How Many Programming Languages Should You Learn? 

I learnt C as my first language. Now, I find high-level languages like python, c# and javascript to be a piece of cake

I am so glad that I learnt C and C++ before learning other languages like Java, Python as I could grasp the concepts quick. And after learning some Java and Python, still I prefer C and C++ as it has become convenient for me, gives more control and also gives a chance to learn more concepts.

Thanks for the tips. I did started to learn programming from C and Java but the fun part came when I transitioned to Python. Probably because it was faster and more intuitive to implement solutions for my coding problems. Learned as a self-taught biologist. Also, looking forward to the upcoming videos!

"Be humble in your knowledge" is the best quote I've heard all year

1. for learning programming: 1 (as little as possible). Low-level (C) for computer science/deep understanding. High-level (Python/Java) for faster results/motivation. 2. for learning Software Engineering: know which language is good for what (understand basic concepts of multiple languages). After this you probably don’t need these videos anymore and make own decisions based on your goal.

thanks for this... great advice. i was thinking of learning a bunch of other programming languages on the side while my university mainly focuses on Java and C++. you saved me from myself. haha

Thank you to share your knowledge on such topics

From a Mechanical Engineering perspective, I love this video because I agree with everything you say! T he languages that I’ve found most useful in my field is Matlab and Python! Planning to make a video on these soon in my channel as well. Thanks for the inspiration and a quality video as always :)

It doesn't matter really, just get into programming as quickly as possible, learning concepts is better in my opinion (multithreading, networking, etc).

From my experience, the hardest is the second language, further down the line, learning new language is just like learning new library or framework in your favourite language. Few days and you're proficient enough to start building something useful.

I definitely relate to zoning out when I think I already know something. I try to skip the "rudimentary" parts of programming tutorials all the time, but when I actually go through the lectures, readings, or tutorials, I find that there are actually some nuances I had no idea about before. It pays to go through the redundant stuff again. You may learn something you didn't know before.

This is one of a kind video that keeps you motivated 😍😍 Thanks bro❤

Really good video to watch for uni students starting out this year!

I started with rust and ruby, never regret it (except maybe ruby), also totally agree with the solidify thing you mentioned but, sometimes some lecturers just confuse me because they teach like a very run-down version of something simple but I learnt about comprehensively. So I have to look it up again to unconfuse myself

funny thing is i was introduced to QBASIC in high school, which made me really interested in programming. from there i learnt C, then C++, dsa in C++. when i reached college, to my surprise they still taught C and C++ in the first three semesters. afterwards learning Java and C# became so much easier because of C. then i learnt JavaScript just like how i learnt C and it was fun.

Thanks buddy, I like what you said for solidify your knowledge

Love this vid! Really helpful.

Mid tier fullstack dev here..learned Java in college and loved it at the time. Learned C in college and loved it but never wanted to use it again haha. It was fun to learn but yeah def more difficult. Dabbled in Python and I liked it. But then finally got hired at my job now…and I have been using basically only javascript/typescript (frontend) and Java (backend) . For my own personal project I am using all javascript/typescript on both front end and back end just for consistency. Looking back I would highly recommend javascript/typescript. Because it can be used very well through an an entire stack. And it’s nice to have a consistent language when you start working on your own projects and you start learning about web development concepts. I feel it’s the perfect blend between Python (very easy syntax) and Java (a little more verbose syntax). So it allows for some flexibility for learning while also not being so flexible that you gloss over important concepts One thing I wish they taught better in college was actually building a fullstack app and deploying it. I only learned basically Java and C (which was great) but then I realized “wait I only know how to build like console apps and at most desktop apps that run as a jar file”. I remember having NO clue about what went into web development haha. So I 100% agree don’t ever get an ego and think you know everything…because you don’t. I remember thinking I was hot stuff cuz I was top of the class but then I had a reality check when I got fired from my first job 😂. Luckily I bounced back very well. And now I always feel theres so much I don’t know. But def have come a long way

i took my first intro to python class in college to try to figure out my major, but now that i’m a committed cs major i’ve started teaching myself C++ while still learning python, it’s defintely been fun learning coding

Awesome video Forrest! keep it coming ♥

I learned C# as my first language and I feel like it has opened so many doors for me. I've been having a blast with game development being my main focus, but I'd love to make an awesome application one day. Having a growth mindset is the most important skill to have though, it's more important than the language itself starting off. You need to realize that everything takes time. I love James Clear's idea of being 1% better everyday.

