There’s No Point in Learning 10 Programming Languages
Learning a language alone doesn’t land you a job – and nor does learning 10 of them. Recently, on Reddit, Indian developers discussed if there was any point in finding out the best “stack” or “tech”. The consensus? It’s not the stack or the language but your expertise and specialisation in a chosen field that ultimately matters. Many people are fixated on finding the hottest new language, coolest tech stack, or latest trends, but this isn’t going to land them a job. One user commented, “Tech stacks are not going to give you jobs, it’s you. There is absolutely no point of learning 10 languages; just pick 2, pick a specific field, and become the best at it.” The emphasis here is on specialisation rather than spreading oneself thin across multiple technologies. The issue isn’t a lack of demand for developers but rather a lack of good developers. There seems to be a lack of supply for good developers, whereas the demand runs high. There are several jobs for 1x developers, but people who are mediocre at 10 of those jobs would not be able to land the one job they need. All Programming Languages are the Same Most young college students or recent graduates don’t realise the importance of specialisation and becoming exceptionally skilled in one area. “You just gotta be the whale in the sea of fishes,” a user explained. For instance, companies and teams still want React developers, but with the abundance of them, the question becomes: “Why you? Why would a company hire you when every third person is a React developer nowadays?” The highest-paid and most skilled engineers are usually language-agnostic; they can quickly learn new languages, are pragmatic, and focus on simplicity and fundamentals. “The mass layoffs are a result of simply hiring “decent” developers who were not specialised and good enough,” said a user. To stand out, developers should focus on building unique projects, contributing to open-source, and staying patient and persistent. “Give your time, contribute to open source, build unique projects, stay focused and patient, keep trying, and you’d see good results,” advised one user. The Reddit discussion highlighted that grinding LeetCode can easily land a starting salary of 100-200k in top-paying companies, but this trend, started by FAANG, is gradually dying. The industry is shifting back towards valuing specialisation and building real-world projects over mere problem-solving skills. For freshers, building specialisation seems daunting without experience. However, learning a stack and building projects is a necessary first step. Moreover, learning programming and learning programming languages are not entirely the same thing. “Hyperfocusing on programming languages is similar to people learning other skills obsessing over which tools and materials they need to use,” said a user on another Reddit thread. Lies on Resume Works, Sometimes When it comes to India, even skilled developers at times exaggerate and lie on their resumes to get into good companies. Despite holding degrees, many graduates here find themselves unprepared for the practical demands of the industry, making them seem less competitive on the global stage. Another Reddit thread discussed, “I am 25 with a bachelor in CS and masters in AI. With 0 YOE [years of experience], I found it tough to land a job after college and had to settle with a generic SDE [software development engineer] role at a small company.” This is increasingly becoming the trend. “You are actually free to lie on your resume about a particular tech stack,” suggests a user in a controversial take. If you can learn enough to pass the initial screenings and impress actual engineers in interviews, you might secure the job. However, another user countered, “Works fine for relatively low pay positions… but this is never going to work in the long run.” Fresh graduates are voicing concerns about their resumes lacking significant projects, which they fear might hinder their job prospects. One such graduate shared, “I don’t have any projects listed on my resume despite knowing C, Java, and Python. My experience is limited to solving coding problems with these languages. Now that I’ve completed my BTech, I’m worried.” Experienced developers often become language ambiguous, which means they can quickly adapt to new languages and technologies. “The highest paid, most skilled engineers are generally language ambiguous,” observed a user with 14+ years in tech. This adaptability comes from a strong foundation in basics and first principles.
To stand out, developers should focus on building unique projects, contributing to open-source, and staying patient and persistent.
It's not the stack or the language but your expertise and specialisation in a chosen field that ultimately matters.
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Mohit writes about AI in simple, explainable, and often funny words. He's especially passionate about chatting with those building AI for Bharat, with the occasional detour into AGI.