Should I learn C#?

Question

Right now I am learning C++, but I heard that it is a old language and that it is becoming outdated. Meanwhile, I hear good things about C#, like how companys are switching to the language. I know C++ is good for video games, but should I learn C# as well for another source, should I even learn it at all, or should I switch to C#?

Answer 1

First, let’s make a distinction between someone who wants to just learn any programming language (the guy who just wants the bread) from someone who has the desire to be a polyglot programmer (the artisan baker). Don't get me wrong, there are many great reasons to learn a programming language, and even if you just learn one higher level scripting language like Python or JavaScript, you’re still a programmer. Mastering any single language is still a challenge and a worthy goal.

However, the programmer I’m addressing here is someone who wants to understand programming at a deeper level just for programming’s sake. This is someone who naturally has a desire to become that polyglot programmer.

Originally, I wanted to title this article “Why Every Programmer Should Learn C First,” but I backed away from that. Sure, there are advantages to learning C first; you won’t get seduced by a language like Python and never come back. In fact, if I were teaching high school students, I would almost certainly teach them a higher level language like Python first. Then I would take my best students and teach them C second. If I were teaching a class of electrical engineers, I would probably just start with C. Let’s face it, if they learned Maxwell’s equations, a little pointer indirection isn’t going to induce a lot of angst.

Answer 2

too good
I'm your fan
@james