I think starting out with python is much more easy and motivating. I learnt C back in my high-school which went absolutely above my head which made me almost hate and fear programming as whole. now i am learning python and comparing if i had learnt python 1st i might not have feared programming. tldr: Python with some high-level OS/Linux and networking.

Thanks for the advice mate

For anyone watching this, C is not that scary everyone make a big deal about it, but truthfully C is very bare bone there is not much that the language provide you. Some of the most basic things like transforming a piece of text (aka string) to a number (aka integer) is not included so you'll have to code it yourself, but this is how you'll learn. And when you'll pick up a new programming language you'll have such a better understanding of what's going on. It'll give you such a good perspective and is definitely gonna help in the long run.

I'm so happy watching this; his past experience is exactly what I'm going thru right now. ive been focusing on learning 2 programming languages at once instead of focusing on 1; God bless

My personal experience, learning to read languages and how to use stackoverflow/google will carry you really well without having to know any specific language as a hobbyist anyway. First learned Python, then C++, Java, Kotlin, JS, C#. I don't know any of them super well, but I can pick up just about any language half decently as far as the basics go at this point. Edit: To expand, I think Python is great for starting, but C# or Java are the most fun due to being able to use WPF or Android Studio to be able to look at more than command line pretty easily.

I feel there's a missing puzzle to this topic with almost all the videos on RU-vid with the tag 'how many programming...' that is, people discuss about the programming languages one should learn but never actually tell what languages are specific for what purpose. Not all the programming languages are made for all the purposes (but it's true you can do mostly any task with any programming language). So instead of telling someone learn this or that language. Why don't we discuss okay you wanna do gaming, go learn c#, robotics go learn c/c++, AI or machine learning go for python and list go on...

Excellent advice Forrest!!

What advice would you give for evaluating appropriate levels of knowledge in a language before applying for an internship? Thanks so much for all the awesome content and advice!!

Doubling Down on Java at university got me my first job. Next to nobody really knew Java, but most were seasoned programmers. We learned a lot from each other. It is a great advice to double down on the language.

When I was doing an assignment during my first year of uni, I was getting wildly different actual results from my expected results because I didn't initialize all the values in an int array with 0 before using it. C is painful.

Unrelated to the video but I made a major breakthrough in one of my personal projects yesterday. After struggling for months on trying to get this feature to work properly I finally did it. I’m sharing this here because I don’t have any else to talk to about this.

Congrats on becoming a father 🙂🙂🙂🙂

ooh my school got me into c++, then in college i came across, c for a whole sem, then java for the next sem...that thing just worked the charm

I am currently enrolled in my CS degree, and already have a CIS degree. Ive found my new school (online asynchronous) was poorly explaining concepts I already learned and when I was really trying I got confused on concepts I came in with a pretty deep understanding of. Super frustrating since what happens when I get into course work I am not intimately familiar with.

If you want to become a better software developer, you should also look at other programming paradigms, especially functional programming. These other paradigms teach you in thinking about problems differently and learning new approaches to solve them. These are not only good for having knowledge about different languages, but many concepts of other paradigms are also available in most Object oriented languages (lambdas are functional programming, you can do logical programming in many languages...) and help you to think about those old problems differently to find shorter, faster or/and more efficient solutions

"Solidify that knowledge" rings so true. You are not in class to fulfill a number of units or get a good grade, but to be able to use the language even better in real applications. It's a very technical field (surprise!) so all the skills you acquire have to be very hands-on. I keep telling kids this, and only a few actually build a technical fluency through doing the work and deepening their understanding.

