework and a good part of the DVB-RCS protocol stack.

Still, it wasn't the end. A friend suggested to take a look at a new thing coming out: Design Patterns. So I grabbed The Book (it's an habit, a bad one): E. Gamma, R. Helm, R. Johnson, and J. Vlissides Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software.
Great book. A punch in the groin, tho. It was like "Oh, great, I did everything wrong so far". But no good advices on how to do it right.

So, 2 books and some hundreds pages after, I had he theory, but not the practice.

Then, something changed. I started using the thing I studied. And slowly the pieces did go where they was meant to be.

How? Well, that's the point. The sooner you start this phase, the sooner you'll master the programming language (it took me years, just because nobody told me the trick).

So, here are the tricks. Follow them and you'll master C++ in no time (and any programming language).

Trick #1: grab a GOOD book.

This one has been suggested by Mathieu Lacage, and it's a very good one: A. Shalloway and J. Trott, Design Patterns Explained: A New Perspective on Object-oriented Design.

The real trick is: don't try to learn Object Oriented programming and move to Design Patterns once you have mastered OO. Learn them at the same time. The reason? They're two side of the same coin.

Trick #2: start programming for real.

Don't do the book's exercises. Well, do them, but don't do just those.

Find a good excuse to program (e.g., join an Open Source project like ns-3) and use your skills.

Sure thing, you'll find yourself like a fish out of water at first, but you'll learn quickly. You don't learn how to drive a car by reading a book, you have to drive.

At first you'll do mistakes, and your code will be ugly. However, in due time, you'll learn the tricks and you'll start becoming better and better.

Remember, practice make it perfect, not studying. Practice without study is bad, study without practice is equally bad.

The real suggestion here? Find something that matches your interests. You have to find it interesting, not boring. And if you choose something only because it matches your job, it may be boring as hell.

If you follow the two simple tricks I told you, you'll become a programming master in no time: less than 1 year.

But... but... you said 30 minutes...

I lied.