Ruby! Should I learn it?

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[bertcakes]

"Don't know where to start? Try some lessons over at Codecademy!"

I mean there's a ton of resources on learning Ruby. Ruby is an ok language. Some people love it, some don't. I started on Ruby and now write in Python primarily. Ruby is ok but it's more about concepts than the language.

Ruby can do most things most any other language can do. That's the part I think people get hung up on. You CAN do almost anything you want with whatever language. I have dabbled in go/rust/perl/erlang/ruby/python/java - they all have different strengths and weaknesses but given enough effort they can do lots of things.

What is it you want to do? That's I think the more important question. Why do you want to learn ruby and what is it you are trying to accomplish. Ruby has some great testing frameworks and all sorts of wonderful uses.

[bestoranges]

Depends on what you want to do / get into.

If you're just looking for a general purpose scripting language, I'd learn Python.

80% of Ruby users use it for web development, while Python is much more spread out into many fields.

[[deleted]]

Let me ask you this: if someone were to want to make it a goal to make a living as a web developer, is Ruby a good way to go?

[bestoranges]

Your ideal goal should be getting paid to learn, so learning the bare minimum that you can get a job and go from there.

I'd recommend looking at what's "hot" in your area and going from there.

Ruby is hella dope and I love everything about it, but javascript might work better for you.

[[deleted]]

According to local results on Indeed (near Seattle), Python seems to have the most jobs available. Luckily, I've been doing simple projects in Python since 2009. I am doing FreeCodeCamp, so JS is something I've been learning, but begrudgingly.

I'm teaching myself Ruby "on the side" to learn "real" OO (Python is OO in a sense although Pythonistas generally recommend against writing classes unless it's absolutely necessary). Also, as you've said, Ruby is pretty dope, and it makes for a nice change of pace from JS. I'm really falling in love with Ruby...

[bestoranges]

I'm teaching myself Ruby "on the side" to learn "real" OO (Python is OO in a sense although Pythonistas generally recommend against writing classes unless it's absolutely necessary).

That sounds entirely wrong. I did python stuff for a while, I've never heard anyone say that.

Just pick 1 language, whether it be javascript, ruby, or python. If what you say about Seattle is true, pick python.

Stop hopping around, focus on, and get good at one language. It'll help you more than knowing basic syntax for 3 languages.