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I started learning PHP and I was able to get myself familiar with it. Now, i want to explore other programming languages like PERL so that i can compare it myself to PHP. Will I be confused to learn two language? Or are there any disadvantages?

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look at this post as well - stackoverflow.com/q/682636/1437962 – ElYusubov Jul 15 '12 at 3:43
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How many times do we have to answer this exact question? – Greg Hewgill Jul 15 '12 at 4:39
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PHP should take you to the end of your career! no really it should, especially if this is a serious question! – Jarrod Roberson Jul 15 '12 at 6:44
oh yeah, if you read the FAQ you would know this is way off topic as well. "what language you should learn next, including which technology is better" – Jarrod Roberson Jul 15 '12 at 6:55
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@FiascoLabs "PHP is the natural descendent of Perl." you just offended every real Perl programmer in history the present and the future at one time! – Jarrod Roberson Jul 15 '12 at 7:55
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closed as off topic by Jarrod Roberson, jk., Thomas Owens♦ Jul 15 '12 at 10:18

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4 Answers

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I would spend some time getting decent at your first language, but once you have done that start exploring. There are a lot of languages out there and a lot of them are nicer then PHP or do something better.

I would take a look at the book "Seven Languages in Seven Weeks" which will walk you threw Ruby, IO, Scala, Prolog, Erlang, Clojure and Haskell which will make you learn a whole bunch of new ways to code.

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I think that's a good approach. Particularly importantly, it teaches you different languages. Learning Perl after PHP is not going to give you nearly as much insight as learning Prolog or Haskell! – Tikhon Jelvis Jul 15 '12 at 4:34
qualify getting decent at PHP please? Because getting decent at PHP is way different that getting decent at say C++, Erlang or ASM. – Jarrod Roberson Jul 15 '12 at 6:46
good enough to get stuff done I guess. in truth my default rule for PHP is avoid if at all possible. One of my least favorite languages – Zachary K Jul 15 '12 at 7:09
+1 ZacharyK for recommending those languages. Infact, @mattmight in his post What Every Computer Science Major Should Know, recommended learning Racket, C, JavaScript, Squeak, Java, Standard ML, Prolog, Scala, Haskell, C++ and Assembly because they provide "a reasonable mixture of paradigms and practical applications". Put another way, the Programmer's Competency Matrix recommended Imperative, OO, declarative, functional, concurrent and Logic – Anthony Jul 15 '12 at 9:17
up vote 3 down vote

Learn anything that interests you. If you want to learn Perl instead of studying PHP go ahead. The most important thing is to be learning something. In my opinion, knowing multiple languages at some level makes a better programmer than knowing only one in depth.

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up vote 3 down vote

Short Answer: If you’re just starting your programming career, then I would advise you to focus on learning just one programming language at a time.

This is because there’s little to be gained by listing many programming languages on your resume without really being good or highly skilled in any of them!

As a general rule, it’s far better to learn one programming language and master it well before learning other programming languages.

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up vote 0 down vote

I too started out with PHP. It's a good first choice as there is a pretty large community, and there is a good chance you can pick up a job writing it.

I wouldn't recommend picking up another similar language (such as PERL, Python, etc), as ultimately, you won't probably learn much other than more syntax. However, you might take some time and brush up on your javascript. jQuery is great, but that choice is yours. The best part? You can use both at the same time, so you can continue to grow professionally in both directions.

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