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Little-Known Programming Languages That Actually Pay

Posted by samzenpus on from the thinking-in-esperanto dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes There is no shortage of programming languages, from the well-known ones (Java and C++) to the outright esoteric (intended just for research or even humor). While the vast majority of people learn to program the most-popular ones, the lesser-known programming languages can also secure you a good gig in a specific industry. Which languages? Client-server programming with Opa, Salesforce's APEX language, Mathematica and MATLAB, ASN.1, and even MIT's App Inventor 2 all belong on that list, according to developer Jeff Cogswell. On the other hand, none of these languages really have broad adoption; ASN.1 and SMI, for example, are primarily used in telecommunications and network management. So is it really worth taking the time to learn a new, little-used language for anything other than the thrills?

4 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. C++ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No one knows it, really.

  2. Re:No thanks by PRMan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Plus, you run the risk of steering your career into a corner from which it's hard to escape. I did C# for 5 years and then a custom Pascal scripting language for 2 years. What did I hear? "You're not a C# developer, you're a xxxxx developer." Um, it's not like I forgot everything I knew or even didn't use it during that time, but it's a resume-killer, so be careful.

    --
    Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
  3. Re: No thanks by Anrego · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Language, maybe. The tool stack around that language though, I call BS.

    Sure, a c++ guy can pick up java itself fairly quickly, but it takes time to come up to speed on the various widely used libraries and tools. General programming concepts transfer, the specific workings of something like EJB or OSGI don't.

  4. Re:Symptom of thinking vocabulary is the key by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 5, Insightful
    You are absolutely correct. I laughed when I read the line in the article which said:

    For example, if you master a couple math and science programming languages, you might find opportunities as a programmer working at a scientific research center.

    since it shows how clueless the author is about programming languages in science. When I am hiring a postdoc I could not care less which programming language they have used: if I am looking for someone with technical skills all I care about is that they have experience programming. The delay in learning whatever specific languages and packages we use is minimal so long as they have a strong technical background.