Is MATLAB difficult to learn and know? (for future jobs)

[VAisforlovers]

It appears that jobs I'm interested sometimes have this requirement. I've never used MATLAB.
Is it difficult to learn? Anyone have any advice on how I should learn it?
I want to be able to know it enough that I can put it on my resume.

 

[wand3r3r]

It's not super easy a few clicks and you're done.

I had to use it in an image analysis course a while ago but it focused on the theory and we just played with matlab to see some samples. I didn't enjoy it in the least (matlab) but its not my area of interest anyway.

 

[joshhedge]

I've hated every moment of learning it this year for Chemical Engineering, granted once it finally clicked it's simple enough, but unless you have a decent lecturer it can take a while.

There are a lot of online videos on Youtube that really helped me, just search for the topic you're on and you'll find a tutorial

 

[esun]

MATLAB is comparatively easy to learn because most MATLAB programs are simple procedural simulation scripts. I would suggest downloading Octave (which shares MATLAB's syntax and doesn't cost $2000) and trying things out.

Usually the bottleneck for a MATLAB user is not the MATLAB programming itself, it's the science/math behind what they're trying to simulate (e.g., if you don't understand filter design, it won't do you any good to know MATLAB's API for filter design tools).

 

[Ken g6]

I did some Matlab in college. I found that doing stuff with it isn't hard, but doing stuff with it fast requires formulating things in terms of matrices. They do have non-standard "matrix" operations that are more like SIMD, like multiplying without rotating, so that helps.

 

[Crusty]

The hardest part of MATLAB is the math.

 

[ringtail]

in one sense Scientists prefer Wolfram Mathematica, journeyman engineers use Matlab.

The excellent FREE ONE is Sage.

Based on experience with them all, once you get above above nuance level they're all similar.
If you can get horrendously expensive Mathematica through some cheap deal via school, do that.

Or fallback choice is MATLAB. In an engineering job interview the HR clerk may dimly manage to recognize the buzzword "MATLAB," and "feel" they've found a hit and pass you up to the next level.

If you don't have an avenue to an inexpensive license, then learn SAGE. It's about as good as Mathematica & Matlab for lots, AND IT'S FREE!

http://www.sagemath.org/

and

http://www.arachnoid.com/sage/index.html

 

[Subyman]

I used both matlab and mathematica during my graduate nuclear engineering work. Neither was too hard to work with. If you understand the basic principles of scripting languages then its just the rote work of memorizing the syntax of each. Mathematica is easier to learn due to the incredible documentation Wolfram packs in with it. Matlab is computationally faster with some things such as large matrix operations, but for prototyping, I much preferred Mathematica.

I'd say it wouldn't be too hard at all to learn if you are familiar with programming concepts. If not, then you will need to do the obligatory few months of wrapping your heard around programming in general.

 

[magomago]

i use matlab for work all the time. its super easy. however, i use it like an engineer uses it.

I don't really see it as a language per se....

 

[Tweak155]

I had to help my <now> wife when she was taking a college course that used Matlab. It was something about transferring an image over a network and checking all the bits in the process.

From knowing nothing about it to finish, it only took a few hours (granted there was some sample code I could reference to get the syntax down). Overall it wasn't too bad, but it's definitely a great skill to go on an engineering resume.

 

[irishScott]

Not particularly. If you have prior programming expertise it's actually pretty easy.

And as others have pointed out, it's a simulation language. You aren't going to be developing stand-alone applications in Matlab.