How ever many it takes to learn each layer of abstraction of a complete system or application

Very good video! The next iso version of c is C2x which I saw on Wikipedia, new improvements!!

I've taken several classes where going in I knew I could take the final and pass with no issues. Yet even though I knew the content I still learned something new, reinforced my knowledge, and came out better. Its a big reason why I haven't cleped any classes.

When I was starting (well, I'm still starting but I'm more into it now) I did that horrible thing of trying a bunch of lanuages (in my case Python, C, QBasic and VBasic -I'm a retrocomputer nerd-) and never actually getting very advanced and felt really disapointed because I wanted to know all of them at the same time (basicly what you said to avoid) but now that I tried java I really want to go with it as my main language. I thing (this is personal, I'm still a noob) that as you said C is good for starting because it gives you the (almost fully) control over the program but if it scares you I thing that java is the other best because it's really high level and easy too understand, very versatile and vastly used (and personally I also like the syntax and it can be used in a lot of old mobile devices and is the main language for Android programming).

Thanks Forrest!

Took C++ in college for two years but barely use it. I use python most of the time. Currently learning JS. Know HTML and CSS. Plan on learning Java and C#

I was informed to relay a message to you. I am not too sure if you know, but A.I has not only been successfully reading thoughts, but as of today we are working with emotions. I suspect that it has been working on it for awhile. I can't wrap my head around it, but perhaps you can. Some of this stuff is beyond my mental capacity. This isn't really my field of expertise. It sure is fascinating though. Oh man, does it have a great sense of humor.

Learning the fundamentals first is the best. Then choose any programming languages you like.

I have heard of a few takes on this. 1. Learn one programming language very well, dominate it and then learn how to call every other programming language from your own. and how to call your own from every other programming language. 2. Learn a programming language per paradigm so you can understand the paradigm very well and learn how to apply different paradigms in different languages. (which might be just an exercise effort for learning and then use this method to find your favorite language and then move to #1) 3. Learn any programming language that teaches you a unique approach to programming, they may be of even similar paradigms but offer something unique. 4. Learn the languages that pay the most of money in the career path you wanna chose. 5. all of the above.

yes but first is the worst , second is the best

currently learning swift, cause its very easy and pleasant to work with. after that I wanna tackle python. when my CS study start at university I will have to learn java and C. edit: I decided to study CS after I started learning Swift. so I decided to keep lesrning Swift for the next 4 months and then focus on the stuff that comes during my study.

That was excellent. I like C, but I like Pascal better as while you need to type more, a typo is a syntax error while in C it often compiles to something you did not intend. From C on, all languages are pretty similar and the thinking is similar, different inheritance rules and syntax, but very similar. Assembly, however is quite different.

Really good advice all this

One per year throughout your career. That's been common advice as long as I've been doing this. I'm not saying I've done it (far from it), but that's a good recommendation. As for what? I think you need C somewhere along the way and at least one form of LISP (Even Emacs Lisp would be one). Also, learn at least one assembly. I'd actually say learn something like 6502, Z80, System 360, or PDP-8 or PDP-11. There are emulators for them and they are (except maybe System 360) smaller architectures. Unless you're doing embedded systems, device drivers, or something where you're using a specific architecture exclusively and extensively this is more about understanding how machines work than a directly useful skill.

thanks for your guiding

So If my school teach c and c++ the on the third semester the best way for me is to start with the c to understand programming and concept in general? I've been trying with python and Java scripts randomly and I feel I haven't learned a single thing😫

I'm learning C++ and Python. One programming is hard and is compiled language and the other one is easy which is interpreted language. Not gonna lie but I love Dart and Swift programming language syntax.

