Should you learn Javascript?

18 Jan 2022

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So, you want to learn Javascript. Well let me tell you, it might be difficult, it might be grueling, it might even make you cry, or it’ll be as easy as printing “Hello World” in Java. Coming from a primarily C# background, I expected Javascript to be some insanely convoluted and confusing slog through boring syntax. However, perhaps because of Freecodeacademy, or because Javascript in and of itself is more intuitive, I found it the opposite. Within 5 hours I managed to finish the course and can now say I have a basic understanding of Javascript.

Having done that, you might be wondering, why should I learn Javascript anyway? It’s all well and good that I can learn it, but why should I? From what I can tell, Javascript is a streamlined and more intuitive language than C# and others. While in C# I’d have to write a function or import some directory to split a string into an array (for example) in JS there is syntax specifically for that. That aside, JS treats it’s functions as first class objects allowing for functions as return values, as variables, and more. It opens a whole new world of possibilities that C# just doesn’t have.

To conclude, if you’re going from C# to Javascript you probably won’t have that much difficulty. It’s not the most jarring transition and you’ll most likely find many features that interest you. It’s a useful language to know, it’s used in web design, in applications, in some game design, etc. Overall, based on my experience, I’d reccommend Javascript to any C# programmer.