A fellow GWBlogger, Bill Tudor, recently blogged about the progression he would suggest for someone who is getting started or looking to further themselves as a developer.
Some small changes I’d suggest is that when it comes to learning an object oriented language, VB.NET is viable object-oriented, managed runtime language. Sure, the syntax is a bit different, but VB.NET is a competitor too. Also, an alternative to Scheme and Haskell could be F#, still leveraging the .NET framework.
However, all of these suggestions are just that, suggestions. In the end, as Bill mentions, languages are fleeting. The main point to learning a different language isn’t to learn the syntax; it’s about learning how to leverage a new type of language, whether it be imperative, object-oriented, dynamic, functional, or even a culmination of them all. Learn the language type and understand its power and ability.
This continual yearning for learning new ways to tackle new or old tasks is what drives many of us. We love what we do as developers, and we want to continue to learn and help others learn.
That’s what the upcoming F# Dojo is going to be all about, collaborative learning to empower those new to functional programming. I’m just dipping my toes into the functional water myself, and I’m hoping that we can foster an environment to get all of our feet wet in F#.
My blog is mostly VB.NET centric, but I hope to start a series soon on F# here, running weekly. I hope that I can help someone learn more about F# as I learn more, and I hope that those who are strong with F# will peek in and give some guidance as well.
Altogether, this is what I love about community, and I hope that you all can just continue to prove me right.