The benefits of learning languages that you won't use [closed]

Answer 1

Learning a language, especially one that practices a new paradigm, is very beneficial for every programmer. For example learning Scheme will help someone understand functional programming. The programmer can later practice what he/she learned with other languages like C#. She can think of new ways of doing things.

Also, as languages evolve, it's high likely that the language you use will adopt some features of other languages. Having taught myself Ruby, I was able to grasp the changes in C# 3.0 much easier.

Answer 2

A great side-effect of learning new languages is the potential for application in your existing language.

For instance, I'm a Java programmer and I took the time to learn my first functional language (Haskell). I was recently asked to learn Scala for an upcoming project. This is extremely easy since I understand the comcepts of guards, recursion, etc. from Haskell.

Answer 3

Some examples that come to mind:

Knowing C and having to deal with memory management and do-it-yourself data structures can help you understand performance issues when programming in a higher level language where those details are hidden from you.

Conversely, learning an OO language can affect your C programming - with, for example, the concept of Polymorphism prompting you to use function pointers in ways you might not have otherwise.

Learning a language where functions are first class objects that can be passed around can make you think of similar techniques in other languages, even if, in those other languages, you have to make the functions methods in objects that get passed around.

Learning about the way Erlang handles concurrency can make you rethink how much shared state you use between threads in other languages.

Any language that has a built-in feature you find useful can prompt you to implement your own version of that feature in another language that doesn't have it, and thus allow you to solve problems in ways you might not have thought of if you hadn't been exposed to the feature in the language that has it built-in.

Learning about Interfaces in Java can make you think about the benefits of precisely specifying your (small "i") interfaces in other languages that don't have them as a formal construct in a type system.

No doubt there are others.

Answer 4

What are the benefits of learning mathematics or physics that you won't use, or the benefits of studying philosophy or dead tongues?

It's the intellectual achievement and the enlightenment what matters, you will be a wiser person with any new thing that you learn, no matter if they are programming languages, literature, role playing games... of course if it's related to your working field, then you'll actually find a use, sooner or later :-)

Answer 5

IMHO, it is all about learning a new programming paradigm. If you know Java and then C#, there's not much gain, once both of them have almost the same "type of programming".

But if you get to learn a functional language or dynamic, for instance, you're forced to think another way, and that will probably help you to program better in your favorite language.

It is something like: "It is so easy doing this in {different language you learned}. There must be a better way to do this in {language you already know}". And then you rethink, and build up a more elegant way to do this in {language you already know}.

Answer 6

Learning a language is not a binary event. If you are a decent programmer, you should be able to trust your own instincts as to whether a language offers you a new take on your craft.

Virtually every language worth considering these days can be downloaded and test-driven in a couple of minutes. So do it -- pick one and try it out.

There are a limited number of cases where this "laissez-faire" approach falls short. If you're a complete beginner, of course it doesn't work. When I first learned C, I had to have it beaten into me, but it did turn out to be worth it because it made me understand pointers, memory reference and dynamic allocation in a way I hadn't previously.

But if you know that much already, just poke around and look for a language that makes your lightbulb go on.