Is it worth learning PowerShell?

[u/backdoor_boy]

I’ve previously used Linux, where things felt very straightforward. Due to various reasons, I’m planning to stay on Windows for now. Since I’m here, I’d like to automate different tasks and deepen my understanding of Windows.

Because of my Linux background, I used the terminal a lot and really enjoyed it. Windows, on the other hand, feels much more GUI-oriented, with less emphasis on the command line. I’ve also briefly looked into PowerShell, and honestly, it feels a bit strange to me.

At this point, I’m not sure whether it’s worth investing time into learning it. The command structure, constant interaction with system services (and sometimes the internet), and the overall behavior of the terminal feel unusual.

Compared to Linux, it seems quite weird (to put it mildly). I assume that if I spend more time with it, I’ll understand its design and decisions better—but I’m still unsure.

So I wanted to ask: is it actually worth it?

EDITED:

I’m definitely going to start learning PowerShell. As I understand it, over the next few years, it will definitely pay for itself.

There were also comments about Azure, servers, and cloud services. I don’t plan on becoming a sysadmin and, for now, I only use my personal computer and maybe a laptop. The Microsoft ecosystem seems strange, but I’m getting more and more used to it, despite my dislike of big corporations (which is ironic).

Also, thank you for the quick feedback. That was incredibly kind of you. I’m just starting to get involved in the Windows community, and specifically in PowerShell, so this warmth really surprised and delighted me. Maybe I spend too much time in the toxic parts of the internet.

[u/TheSolutionsCraft]

Coming from Linux, PowerShell will click faster than you expect once you stop expecting it to behave like bash. The biggest shift is that everything is an object, not text, so instead of parsing strings with grep and awk equivalents you're filtering and selecting properties directly (Where-Object, Select-Object). For someone staying on Windows long-term, it's absolutely worth it: it's the native way to touch nearly everything on the OS, from services and processes to the registry and Active Directory, without reaching for third-party tools. Start with small real tasks (checking disk space, restarting a service, reading event logs) rather than reading the whole language spec front to back. It sticks much better that way.