Joy of Programming: What Language Should You Learn Next?

Prior to learning a new programming language, try and answer a few important questions. Thoughtful introspection will ensure that you get the most out of what you learn – both personally and professionally.

Earlier, it was pretty easy to decide what language to learn next. For example, during my college days in the 90s, the choice was simple - learn C and C++ (though they used to teach Fortran, Cobol, Basic and Pascal in my college as part of the curriculum). Then it was Java. On my own, I dabbled with languages like Smalltalk, Objective-C, Groovy, C#, Go, Prolog, Modula, OCaml and Dylan. It was fun playing around with these languages. But I also wanted to know about the real-world experiences in learning and using different languages. So, I talked to some of my friends who work in the software industry and asked them to share their experiences in learning and using new languages for their regular work.

A friend, who is involved in big data, analytics and cloud computing, is learning and using Scala for his work. Scala is a language that targets the Java platform; it merges both object-oriented and functional features. Because of its functional capabilities, Scala is good for writing concurrent code and for analysing large quantities of data. He recommended learning the language if I worked in this field, but also warned about the unreadable code one can end up with when writing in Scala.

Another friend works on developing software for the financial domain and is currently learning Groovy, which has the productivity of scripting languages in Java-like syntax. In fact, Groovy is more or less a superset of Java. Since he is a Java programmer and wanted to become more productive, he started learning Groovy, which also has metaprogramming capabilities and, hence, is one of the popular choices to write Domain Specific Languages (DSLs). Though he is happy about becoming more productive with Groovy, he is also frustrated about having to spend quite a bit of time debugging Groovy code (which took away some of his productivity gains).

Another old friend of mine had an unusual transition from fixing bugs in a C/C++ compiler to programming the Web using JavaScript! She is exploring a growing list of languages like Dart and TypeScript that are trying to replace JavaScript. However, she finds CoffeeScript to be a sweet-spot, since CoffeeScript compiles to JavaScript and she can seamlessly use her existing JavaScript code and third- party libraries in it.

Suggestions for learning new languages based on real- world experience include: Clojure (with a warning not to give up learning because of its Lisp syntax), Ruby and Python (for a wide range of programming tasks—from automation to Web programming), and Scala (for concurrent programming).

To try out new languages, I recently bought a book titled ‘Seven Languages in Seven Weeks’ (Bruce A Tate, The Pragmatic Bookshelf, 2010). It is an excellent book that gives you a quick overview of the following seven languages: Ruby, Io, Prolog, Scala, Erlang, Clojure and Haskell. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys programming and wants to learn a new language. I liked Ruby in this list, but when I checked with my friend who read the same book, he said he liked Scala and Clojure. Thinking about what language one should learn next, I realised that this is a deeply personal matter. Just like preferences for different cuisines and brands differ from person-to-person, choosing a programming language depends on an individual’s personal likes and dislikes, preferences and the kind of work one does. Hence, before deciding on which language to learn next, seriously consider the following factors.

How much time can you afford to spend on learning a new language?

Learning a new language in an entirely new paradigm will require more effort and time from you. For example, if you are a seasoned Java developer and write Java code on a dayto-day basis, a good choice will be to learn Groovy, since you can seamlessly switch back and forth between Java and Groovy. So you don't need to dedicate time exclusively to learning Groovy.

Does the new language help you solve your problems more effectively?

A friend of mine, who was a Java developer, wanted to develop an engine for implementing business rules. Hearing about the use of Prolog in rule-based systems, he started learning it. He fell in love with the unusual way that he could think and solve problems in this logical programming language, which is best suited for solving his problems and was happy that he tried it. When choosing your next language, think about the problems you need to solve, and see if it is in sync with the underlying problem-solving approach of your new programming language.

Does the new language match your way of thinking?

A friend of mine has a PhD in computer science and has a mathematical bent of mind. He came to know about a language called APL (A Programming Language), which supports mathematical notation. He liked the idea of ‘notation as a tool of thought’ and started learning it. I wasn't convinced about his idea of learning an esoteric language like APL till he demonstrated his power to solve some real problems with one-liners (that would normally take tens of lines solving in mainstream languages like Java)! Since the APL way of thinking matched my friend’s mindset, he loved the language and could make the best use of it, becoming hyperproductive in solving his problems.

Does the new language help you think differently?

Learning a new language should help you think differently. Note that ‘thinking differently’ does not conflict with my previous point on the language matching your way of thinking - unless you try a different way of thinking and problem-solving, how do you know if it matches your way of thinking, right! If you are a programmer with exposure to statically typed languages such as C and Java, try a dynamically typed language such as Smalltalk and Objective-C. If you know only object-oriented languages such as Ruby or C#, try logical or functional languages such as Prolog or Clojure. If you have used only graphical languages like Visual Basic, try learning a scripting language to automate your tasks, such as Python and Perl. When you try different approaches to solving the same problem, you’ll find that there are often easier and better ways to solving the same problem (and hence this will help you become more productive).

Does the new language excite you?

When I was talking to a friend who was learning Clojure, I couldn't resist noticing his excitement about discovering the ‘Lisp’ way of thinking and solving problems. When I tried Clojure, I only got frustrated (not excited). Hence, before you decide to take the leap and spend months or years learning a new language, do check if learning that new language excites you.

Never before in the history of computing have we had so many choices before us. For example, as I write this article, I see a mail popping into my inbox about RedHat announcing the release of its new language named Ceylon. We are also at a point of transition - the erstwhile mainstream languages like Java, C, C++, etc, were designed for the old era. In this decade in which computers are shrinking to the size of a button, the Internet is becoming ubiquitous, computing is becoming a paid and pervasive service, and data is growing to the order of exabytes, the dominant languages will be completely different. More than anything else, learning a new language is fun! So what are you waiting for - go ahead, carefully choose, and then enjoy learning a new programming language! The author is a freelance corporate trainer, consultant and author based in Bengaluru. His latest book is titled ‘Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 7 Programmer Exams 1Z0-804 and 1Z0-805’ and published by Apress (2013). You can reach him at ganesh.samarthyam at gmail dot com.