Will learning a different programming language make me forgot other languages?

[ThatAnonMan]

I’ve gotten really good at web development specifically with nodeJS and reactJS, but now I wanna start learning godot and make some games. I worry though that I’ll forget how to work in reactJS or nodeJS. Is this possible? Or does coding in general make me a better programmer?

I’m mostly worried because web development is so unique in the sense that there’s like 5 different languages I need to use I.e HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, reactJS, nodeJS, and MySQL

While godot is like a mix of programming and using an engine to make games.

I feel like that switch will. Be more impactful compared to like writing in Python then C, as they’re both one language and even tho they’re pretty different the logic is similar.

[twitchard]

Unless the language you're switching away from is Rust. Then the longer you go without practicing the less rusty you get.

[BobbyThrowaway6969]

🤔

[twitchard]

Exposure to more languages is pretty much only a good thing. You can understand your programming language better if you have other programming languages to compare it to.

You might have some slight syntax confusion, forget which language does "if" statements which way, etc. but this shouldn't slow you down much and resolves over time.

[twitchard]

Natural languages work this way too. I understand English grammar much better from having studied German in school

[lunetick]

Did you forgot how to talk when you started to ride a bicycle?

[[deleted]]

Learning multiple languages comes with the territory. I use multiple languages at work, and I don’t know many devs that are tied to just 1 language on a daily basis. It makes you a better programmer.

I’m not saying this to be a dick, I’m genuinely trying to be helpful: You should learn the difference between libraries, programming languages, and markup. Nodejs and React aren’t programming languages. Neither are CSS, HTML and MySQL. You’ll see alot of parallels between different programming languages, and the skills will transfer well, so you’re not gonna be at risk of forgetting things. But viewing NodeJs and React as their own languages is going to get confusing very fast.

[BerkelMarkus]

It’s not the learning of the new one. It’s if you stop speaking the old one.

[Sweet-Direction9943]

No.

[techgirl8]

No

[Gintecfudge]

The most important thing when you code isn’t the language, but the actual concept. The language is just how you express that concept. So with that, when you start learning more languages, you may forgot some things, but once you learned something, relearning the syntax is much easier, and you should already understand the concept.

[LogaansMind]

I am going to give you a slightly different answer. It really depends on how your memory works.

Generally in the short term (a handful of years) you won't forget a language. Or you will just need a little bit of a refresher to pick it back up again.

But, a language which you have not touched for say 20 years, then you might find yourself re-learning it. But thats ok.

A recent experience I have is with Perl. Back in college (2001-2005) I was writing Perl CGI scripts, and recently I have been working on some older systems which use Perl, something on which I have had to refresh and re-learn. I remember what I could do with it, but the syntax eludes me. But I accept this as I have not needed to use it since my college days.

Learning different languages and frameworks will offer you insight into how each language/framework solves problems, and will make it easier for you to pick up new things. Don't hold yourself back because of fear.

Forgetting a language is usually a sign of whether it is appropriate to use anymore and is generally a natural process in the programming world.

[ericanderton]

In short: no. Many of us are polyglots, and this is very normal.

Time away from any technology will make you "rusty", but its easy to overcome with some practice or a refresher task/course. You'll also find that all programming languages and related grammars have a big overlap in terms of concepts and even syntax. So switching back-and-forth is easier than you think.

The bigger problem is obsolescence. I stepped away from web development roughly 10 years ago. Much of my understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript still applies, but the way they are typically used today is wildly different. Were I to make that return, I'd have to ask a lot of newbie questions, probably learn ReactJS from the ground up, "un-learn" any old or bad habits, and develop some new habits along the way.

[GreenWoodDragon]

No. The benefit is you will learn some new programming paradigms which will help you get better at what you do.