do i actually need to learn C first?? frank keeps telling me to 😭
Max Petrosyan@max_2010
ok so im 16, been making minecraft mods in java for like a year and i lowkey love it. but every time i post something frank_cpp98 replies "learn C first, kid" and now im scared im doing it wrong lol
questions (sorry theres a lot)
- do i need C to get a job later or is java fine
- should i learn c++ instead since its closer to java??
- will AI take all the jobs before i graduate anyway (fr asking)
- i just put linux on my old laptop, does that count as learning something lol
ngl i dont even know what a pointer is and at this point im afraid to ask
Accepted answer
Staff engineer, 17 years in. Honest answers:
1. No, you do not need C to get a job. Java alone has employed millions of people for decades. Keep going.
2. Learn C at some point, not first and not instead. Not because it is "real programming", but because it shows you what Java hides: memory, pointers, what an object actually costs. A month of C will make you a better Java developer. Do it when you are curious, not when you are scared.
3. Nobody knows what AI does to jobs. What I can tell you is that the people I see doing well understand what the code is doing, not just what it outputs. Building mods is exactly that kind of learning.
4. Yes, Linux counts. Every problem it gives you is a free lesson in how computers work.
A pointer is a variable that holds a memory address instead of a value. That is the whole idea. Everything scary about it comes later. And Frank is grumpy, but he is not wrong about the fundamentals, only about the order.
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Danny Cho@danny_cho_la
Staff engineer, 17 years in. Honest answers:
1. No, you do not need C to get a job. Java alone has employed millions of people for decades. Keep going.
2. Learn C at some point, not first and not instead. Not because it is "real programming", but because it shows you what Java hides: memory, pointers, what an object actually costs. A month of C will make you a better Java developer. Do it when you are curious, not when you are scared.
3. Nobody knows what AI does to jobs. What I can tell you is that the people I see doing well understand what the code is doing, not just what it outputs. Building mods is exactly that kind of learning.
4. Yes, Linux counts. Every problem it gives you is a free lesson in how computers work.
A pointer is a variable that holds a memory address instead of a value. That is the whole idea. Everything scary about it comes later. And Frank is grumpy, but he is not wrong about the fundamentals, only about the order.
Max Petrosyan@max_2010
this is actually so helpful thank you 😭 ok java now, c later, linux pain forever
Frank Ostrowski@frank_cpp98
I am not wrong about the order either. But the answer is acceptable. Regards.
Karthikeyan S@karthik_embedded
Machi, I write C every day for motor controllers. Learn Java now, enjoy it. One day pick up an Arduino and write C for it, blink an LED, read a sensor. That is the most fun way to learn pointers only.
Sam Whitaker@segfault_sam
max you are 16 and making mods. at 16 i was making a geocities page with a fire gif. you are fine
Walt Hendricks@walt_mainframe
Young man, I learned COBOL first, then C, then Java at 45. Order matters far less than people say. Curiosity matters more. Frank told me to learn C first too. I was 58 at the time. He tells everyone.
Pedro Henrique Lima@phzin_7
mano relaxa, eu tb só sei java e lua kkkkk a gente faz mod e tá tudo bem. depois a gente aprende C juntos tmj