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On Mar 25, 9:23 am, broli <Brol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> A lot of people express disdain when I mention that I like C and find
> it easier to use and understand than other languages.

C causes brain damage. I should know, I'm a classic case.

> I detest the idea of switching from one language to another and not being able to
> learn even 1 properly.

Unfortunately, it's getting harder to find those niches where you can
focus on one platform and language exclusively for your entire career,
and that's a risky path to take. I worked with one guy who'd spent
the previous 20 years doing nothing but Pascal on HP MPE. When HP
finally killed their MPE systems in 2002, he effectively had to retire
from software development; not only were his skills completely
unmarketable, he found he could not wrap his head around any new
technology. He'd spent so many years doing nothing but Pascal that
his ability to learn new languages had atrophied.

Secondly, boredom is a dangerous occupational hazard; I've suffered
through several periods of severe burnout, one of which resulted in
getting laid off. Being forced to learn new languages and
technologies is one of the things that keeps the job interesting. It
also helps keep you employed.

> I just don't believe in having thousands of
> languages mentioned on my resume. I did this in my engineering course
> and gained nothign out of it. I don't consider my self proficient in C
> either but I'm trying. This is the case with many fresh CS graduates
> these days. They are exposed to many languages but nearly 99% of the
> ones in my college(and even others) couldn't even write a simple
> program spanning a few hundred lines in ANY language.

That's because a CS degree isn't a programming degree. That's also
why freshouts are usually given the scut work; it gives them a chance
to build their skills.

> I'm considering
> to opt a career in software development using C but when I look into
> the job openings, it seems most employers are merely interested in
> people who know something about java or .NET. Very often the same job
> has nothing to do with java or .NET or any programming language but it
> involves using some stupid tool. I just don't understand anything
> about the ways in which software industry is working these days. If
> anyone mentions that they are very adept in C but don't have any
> knowledge of Java, it is quite likely that they will be rejected no
> matter how good they are as programmers. Are these people looking for
> programmers or people with just a few certificates and good
> interpersonal skills but zero programming skills ?? I've also observed
> that people who often use the OO jargon are at the forefront when it
> comes to deriding C. Windows was programmed in C, many popular games
> and applications have been programmed in C then why do people look
> down on this beautiful language ? What do you think about the future
> of C and jobs in this field ??

First of all, there's no such thing as a career in C, just like
there's no such thing as a career in Java, or Fortran. There are a
bunch of different application domains (embedded systems, games, data
management/warehousing, simulation, productivity suites, CAD, realtime
control systems, etc.), each with different requirements and focus.
For some of those domains C is still the right tool, but for most
domains better tools exist.

I've compared programming in C to building a house with a hand saw and
a claw hammer. You can do it, but it's a *lot* of work, the potential
for mistakes is high, and it takes a long time to do it right.
Whereas if you use power tools and prefabbed components (Java, C#,
etc.), you can build that same house in much less time, with fewer
mistakes, and have a structure that's just as solid. Development time
is a *huge* cost for most projects, and anything that can reduce that
time is a big win.

Secondly, the people who write the job descriptions typically are not
engineers themselves; they're HR people who are given a list of things
that the engineering department wants in a candidate. Sometimes the
skill list is relevant to the specific position, sometimes it isn't.

Finally, being able to list multiple languages on your resume
indicates that you are flexible and can learn new skills; often,
that's more important to a potential employer than demonstrating depth
in any one specific technology.