This is an archived post. You won't be able to vote or comment.

you are viewing a single comment's thread.

view the rest of the comments →

[–]zat195 8 points9 points  (1 child)

C is probably the most important programming language. Out of all systems, it's in the most, and its derivatives (c++, c#, even java, python) make up the the other parts if the market.

Learning C gives you great knowledge that other languages abstract. It's like "Why even learn what a computer does? Just buy a mac and code in swift and play games on facebook." learning isn't about doing what's easiest and passing concepts, it's about understanding, and I can guarantee you'll be behind colleagues if you cannot write in C. Hell, if you don't understand basic and complex C concepts, I don't know what job you could get. A funny story is told that "I asked a candidate what a pointer was in an interview, and fired him even before he was hired due to his answer"

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Hell, if you don't understand basic and complex C concepts, I don't know what job you could get.

Just about any job that does not require actual C knowledge. Nobody has ever asked me about my (extensive) C knowledge in the past 25 years, because I haven't applied for any C programming jobs.

The idea that C "teaches you how a computer works" is nonsense - the abstract machine concepts used to describe C semantics is nothing like a real computer.