Going from PHP to C/C++ & Java & beyond

Question

I've been a LAMP developer for 5+ years. I have learned quite a bit on my own, but I feel like my "context" as a software developer is limited (ie. I can only create scripts & web applications). Ultimately I'd like to be able to create a range of applications from daemons to desktop apps. Additionally I'd like to learn more about the "internals" of programming (ie. PHP is a wrapper for c, perhaps I should learn more c?)

I'd like to know what resources & methods that have helped people further their knowledge of computer science / software creation. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to go back to school and get another degree :-P

Answer 1

If you want to jump in with both feet, there's MIT's Open Courseware. For example, here's the online version of the famous course "6.001 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs".

To take smaller steps, I'd suggest learning other programming languages that are complementary to PHP, like Python or Ruby. Maybe eventually Java. The more languages you learn, the easier it becomes to learn even more languages, or to deepen the knowledge you have of the languages you already know.