<p>talked to some random guy at my work today about cs.
he said that I shouldn't learn cs from college because they teach you the wrong things.
He laughed when I told him I was learning c++ at my community college and told me that i should be learning usefull things like ruby on rails. is there any truth to this?</p>
<p>I don’t think he knows what he is talking about. I know C++ is one of the more commonly used languages for software development in companies. Also, schools teach good practices, a deep understanding of CS and how to write efficient code, among other things. Again, I don’t think he knows what he is talking about.</p>
<p>Lol. 10char</p>
<p>That guy does not know what he is talking about, if you complete the cs degree, you can pick up ruby on rail on 2 days and program better than him! (I’m serious). CS is not just programming you will learn other things like artificial intelligence, computer security, compiler construction, numerical analysis, computer graphics, databases, how to design hardware, and more. CS is a big degree</p>
<p>Lightnin said exactly what I was going to say.</p>
<p>Although “Ruby on Rails” is the “hot thing” right now, C++ is meant to teach you the concepts of object-oriented programming while teaching you the basics of the C programming language. Once you know C++, then it will be much easier to pick up Java, Python, Scala, Ruby and the rest.</p>
<p>I may add knowing C++ and also the “Theory/Organization of Programming Languages” course, which really gives you the background to be able to pick up new languages quickly.</p>
<p>C++ is better to learn first?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes.</p>
<p>If your goal is to learn something as quickly as possible to start creating some simple pieces of software and end your education there, Ruby is a good choice. That’s different if you have the time to go through and get an Associates or Bachelors degree.</p>
<p>Don’t be biased towards particular languages/frameworks. What is cool today may be obsolete tomorrow. Learning Ruby on Rails is perfectly fine, but you should be prepared to have your skills transfer to other languages. At some point, learning a new language is just a matter of becoming familiar with syntax (this is after you’ve had a wide exposure to different language paradigms).</p>