I study mechanical engineering and am thinking about going towards automation. I have being using Arduino for a while now, using sensors and finding out different ways to program servos. I have learned a lot, but the codes and projects that I've played around with have been designed by other people.
So, I would basically like to know where should I look for to start learning programming and electrical circuits from scratch (plus whatever else is needed)? I just feel that school isn't really giving enough support to be a good engineer, so I need to learn by myself.
Also feel free to give any tips for how to to be more acquainted with automation (helpful Arduino projects, books etc.)
You are best starting out by modifying those sketches other people wrote. Decide how you will change things then understand where the changes can be made. Do not look at the code and see how it could be modified, decide first what you want to do.
Get more ambitious with your changes, add extra functions. You might feel that you are just gluing together sections of code because that is what you do. Quite soon you will be designing what you want to do, you might not even notice the transition.
I agree, you won't learn something like this in classes, at least not as efficiently as you would if you were doing it on your own and interested.
I learned electronics by getting some parts and trying to do shit with them. I started with an Espruino ( espruino.com ), which is very easy to get into - you program it in javascript (which everyone knows) and you can get a javascript console at which you can do things like type digitalWrite(B2,LOW);, press enter, and pin B2 goes low (in fact, you can do anything realtime at the console - redefine functions, etc). I found it very nice for getting comfortable with microcontrollers and how they work, and I continue to prefer Espruino over Arduino if I'm doing things where I'm talking to the internet or when I'm first talking to new devices trying to figure out how they work. I prefer Arduino for smaller and/or self-contained projects, particularly where I'm building a custom board (the AVR chips are often easier to solder). It hasn't been that long that I've been working with microcontrollers; I think I've learned pretty fast.
Definitely get a selection of resistors and capacitors, and some other common parts. Get an Uno and a fistful of cheap pro mini clones and TTL serial adapters, and a USB Asp, and whatever sensors on ebay look attractive to you. Shop from ebay/aliexpress for most items - your money will go a lot farther than if you shop at $parkfun.
realhumanbean:
where should I look for to start learning programming and electrical circuits from scratch
In the Arduino world there is a close relationship between programming and electrical circuits, but in most respects they are very different subjects.
You could be a professional PC programmer all your life without ever needing to know electrical circuits, and vice versa.
I am only saying this so that you are aware that you probably need to go to different sources to learn the two disciplines. You should also keep in mind that there is a difference between electrics and electronics - though obviously overlap is more likely.
I found "Sailing for Dummies" to be really excellent. I suggest you have a look at their books on programming and electronics.
