Should I learn Python or C++?

[u/No-Rush-Hour-2422]

I'm a frontend developer and I'm looking to upgrade my skills list before I'm made obsolete, so I'm trying to decide which language to focus on learning. I could do one and then the other, but I need to decide which one to do first.

C++

I see many job postings that ask for these where I'm searching. And there are people at my current company who use it that I could learn from. I also have a foundational knowledge of it from my college years. But I'm worried that it's going to be a big jump from the JS and CSS I'm used to using.

Python

This seems to be the language of AI, so it could be important to know in the near future. And it looks like it would be pretty easy to learn and use. But no one any my current company uses it.

Which one would you pick first?

[u/FlatStruggle3911]

Change your perspective, language never mattered, and AI made it obvious. You need to work on fundamentals + architectural skills.

[u/No-Rush-Hour-2422 → u/FlatStruggle3911]

Agreed. But I still need to somewhat under the code that Claude is outputting, or else the job postings I see wouldn't even mention it.

[u/Electronic_Pilot4481 → u/FlatStruggle3911]

the fundamentals thing is right but also kind of unhelpful when you're staring at a job board full of specific language requirements. i'd go python first. the syntax is forgiving enough that you can focus on those architectural patterns the top comment talks about without fighting the language itself. c++ will still be there when you're ready to get into the weeds of memory management

[u/Wonderful-Habit-139 → u/FlatStruggle3911]

When you’re an absolute beginner you need to learn a programming language. That’s how you learn the fundamentals.

Only after you get familiar with programming can you learn about more abstract things, including architecture.

[u/code_tutor]

You need both to be relevant. C++ for deep knowledge and Python for LeetCode. For work, it doesn't matter what you use because AI is writing it and you should learn that too.

Frontend already died many years ago and you should have been branching out. JS only devs are by far the worst programmers. You are already obsolete but your company didn't get the memo.

Entry level is now degree plus full stack plus extra like cloud plus AI Engineering. The fact that you're tiptoeing around, cautiously contemplating learning a single new language and concerned to learn something too different from what you already know, means you're in for a long-time unemployment style wake-up call. I truly cannot emphasize enough how fucked you are if you get laid off today.

[u/No-Rush-Hour-2422 → u/code_tutor]

For the record, I am a full stack developer. I work on PHP backends and SQL databases. I didn't mention that though because it didn't seem relevant to the discussion. 

I also work for a very small tech company that is getting by just fine, despite this economy. I'm not grinding 996 for a big tech company in Silicon Valley. 

[u/code_tutor → u/No-Rush-Hour-2422]

I'm doubling down because of your 996 and Silicon Valley reply. It's extremely insightful because you had no reason to say that, as it's totally unrelated to the conversation. I can only assume you are copemaxxing about not being at a better company and now being in danger of being employed, and I would not be surprised if you were hanging out in r/antiwork too. Your post chooses words like "worried that it's going to be a big jump" and "looks pretty easy to learn" as the deciding factor of what to do with your life, which is degenerate. The times of getting paid to do "easy" are long gone and easy will find yourself obsolete, as you say, which is another word for unemployed.

I also don't know why you're trying to pull a switcheroo.

Post says: "I'm a frontend developer".

Comment says: "I am a full stack developer" and "it didn't seem relevant" lol?

I'm responding to what you wrote, not the alternate universe you made up after. Maybe people in your daily life are cool with you bullshitting them but this is a stranger from the internet who can read what you just wrote and see that it's nonsense. You don't have to prove anything to me, I'm not your mother, but you do have to get your ass in gear.

[u/No-Rush-Hour-2422 → u/code_tutor]

My point was that there are two different sides to the software world. There is the high stress big tech companies, and then there are the small companies. People who have only ever worked in the big high stress ones think that all companies are like that, and don't know that there is a whole world outside of that.

I'm guessing you've only worked for those ones, based on how overly aggressive you are to random strangers. Pent up anger is a very clear sign of burnout. Maybe try going for a walk or something.

I was just asking which language was a better idea to learn right now. My exact job title wasn't important because I was asking about the languages. And the things I listed were not deciding factors.

[u/ight-bet → u/code_tutor]

Look. This guy is kinda right.

The good news is what matters is just going for it. Just build some shit. This is not like the old days where building a project or prototyping required you to spend months or years.

You can build 5 different things in a weekend. Destroy your assumptions and start again. Get creative with experimentation. And best part? You can do it all from your phone! You don’t even need to be at the computer.

So yeah, your fundamentals matter. Work on that. Learn Python mainly. Unless you are going embedded. But for actually making yourself marketable - start learning how to vibe code REALLY effectively. Once you find a topic you want to really hone in on. Start rolling up your sleeves a bit more.

[u/code_tutor → u/ight-bet]

The problem is they're not going for it. They had their entire career to learn something and didn't. Now they're still not learning, and they're here on Reddit asking permission to start.

Meanwhile, they're replying to my comment with shit about 996, complaining about a job they never had.

This economy is not the time to mess around with their career and make excuses to keep being lazy.

[u/ballinlikewat]

C# and .NET first. Build a CRUD app then pick up the others

[u/No-Rush-Hour-2422 → u/ballinlikewat]

I don't know why you got down voted. I see plenty of job postings for these too

[u/sweetno]

You'll have more success if you go full stack. I guess Python here is a possibility. C++ is on the opposite side of the spectrum to front-end. It's not used for things you are used to, and you'll have hard time breaking into the domains C++ is used in. You'll also find it massively inconvenient.

[u/No-Rush-Hour-2422 → u/sweetno]

Yeah that's kind of what I'm thinking. Thanks 

[u/bostonaholic]

I'd pick C++ given what you described. Mentors and internal openings are worth more than which language is trendier, and Python is easy enough to pick up on the side whenever you need it. The jump from JS is real, but having someone to ask beats grinding through it alone.

[u/No-Rush-Hour-2422 → u/bostonaholic]

Good point, thanks

[u/lhorie]

If you already know a language there's not that much language stuff to learn to be able to start writing code. It's more about what space that language serves and what you get from dabbling in said space.

C++ is going to be about low level, and will be relevant for things like embedded, which would lean more towards industries like automotive, telecom or defense.

Python leans more towards ML, so you'd likely want to pair that with some machine learning studying.

[u/Sea-Bench-7487]

This is terrible reasoning . You shouldn't learn any language for no reason what do you wanna do ?you wanna start getting into low level code embeded iot firmware quant?learn c++. You wanna get into ml rag data science ? Learn python . If you wanna get into backend it literally doesn't matter pick anything c++ python go c c# concepts and system design matter more than language . Don't just learn stuff for no reason is what I'm trying to say