What comes next?

As far as programming experience goes I have a:

* A decent background in imperative programming using Pascal
* An even better background in programming using JAVA
* An I did learn Python sort of. I can manage. It an easy language.

So I was going to head the C and than C++ way but I thought experienced /prog/rammers might give me some wiser advice.

Note that the languages there were not my choice. There were all  needed for HS.

I also considered FORTRAN to learn some functional programming.


My concern is that some langauges might be too old and outdated for a young 21^st century programmer.

Please don't list any useless languages.

Thanks!

It's not about how many languages you study, it's about what you do with the language you use. Just do some worthwhile projects using any language you desire.

Read SICP.

Take >>3-kun's advice and then learn Python and C.
>>2-chan is right that collecting languages as if they were Pokémon isn't very productive, but wrong in his silent implication that choice of language doesn't matter. Sticking with Pascal and Java (or worse, switching to Sepples) will severely hamper you development as a programmer.

I just noticed that you also said this:

I also considered FORTRAN to learn some functional programming.
This leads me to conclude that IHBT.

FORTRAN is the fastest functional programming language.

>>6
That would be C++.

>>1
Surely you jest, sir!  Everyone knows that it is impossible to get a decent background in imperative programming using Pascal.  Hate to break it to you, but the CS you learn in HS doesn't count for shit.

>>2,3
Listen to these fine chaps.

>>7
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/146159/is-fortran-faster-than-c

>>2-3

Thanks for helping out. SICP is already on my TO DO list.

>>5

This leads me to conclude that IHBT.

No it's me who might have been trolled because I still can't get a good idea of the potential of FORTRAN and what are to be used as functional languages.

>>8

I didn't say I was thought at HS. In fact I was thought close to nothing at HS but because they were included in the syllabus I had to learn those instead of other languages.

>>8
Everyone knows that it is impossible to get a decent background in imperative programming using Pascal
Is that so? What's missing?

>>11
Nothing. YHBT.

>>10
Your _TODO list should really be:

[_] Building Abstractions with Procedures
[_] Building Abstractions with Data
[_] Modularity, Objects, and State
[_] Metalinguistic Abstraction
[_] Computing with Register Machines

>>13

Jotted down!

Thanks!