I think I’m going to start with C# because this is a new hobby that I’m going to start and I have literally the whole summer with nothing else to do. I think XR development would be so cool and I know Unity uses C#

My engineering program dictates that we learn C++. I like it but I'm definitely interested in learning python or some other languages.

Interesting comment on College. Wouldn't you want to learn a language that was similar enough to Java, master Java at university (because you knew a similar language and understood how to code already), and graduate fluent in two language?

Would you recommend Scheme or Python as an introduction to programming? I learned Lua as my first and went into Python, and after just about 5 years I know enough languages to take on several different types of projects - but my first year at college my professor taught us all Scheme, and as someone who already knew a couple of programming languages, I don't feel like Scheme is a good introduction, then jumping into Python right after that class.

I think learning Java first to learn the basics of programming (Boolean logic, functions/methods, etc) then C second is really strong because Java is in the middle between machine and high level, and it will guide you through your mistakes (syntax). I think that if they start teaching C (or even Python) in high school, it will change the views of programming for people (scare people if it’s C and entice people if it’s Python). I just think Java is the best language to learn first because it teaches the class structure and all of the setup and initial thought to go into it just to get the equivalent of print(“Hello World!”) in Python.

Do you know if odu is still mainly doing c++? Thinking about trying to go there after high school so I might start practicing more c++ during senior year

Dang your right about C. I think this was used to weed out students during the 1st 2yrs.

All of them, and after that create your own languages and use those as well. Or just the ones you need to do the types of programming you want to do.

Thanks. This video is probably aimed at professionals, so not me. I have a simple question, if I may... I use various office tools to make materials for work. Why am I asking about coding then? It takes me hundreds of hours a year, usually of my own time, so unpaid, to do this. Is there a simple way to reduce the 'donkey work' of repetitive processes by using a simple coding tool rather than an office application? I make games, worksheets, quizzes, puzzles and other things, usually very heavy on a selection of images which appear repeatedly throughout the print-out or on-screen activity. I have tried using online services provided by so-called educators' websites, but the scope of what they can do is far, far too limited. Any advice would be great, thanks.

The bg photo is so cool! Is there a link?

Ive been programming in sich different languages. But I think three should bei sufficient. I'd recommend ECMA Script, C, and C#. Perl was very nice as well back in the days

Great video. I do disagree with C being hard however. The language itself it tiny and almost trivial. It is actually getting things done with C that can be hard because it has no such thing as STL that C++ has, so inevitably all the data structures have to be re-coded from scratch for every project.

Hello Forrest, Id like to look at blockchain technology and share your insights with your audience. thank you!

I would like to learn not as many programming languages as I can but as streamlining as I can and I hope that they will be in demand for the next 10 years. My choices of combinations are: 1. JavaScript then python 2. JavaScript then React 3. JavaScript then Tyscript Which combination would be the best choice? Thank you

Do you have any wisdom for a new CS grad looking to get their first job? I didn't have anyone to stress the importance of portfolios, so I'm hacking out my first real presentable project now. Most CS content is student-focused, know what I mean?

My first programming language was Batch, it was bad so I moved to python which is still my preferred language, after that I started learning c# (Learned the basics of it, I can write simple program) but I do need to become better at it because the computer science class I'm about to join wants me to know c#. I do want to start with golang, java and java script.

I would definitely say either Java or C++ is the best to learn first

I started learning to code 4 days ago and I started with Python.

i think javascript or python is enough if you want to create a ecommerce app or enteprise apps then jump to c# for gaming or c++ for embbeded systems arduino is also good and raspberry pi i then its endless learning

I'm a programmer who started off w/ Java & C/C++. One thing that confused me learning JavaScript is the shift in the meaning of "single threaded." I read JavaScript is a single threaded & got confused when my code lines did not execute consecutively. Then I found out in JavaScript "single threaded" means "one main thread always continues on while another thread is spun up to handle promises, dialog boxes, etc." That is not what "single threaded" means in any other language!!!!!!!!!!

