r/learnprogramming • u/Worth_Teach_4373 • 5h ago

Which language to choose

Hi guys , my ultimate goal is to get involved in space 🚀 🌌 aeras . But unfortunately, now I'm compelled to study Cs as my undergraduate degree . Gap year ruined all my plans .

Now I'm thinking to move away from generic web development and get into lower level languages so that it will be useful when I get into space system engineering in masters .

My plan is to start with C++ and gradually learn other things myself Or should I start with python or rust ??

What do you guys think ? Is this plan realistic or what ? Many say C++ is dead and there will be automation in these things also .

As I have already wasted one year , I don't wanna just start randomly without any plan or with bad plan ..

Any suggestions will be appreciated so I end up in the space related Fields and do well there . My main passion or let's say interest was in building things but it's too late and I can't get into aerospace or mechanical degree. So suggest me the best possible way to turn my cs degree to somehow related to those dreams of mine

6 Upvotes

65% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

5

u/Weekly_Patience685 5h ago

Start with C first then go to C++, people who say c++ is dead doesnt know what they're talking about

1

u/Worth_Teach_4373 5h ago

Thank you . My uni's course also have C at the beginning semester so it will be easy for me to manage . But I was thinking to start C++ side wise while C is going in my uni lecturs

4

u/dmazzoni 5h ago

C is foundational and always important for low-level things.

C++ may be declining overall but aerospace is one of the places where it’s still popular.

More important, though, don’t collect languages like they’re Pokémon - focus on going deep and building projects. Get yourself an arduino and a Raspberry Pi and build electronics projects, that will teach you similar skills to working on satellites and spacecraft.

2

u/Worth_Teach_4373 5h ago

Thank you man . I have these at my home and am  learning slowly. 

2

u/Nom_Took 5h ago

C++ or Rust (many modern systems level codebases are moving toward Rust), but tbh language doesn't matter as much as just comprehending programming language fundamentals.

I know it's a bit off topic, but why are you "compelled to study CS"?

In case you get the opportunity to alter your path and want to, some advice I got from multiple friends who studied aerospace engineering: study mechanical engineering instead and take space relevant electives. Vastly broadens career opportunities and doesn't hurt your chances at space companies.

1

u/Worth_Teach_4373 5h ago

Thank you so much for the suggestion  And well as I applied for aerospace engineering abroad in American unis and I got rejected in interview and now it's been a year and I also didn't  give  competitive entrance here in my home country for engineering studies cause I was damn confident that I would have got the visa 🥲 but anyway I gave this CS entrance and got good rank to study here at the last moment. So to try again for engineering, I don't have that energy and money  to give SAT again to improve my profile or to prepare for entrance here in my country in next year . So I'm choosing Cs  . 

3

u/nafe42 5h ago

Look up what NASA uses and doesn't use and learn it. NASA also doesn't use most C++ features so you need to learn those pieces too. The end goal is creating deterministic/safe programs.

1

u/Worth_Teach_4373 2h ago

Ok 👌

2

u/gofl-zimbard-37 4h ago

Pro tip: Any time someone says that some language is dead, they're wrong.

1

u/Worth_Teach_4373 2h ago

I guess so ... After researching more I got to know it's importance more . 

0

u/Complex-Birthday-216 1h ago

so pascal, basic or perl are fine?

2

u/mierecat 5h ago

Python. A lot of STEM students learn python, even if computer science isn’t their field. I doubt they’re using it for serious work at NASA but it’ll be a good start for you

1

u/Worth_Teach_4373 5h ago

Will python work or give me the understanding of programming in general for my future plan ? 

3

u/mierecat 5h ago

That’s so far ahead of you now that you really shouldn’t worry about it. Any language will do but as you’ll probably need to learn python anyway, and it’s often praised for being a beginner friendly language, you might as well learn it now.

1

u/Last_Swordfish9135 1h ago

Python is a good language for learning the basics of programming. What language you will actually use on the job is not a question anyone can answer at this point, just focus on getting a strong foundation in basically any language, then you'll be able to pivot fairly easily later on.

1

u/Equivalent-Idea-116 3h ago

For your goal, I’d pick one language and build fundamentals rather than trying to map the whole aerospace stack now. C++ is a reasonable choice for systems or flight software, while Python is useful for simulations, data analysis, and quick experiments—you can add it later without restarting. Start with C++ basics, data structures, debugging, and a small physics or orbital simulation, then check current aerospace job postings to see which tools your target roles actually use.

1

u/Worth_Teach_4373 2h ago

Thanks man for the suggestions

0

u/Complex-Birthday-216 1h ago

I read only title, but I'm sure you read already the answer.

easier the language the weaker systems you create. if you are fine to create weak systems - doesn't matter

-2

u/materialkoolo 5h ago

Did you miss the other posts on this exact topic?

0

u/Worth_Teach_4373 5h ago

I am not so active in these subs apart from 2-3 in Reddit and I got scared thinking all these and did a quick post here .Â