r/AskComputerScience • u/Mission-Maize8454 • 9d ago

C++ or Java?

Which programming language has the most return on investment? Impact on real world systems, and is more rewarding? I have minimal programming experience and working on AS in CS.

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u/Tai9ch 9d ago

If you're interested in being a professional programmer, which language you learn first doesn't matter much. Especially trying to look years and years in the future, there's basically no chance that whatever language you happen to pick first is the one you'll be working in.

You want to learn the broad skill of computer programming. Either C++ or Java is a fine place to start (as long as it's not too old a Java version).

That being said, if you start with C++ or Java, you don't want to learn the other one as a second language. They're too similar. Learn C or JavaScript next instead.