What programming language or large framework will I learn next?
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13
Ṁ311
2026
3%
Java
47%
Typescript
6%
Rust
22%
Python
12%
C#
6%
React
4%
Other

Right now I only know vanilla Javascript. (I've used SQL for some very simple database calls, and I helped a friend with a C class they were taking, but my knowledge of both is extremely rudamentary and I would not consider myself to know those languages. If you're being extremely generous with your definition of "programming language", I've also built some relatively complicated programs in Scratch and Minecraft.)

Eventually I'm probably going to learn something new. Some plausible scenarios:

  • I want to make a Minecraft mod, so I learn Java.

  • I want to contribute to Manifold, so I learn Typescript.

  • I want to improve the performance of my webapps, so I learn Rust to use with WebAssembly.

  • I want a language for small projects that is less stupid than Node, so I learn Python.

  • I want to finally make one of the video games I've been thinking about making, so I learn whatever language seems best for that.

Any programming language or large framework can count for this market. If it's questionable whether something like React or Typescript should count, I'll resolve this subjectively based on whether it felt more like "learning a new thing" vs. "improving my knowledge of an existing thing". If I'm able to read a 5 minute explainer and immediately embark on a complicated project, it's probably not a new thing. If I have to spend hours setting up an environment to get it to work, it probably is a new thing. If I have to ask someone for help understanding the thing, it probably is a new thing.

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What did you already learn

@VAPOR Read the description. :)

@IsaacKing sorry, I skimmed too much. What are you interested in doing?

I would think the temptation to use what you know would be strong, but you think node is stupid?

Are you feeling like artisanal crafting something. Learning a new talent (not necessarily language). Career development. Hints as to what you might want to learn

@VAPOR Javascript is stupid, Node is fine within that constraint. Even having been using it for years, I constantly run into tiny quirks that are so unintuitive I keep forgetting about them.

(Why does a for...of loop only work on arrays and not objects, while for...in works for both? Why does for...in return array indices as a string rather than a number? Why does isNaN("This is objectively not NaN") === true? I'm sure there's a reason for all of these things, but it's a reason that everyone involved should be embarrassed of.)

I have no desire to learn another language just for fun, but neither would I dislike it as long as it's a relatively easy language to learn like Python. My plan is to continue to use Javascript for everything up until it becomes significantly better to use something else, at which point I'll learn that.

I think the most likely scenario right now in which I learn a new language is I want to optimize some computationally-expensive programs. But in order to be worth the effort I'd need to get a >100x speedup from the language switch, which may not be feasible.

Longer term, I do eventually plan to try making a game. I don't know what language would be best for that, but I'm pretty sure it's not Javascript.

@IsaacKing would you just enjoy learning a language for the experience? From the way you describe JavaScript, fairly I guess I only watched meme videos on YouTube, it sounds arbitrary in the way out handles things sometimes. You might enjoy learning python, the way it handles things like you described is a lot better, I'm sure there are issues somewhere but it's a satisfying language to employ once you get mid way into it, the way it all joins up makes sense in it's own way. Less arbitrary feeling I guess. Pygame library?

Also rust you said... Seems like you answered your own question, learn for professional gains...