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General Discussion

Posted by Michael Levett
Michael Levett
3,111 Points

Is Learning two unrelated languages at the same time: Okay or Too Confusing?

Hi, everyone!

I'm currently trying to improve as a web designer/dev by learning JavaScript and it's a little challenging at times, but I'm getting there and enjoying it.

I am also very interested in learning to develop for iOS with Objective-C / Swift; However, I'm sure if trying to learn two new and unrelated languages at the same time might just be too confusing and counter-productive in that way.

I know everyone is different when it comes to learning, but generally, would you suggest sticking to learning one language at a time or do you think it would be okay or even beneficial to learn more than one at a time?

2 Answers

egaratkaoroprat
egaratkaoroprat
16,630 Points
egaratkaoroprat
egaratkaoroprat
16,630 Points

Hi Michael

It depends, if you already have mastered other programming languages, then it might be okay to learn other unrelated things (well, most programming languages have a lot of things in common - such as program flow, conditions, loop, you name it). But if you are a beginner, I would suggest to stick with one environment until you are pretty confident with your knowledge and have already some practical experience using it. In your case of learning web designer/dev, you already have a lot of things to deal with, such as UI/UX design, HTML, CSS, databases, JavaScript and many frameworks that are out there (react, node.js etc.) - so it will keep you quite busy for a while... :)

Once you got it, you can still learn other languages quite easily.

I know it is hard to resist the urge to satisfy your curiosity. But believe me, it is better as a beginner to stick with one thing and take your time (very important!). I have made this mistake a couple of times now and have given up, as I was too overwhelmed, because I felt too little to master all the things I wanted to learn. Right now, I am telling myself to keep sticking with web dev (in my case which is mastering the MEAN stack), before I even think about to move on to other environment.

Michael Levett
Michael Levett
3,111 Points

Hi, Thanks for the reply.

Yeah I know what you mean, it's easy to stretch yourself too thin with something like this and get carried away. I have a confident foundation on HTML, CSS, and I started with the design side of things, so it makes the most sense for me to continue down the path of becoming a more solid web developer at the moment. But I think once I feel more confident with the fundamentals of JS, I'll see how I get on with learning App development while improving my other skills.

Thanks again for the good advice :)

jon kelson
jon kelson
5,149 Points
jon kelson
jon kelson
5,149 Points

Hi Michael, I think its good to look and learn different code languages just to start. (but I mainly concentrate on one now that I've found the one I like as I think I would get confused)

To see which one you enjoy the most and

It will help you to learn other language code.

I had a look on twitter/treehouse and there are some great write ups you will enjoy and it will help you . I've copied a link for you with one of the subjects ( hopefully it will work, if not just search through the subjects on twitter)

trhou.se/2bt68NB .

Title below How do you choose which #programming language to learn? http://trhou.se/2bt68NB

Michael Levett
Michael Levett
3,111 Points

Thanks.

The article was very helpful, quite a reassuring thought at the end - "You can’t go wrong. As long as you choose a language that is regularly used in technology today, you’re winning." - I think I'll probably make sure that I have a solid understanding of JS then before I move to something different, as I already have a pretty confident understanding of HTML and CSS, so that makes the most sense, to keep moving in that direction. Especially as I'm enjoying it a lot.