I get what you are saying and I think, to a decent extent, that was my goal in accepting a spot in the program. I want to learn C++ mainly because it is a huge language with some darker corners and the general consensus seems to be that half-knowing C++ is just plain dangerous in a production environment.
Moreover though, I want to work in a field where I find my work to be meaningful and I think education is a very good opportunity. The education market is ready to be rocked by an earthquake.
Ultimately you're going to need to know multiple programming languages in your toolbox to be considered dangerous. I recommend Java, C++, Python and Javascript IMO.
The first language is 90% of the effort, it's not super unusual to be proficient in a new language in six months (for a given value of proficient). While obviously there are new concepts (static typing, functional programming), the first language is definitely the hardest.
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I get what you are saying and I think, to a decent extent, that was my goal in accepting a spot in the program. I want to learn C++ mainly because it is a huge language with some darker corners and the general consensus seems to be that half-knowing C++ is just plain dangerous in a production environment.
Moreover though, I want to work in a field where I find my work to be meaningful and I think education is a very good opportunity. The education market is ready to be rocked by an earthquake.
Ultimately you're going to need to know multiple programming languages in your toolbox to be considered dangerous. I recommend Java, C++, Python and Javascript IMO.
I meant dangerous in a bad way. :P I agree though. I have some background in Python and I am learning JavaScript now. C++ is next.
The first language is 90% of the effort, it's not super unusual to be proficient in a new language in six months (for a given value of proficient). While obviously there are new concepts (static typing, functional programming), the first language is definitely the hardest.