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Learning Java or C# as a Next Language?

Posted by Cliff on from the decisions-decisions dept.

AlexDV asks: "I'm currently a second-term, CIS major at DeVry University. This coming term, I will have the choice of studying either Java or C# for my Object Oriented Programming class. Now I'm a diehard Linux user, so I'm slightly conflicted here. Which should I take?" "I know C#.NET is primarily a Microsoft language, but, with Mono gaining momentum, it could very well become a major development platform for Linux as well. Novell has really been pushing it lately, and there seems to be a lot of very cool Linux apps being developed with it.

Java, on the other hand, is inherently more Linux-friendly due to its intentional cross-platform nature, but at the same time it doesn't really seem to be inspiring the same kind of developer enthusiasm as Mono. However, it's clearly not an insignificant OSS development language, with the recent news that Java has surpassed C++ as the #1 language for SourceForge projects.

Anyway, I though I'd toss that out there and get some opinions from other Slashdot readers. Any thoughts, advice, and/or rants are appreciated :)"

3 of 817 comments (clear)

  1. lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    lol DeVry lol

  2. dude... he's taking classes at DeVry. by Aqua+OS+X · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I don't know what state that guy live in, but if he lived around here (the bay area), I know he'd be nuts not to attended a state university with accredited professors, cheeper tuition, as well as the ability to accommodate a working adult.

    --
    "Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
  3. More important question!!! Why major in C.S. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Dude, seriously, what you really should be asking yourself is why enter the IT field? You won't get a job programming because you can't compete with $4/day Chinese workers. Seriously man.

    Even if you are lucky enough to get a low paying job, you won't keep it as more and more companies outsource. You sure as heck can't bank on having a 45+ year career as a programmer, software engineer, or whatever you want to call it. In another 10-20 years, there will be absolutely NO software jobs for U.S. and European programmers. Period.

    Don't go in this field. Find something else you like quickly and pursue it. Don't think that just because you like programming and think you are good at it that you can make a living at it anymore. Times have changed. I would NOT let my children enter this field. You have to have a reliable source of income in life. That's REAL important.

    I hate to scare you, but you haven't invested 10 to 20 years of your career in this dead end industry, so it's better you back out now. People with 20+ years of experience, including all the latest buzz words, cannot find jobs and are losing their houses and health insurance. Don't think that when you are 30, you will be employeed. Going into C.S. is a major career mistake and people with a lot more experience and skills then you who have given a decade or more of their lives to IT are jumping ship left and right. Don't major in C.S. There are plenty of easier and more reliable ways of earning a living.