Master One Language, Learn All

So, when it comes to diving into the whole coding world, job listings can be a bit overwhelming with their "must know language A" or "must be proficient in language B" demands. Now, people often ask me, "What's the best tech stack to focus on?" My take is pretty simple: pick one you actually like because chances are, someone out there is hiring for it. If you become a pro at it, you'll be in demand, no matter the odds. This way, you won't end up all over the place, switching stacks left and right.

Sure, coding languages have different syntax, but the core concepts remain the same - loops, conditionals, variables, you get the drill. There are tons of paths you can take as a developer, but once you grasp the basics, you can easily adapt them to different languages. It's not a walk in the park, but it's doable and quicker than when you tackled your first language.

Feeling like hopping onto another language? My advice: dive straight into a project. Here's a quick roadmap:

• Figure out what your project needs to do.
• Break it into doable steps.
• Write those steps in plain English.
• Research how to do those steps in your chosen language.
• Code it up, even if it's a bit messy at first.
• Get it working, and then optimize the code.

P.S: your go-to resource for learning a new language should be the documentation. Tutorials are cool, but mastering the art of reading documentation will make you unstoppable.

Got an interview for a language you've never touched? No sweat. Cook up a challenging project using the steps above. Trust me, jumping from one language to another will feel like a breeze. But hey, don't spread yourself too thin – aim to be a master of at least one or two. Share your thoughts and approaches in the comments. Good luck out there!

Comments

[Rick Hoek]

I have built this with ONLY SQL (actually T-SQL):

/*
We have built it. Technically it is a data-driven stack containing MICROSOFT SQL SERVER, .NET, NODE AND REACT, But we have made it completely data-driven, so the ONLY language you have to use is T-SQL. For everything, UI Modal Dialogs CRUD apps, functions, actions, reports. like so:
*/

-- learn from the TSQL.APP Assistent at https://tsql.app
EXEC sp_api_modal_text @text=N'TSQL.APP Choose Example',@class='h2'
DECLARE @var01 
        NVARCHAR(MAX); EXEC sp_api_modal_get_value @name='@var01', @value=@var01 OUT;   
DECLARE @selected_ids nvarchar(128)
DECLARE @T nvarchar(max)

DECLARE @switch_1 nvarchar(max); EXEC sp_api_modal_get_value @name='@switch_1',@value = @switch_1 OUT 
EXEC sp_api_modal_switch @name = '@switch_1', @value = @switch_1 OUT,@label = N'Single / Multi', @direct_post = 1
DECLARE @multi bit = case when isnull(@switch_1,'false')='false' then 0 else 1 end

DECLARE @switch_2 nvarchar(max); EXEC sp_api_modal_get_value @name='@switch_2',@value = @switch_2 OUT 
EXEC sp_api_modal_switch @name = '@switch_2', @value = @switch_2 OUT,@label = N'List / Table', @direct_post = 1
DECLARE @use_table bit = case when isnull(@switch_2,'false')='false' then 0 else 1 end

--exit button (action ends)
DECLARE @exit nvarchar(max); EXEC sp_api_modal_get_value @name='@exit',@value = @exit OUT 
EXEC sp_api_modal_button @name='@exit',@value = 'Exit', @valueout = @exit OUT,@class='btn-danger',@key='Esc'
IF @exit is not NULL
BEGIN
    EXEC sp_api_modal_clear
END 
--prepare table and list
SELECT top 10 id=id, name=name, selected=0  INTO #tmptable FROM api_card order by id DESC
DECLARE @list nvarchar(128)=N'A,B,C,D'

if @use_table =0 -- gebruik dan de list !
BEGIN
    EXEC sp_api_modal_choose 
        @list = @list,
        @value = @var01 OUT 
        --,@name = '@button_choose'
        --,@class = 'btn-outline-danger'
        --,@class_updated = 'btn-danger'
        --,@startkey = 1 -- 0 = no keys or NULL = first character of text
        --,@keyprefix = 'F'
        ,@multi = @multi --1 --allow multiple values
        --,@tmptable = '#tmptable'
        --,@ids =@selected_ids OUT
        --,@orderby = 'ORDER BY name'
        --,@inline = 1
        --,@reducer = NULL
        --,@reset_values = N'@button,lastname,etc' -- onchange, reset other values
    SET @T=concat('selected: ',@var01)
    EXEC sp_api_modal_text @T
END

if @use_table =1 -- gebruik dan de table
BEGIN
    EXEC sp_api_modal_choose 
        --@list = @list,
        @value = @var01 OUT 
        --,@name = '@button_choose'
        --,@class = 'btn-outline-danger'
        --,@class_updated = 'btn-danger'
        --,@startkey = 1 -- 0 = no keys or NULL = first character of text
        --,@keyprefix = 'F'
        ,@multi = @multi --1 --allow multiple values
        ,@tmptable = '#tmptable'
        --,@ids =@selected_ids OUT
        --,@orderby = 'ORDER BY name'
        --,@inline = 1
        --,@reducer = NULL
        --,@reset_values = N'@button,lastname,etc' -- onchange, reset other values
    SET @T=concat('selected: ',@var01)
    EXEC sp_api_modal_text @T   
    EXEC sp_api_modal_table @tmptable=N'#tmptable'
END

-- Add 'Quit' button
exec sp_api_modal_text N'click Quit/Exit button to end the action.'
DECLARE @ButtonQuit nvarchar(128)
EXEC sp_api_modal_get_value @name='@ButtonQuit', @value=@ButtonQuit OUT;
EXEC sp_api_modal_button 
    @name='quit',
    @value='Quit this Action', 
    @class='btn-secondary', 
    @valueout=@ButtonQuit OUT;

IF @ButtonQuit IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
    --SET @Quit = 1;
    EXEC sp_api_modal_clear;
    RETURN;
END