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The book "The pragmatic Programmer" recommends in its first chapters to learn at least one new programming language a year. The reason is, languages solve the same problems in different approaches, so one can broaden oneself's knowledge of how to solve a problem. Makes sense.

However I'd like to invest my time in new frameworks instead of learning new programming languages. An Example in the Book:

"If you code Java, try Eiffel, etc...",

my approach:

"If you code Java, try Spring etc...".

What do you think?

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"what language/technology you should learn next, including which technology is better" is off topi as to the FAQ. That said learning a framework can teach you a lot and "The Pragmatic Programmer" isn't the bible. (Though the advice to learn different languages is very good as is the rest of the book) – thorsten müller Mar 22 at 8:30
If you want to go the easy way, do it. Even learning new stuff in the same language is better than learning nothing at all. – K.. Mar 22 at 8:31
Agreed, off topic, but for it's worth, I do NOT learn a new language every year. Replace "language" with technology, and I try to learn a few new techs every year. Whether it be JQuery, Lucene, Azure, different "types" of tech – Ozz Mar 22 at 10:59
IMHO, you should be doing both (ideally), but they aren't really equivalent and interchangeable. While some framework differences can be profound (e.g. contrast an MVVM framework vs MVC), the deep, assumption-overturning experience you get from learning different paradigms is something else altogether. You should try it at least once before you search for more "practical" alternatives. – Daniel B Mar 22 at 12:32
Actually I don't understand how this question is off topic. The OP Isn't asking what framework to learn next, but if learning frameworks instead of new languages would be a better investment of their time, which is a real question about improving one's skills. – Clement Herreman Mar 22 at 15:43

closed as off topic by thorsten müller, Martijn Pieters, gnat, Ozz, Frank Mar 22 at 11:56

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1 Answer

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It's not just about the paradigm shifts. Languages solve different problems and have different applications. Nobody in their right mind would write a production level operating system in java (i can foresee the incoming downvoting), use c for one off scripts or build a web application for Linux servers in VB.NET.

For example, even if you're happy with building server applications for the rest of your career, you could be much more productive by leveraging Python for simple task automations.

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