this post was submitted on 14 May 2024
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Programming

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Start learning at 50

I've always wanted to learn programming. I've read a blog post saying that at this age it was to late . Then I read a post here in saying the opposite. I've found a site that was learn x in y minutes where it has a bunch of languages there. After reading them, the languages that caught my attention were Julia, Clojure and Go. Are any of these good for a beginner or should I start with something else? I know what are variables, can spot an if/else statement but that's about it. What are some good resources for someone like me who likes to learn by doing things?

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[–] porgamrer 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Out of the ones you listed I'd suggest Julia or Clojure. They are simple and have interactive modes you can use to experiment easily.

Experienced programmers often undersell the value of interactive prompts because they don't need them as much. They already have a detailed mental model of how most languages behave.

Another thing: although Julia and Clojure are simple, they are also quite obscure and have very experimental designs. Python might be a better choice. From a beginner's perspective it's very similar to Julia, but it's vastly more popular and lots of people learn it as their first language.

Based on the languages you found, I'm guessing you were looking for something simple and elegant. I think Python fits this description too.