From Java Development to C++ Development. Does programming language matters?
Since my days of university, I have tried to put hands on any kind of programming language I could get. I did most of my bachelor's degree projects on web development on PHP language, I did my Master’s mobile development project on Java Android, then I did my post graduate job on Xamarin (which is Microsoft’s C# version of Java Android). I did my personal projects on JavaScript with Firebase backend service. Last but not the least, most of my professional career is based on Java based frameworks.
Lately I have switched to working as a Senior Software Engineer on C++. The reason for highlighting all of these is because during my interview for this position, the interviewer asked me why I wanted to move from Java to C++ while people prefer it other way around or to not switch at all. I replied that I am a qualified software engineer who can code, irrespective of what the language is. When I was given coding tasks as part of my interview, I preferred to write the code on C++, although I had the option of Java and C# as well. The point of writing this down is that if you have decided to become a Software Engineer / Developer then you should not be afraid of trying different languages.
Trying different languages give you more diversity and it allows you to understand things from different perspective. I have never been hired for a position in which I was previously working on. I did my Final Year project on Java ADF (Never worked on it after that). My first professional job was on Java Struts I and II (Never worked on it before or after leaving that job). My first job after my Master’s was on Xamarin, (Never worked on it before and after leaving that place). Then when I joined IBM, I worked on IBM Integration Bus on Java, learnt IIB and integration Development during my job role and performed there at the best of my ability. And now finally, I am doing my first ever C++ job role which I am enjoying a lot because of my prior experience of handling different languages and frameworks. Working on different languages can help you become a good software architect or a technical team lead in your career path in the future.
Conclusion:
If you have decided to become a software engineer / developer then don’t be afraid to try new things. You may have your favorite language / framework to work on but it can change if you try something new. Mostly all the languages are similar in one way or the other, with little tweaking here and there, provided you have a strong basic concepts of programming. I always recommend my young friends to have strong Object Oriented concepts which will help them to grasp any new language that comes in their way. Finally I would like to conclude with a quote from Richard Branson: “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you are not sure if you can do it, just say yes then learn how to do it later.” In our case, if you know a programming language then chances are you know other programming language too to some extent and you can continue learning from there on.
Keep learning and Happy coding!!!
