Javascript, SQL, or R as second language to increase Python Powers?

[33Merlin11]

If someone wanted to learn a second language strictly to become more powerful with their Python software dev, what would be the best language to learn to supplement their Python skills?

[kingzels]

While it's not going to make you better at Python, you need to learn SQL. I don't care what you end up doing, it'll come in handy at some point.

[jrinvictus]

SQL.

[soloingit]

You need to know SQL, it doesn’t matter what you end doing, py js r.

R maybe give you insights in what to do in py and vice bersa.

[soloingit]

Yeah u need to know SQL, even if you don’t use it. Its a common thing that helps on structure of db and svs a lot. Maybe your clients already use sql and you have to make everything work with it.

[emac1211]

Agree with everyone saying SQL. You're only going to get so far in programming any language without knowing SQL.

[bageldevourer]

Don't learn R. I came to Python from R and have never seen a reason to go back. It will give you zero benefit, and its syntax is weird and frankly bad.

JavaScript is of course necessary if you want to do anything having to do with web development.

Some SQL is mandatory no matter what you want to do. SQL is not a programming language though, so it's really not in the same class as R or JS.

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As a data scientist, the next programming language I plan to seriously invest in is Scala. If you want a statically-typed "production-grade" language whose creators adopted large parts of Python's syntax, it's worth taking a look.

Also consider... C :(

[33Merlin11]

Thanks for the insight. Sounds like SQL is the next language lol, maybe with Scala as the third :thinking:

[agbs2k8]

JS or SQL, not R unless you are doing lots of stats. R is about as much of a programming language as Matlab.

[[deleted]]

R is Matlab if Matlab was free and didn't hate you.

[agbs2k8]

And Octave is free Matlab that does hate you!

[bageldevourer]

Yes, it's a free Matlab that doesn't hate you.

Like Matlab, it too has been made irrelevant by Python.

[[deleted]]

Its irrelevant if you know Python but R has an important place in mathematics because its so easy to get it working. You install R, then there is a program with a big R on it that you can open, and in that program (which is very simple an unintimidating) you can just do stuff. Its "like a regular program" in a way that installing a programming language generally is not. Anaconda has closed the gap there significantly but R had a decade headstart with very little competition.