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programming - Having used Mathematica as a "gateway" language, where to from here?



I have been using Mathematica for about a year. It is the first language that I have attempted to learn. I'm still very much a newbie, but there are moments I feel more like I am waving than drowning. As with many addictions, at first it left an unpleasant taste, but with time, using Mathematica started to open up new possibilities and I have come to depend on it.



It has occurred to me that there are a number of reasons why at some stage I would like to learn some new language(s) to complement Mathematica and further nurture my 'coding brain'. At times I feel slightly handicapped by not really understanding the capabilities/pitfalls of, for example, Do loops and other constructs that seem common in many languages. Indeed, it would be nice to be able to understand/relate to programmers that don't use Mathematica.


Although a lot of coding paradigms can be used in Mathematica, I feel it would be instructive to spend some time learning strictly procedural, object-oriented, etc. programming styles in the context of another language. Which other programming languages should a Mathematica-only user be interested in, so as to appreciate the underlying programming principles and constructs that one takes for granted with Mathematica?


Alternatively, I understand that there are a number of languages that can be implemented or interfaced from within Mathematica. Would it be a worthwhile trying to learn other languages/coding styles without leaving the notebook environment?




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