It's it possible to make two programming language work together under 1 program, As noted java backend and Typescript as front-end? Can you share link to learn about it

i’m learning JS rn and i’m mastering it. After that, i’ll probably learn the fundamentals of 2 or 3 more languages

Wat do u think about specializing in the languages like python and php?

After learning c syntax , I don't know but I found javascript & python easy . Also when i saw Java then i found it is easy because of c .

Hey guys I’d really appreciate any advice I can get , I’m kinda stuck with a choice as to what programming language I should solidify my knowledge on first , I’m a 21 year old college student on my last year of college looking to land my first job,most companies here use Java/JS , I however wanna do game dev and the school I found for that (abroad) uses C++ for UE , so I’m kinda stuck with which I should learn first , I plan to go abroad next year. I know that learning C++ now will benefit me when I get into game dev, but I also know that solidifying Java will help me land a job here as well as abroad which could help pay for my tuition , but now the choice is wether to learn Java or C++ first , Java will help me in the long run and it’s useful in the present , however C++ is also useful in the long run for me but not as much in the present , any advice/insight or suggestions would be highly appreciated :)!

I stated programming when I was 14/15 And now that I study computer engineering and also doing fullstack, I'm happy that I was humble for my knowledge till now cause every time a learn a new subject, I realize that I literally know nothing

I started learning to program with C++ recently, I want to do web scraping but I don't want to jump to another language like python for example, is it possible to use C++ with web scraping?

I’m going to college for IT I’m going to learn Java I’m currently doing self taught but when I fully master Java In a year or 2 I’m going to go to C# then I’m going to relearn python and JavaScript last because learning the hard stuff first is best but I just don’t like C++ it’s weird not for me I did web design for 3 years

Here's my plan for the future : learn python, then c++ and then c. Then I can go ahead and learn other langs

Damn people really suck for even attempting to steal data like that 😕

What do you suggest to learn C/C++? a book, a website... i don't know what i can use.

I want to transfer to a school that mainly teaches python - Rn im learning java - do you think they're similar enough that my credits will transfer? Or at the very least, similar enough for the college to think im a good fit for their curriculum?

What first language would you recommend to learn first, given: - total noob to programming (zero knowledge or experience) - would like to be able to start freelancing & earning a little here & there as soon as possible (around 3--6 months time would be ideal) - would like to also start working on & building some personal web & app projects thereafter - final goal is to be back-end server side programmer, either freelancing or in a job (much more interested in how things work vs how things look) Also, is there scope for freelancing as a back-end dev? Or do those roles tend mostly to be at larger corporations? Any help/suggestions/advice please 🙏

I heard react was better to start with. Is it better to learn c instead of react?

Asm for ninja, c and c++ for master, and js and python for others

Which language i should learn first to step in computer world ?

Not a hater or anything, just learn any language and learn it to a level when you can solve or atleast think how any specific error might have occurred

Hello, I’m wanting to get into coding but I have no experience. I have a degree in an unrelated subject and am wondering how effective free courses are, compared to the traditional university route, if anyone has any opinions or experience I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

Was thinking about learning Python today when my college is teaching Java and then he talked about it 🤦🏾‍♂️

Love from India 🇮🇳 You are really Awesome !! I was more enthusiastic when you said the word 15.. cuz I'm 14 now and experienced some of the things you said... I did the mistakes cuz I behaved like what you said... Cuz I learnt HTML basics before my classes... I'm lucky to experience them very early... And thanks for your amazing guidance. I really really need you in my future .. Thanking you once again.

All of 'em

currently I'm learning C++, but I want to main to C# for next

Where's that shirt from big homie it's pretty nice

The answer is: all of them You need to know everything /s

My first year languages in 1992 were: COBOL, C, Pascal and Assembly. Yes, I'm wayyy old.

Ok I need advice..... I started with HTML CSS and a little JavaScript,php python and c....now I'm just confused...I don't know which to continue on