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Why Learning Rust as a Second Language Sucks

Wade Zimmerman 👨🏻‍💻
3 min readSep 8, 2024

A few years ago, Rust was gaining a lot of traction and still is. As someone knowing multiple languages, I decided Rust was a worthwhile investment. What I did not realize is how painful the learning experience would be.

Yes, the experience has rewarded me with deeper knowledge and understanding but at what cost?

The easy answer is dignity and sanity, but the real answer is time. After losing two jobs, I came to the conclusion that a master of one language is a fool in another.

Where I come from, an expert is someone who conducts multiple services. They understand the bigger picture, and could easily jump in with the team to knock out a big feature.

Naturally one must sharpen their blade.

Yes, system languages are used in concert like anything else, but many are lured in by immediate performance benefits. They develop a mantra convincing them of speed and elegance.

They hit a brick wall. Computational theory and algorithms are prerequisite for many system languages. For someone who merely connects puzzle pieces, this is foreign.

Here, strategizing comes into play. Regardless, your efforts will be questioned. This is where the pain truly begins. Who doubted you most?

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Wade Zimmerman 👨🏻‍💻
Wade Zimmerman 👨🏻‍💻

Written by Wade Zimmerman 👨🏻‍💻

I write to vent my frustrations and don’t think much before posting

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