Learning Multiple Languages Simultaneously

Question

When learning new languages, is it better to commit yourself to one language 100% and wait until you've "mastered" it to move on to another, or to work on learning different languages at the same time?

If it matters, I'm currently learning C++ and I'd like to know Java and Python as well.

Answer 1

Not only do I not see a problem with learning multiple languages at one time, I think it can directly benefit you in that something in one language may clear up a problem area you may have in another language. For example, my main language is C# and when dealing with LINQ I used the SQL format (which is fine, I’m not knocking it at all, but it just didn’t seem like the “cool way” to do it). I stayed away from Lambdas because, to be honest, I didn’t understand them and the C# documentation that I saw didn’t provide a clear definition (for me). Then I started to pick up some books on F# and started learning that, which gave me the “ah ha!” moment of understanding how Lambdas are.

I have found that as I have experienced more and more with other languages (and frameworks) I have become better at C# (and ASP.Net). That is why I believe that learning multiple languages at one time isn’t a bad thing at all!

Answer 2

If it is your first language, I think it would be better to learn it well enough to understand how a programming language works.

Once you have good foundations, you can pick as many as you want.

Answer 3

I think an important skill for programmers is the ability to learn new programming languages. As such I'd tend to suggest that one try to learn a single language first and then add others.

Whatever your first language is the process of learning additional languages should:

• Find a good syntax reference for the new language
• Identify the strengths of the new language, don't just code in the new language as if it were one you already know (programming with an accent)
• Explore areas of the new language that do not map to prior languages you've used before
• Find code examples, and without reviewing them try to code the same thing from scratch and see how your implementation differed from the example

Over time as you accumulate languages you'll form your own internal abstract pseudocode language that will help you translate between the languages you know. This internal language is the framework you'll use to learn new languages quickly.

Answer 4

I don't see a problem learning multiple languages at a time. In fact, you never truely master a language, so really, any time you work with more than one language, you're probably learning both of them.

You may want to concentrate on one language to get through the basics just to keep yourself from getting the two languages confused. This is especially true if you're learning similar languages, like Java and C#.

Answer 5

Learning languages in parallel is pretty normal thing. For example web programming. You're dealing with at least three languages: server side (php, java, .ned, ruby, python...), client code (java script and html), database (sql).

Answer 6

I think learning multiple languages at a time is actually better than learning one at a time, because if the languages are sufficiently different, each gives you a break from the other. Try to stagger them so that you start on a new one once you've gotten through the "absolute newbie" stage of the previous one; this way you'll have a much better chance of retaining not only what you learned about the language but how you learned a new language. (Generalized language learning skill is something you'll be very grateful for later in programming life.)

That said, learning your first language requires a huge investment of time and energy, and you may simply not have the time to take on another big project during this process. If you're thinking about starting another language because you're sick of C++ - don't! It will encourage you to procrastinate. If you're thinking about starting another language because you keep seeing mentions of projects written in (say) Java and you're frustrated that you can't easily read and analyze the code - do! This is a great reason to learn another language at any time.

Answer 7

In my experience, I've found that what I've learned thoroughly in my first language I can pick up easily in new languages. I'm new to programming still, but I learned a good chunk of the basics of C# and Java, lately I've been learning JavaScript and PHP and I noticed two things: differences in what I already know stick out to me. I may or may not understand them right away but they stick out and I won't forget they're there. And, the things I already know, variables, functions, control structures, strings, arrays, classes, etc... I can learn pretty quickly.

Answer 8

I think of multiple languages as complementary things; like one makes up for the lack of features in the other. For example, my primary go-to language is C++. But when I'm dealing with HUGE numbers,whose range exceeds those of the basic datatypes in C/C++, i immediately turn to Python,another of my favorites.

So that way, I think knowing more than 1 language is a very handy thing. And it doesn't hurt that it looks good on your resume ;) I mean..who would put C++(100%) on their resume,right? :D