Learning 2 languages at once, good or bad idea? CompSci Student Questions
Ok, so I made [this thread][1] a few minutes ago and quickly found out it's a terrible idea, but some of it is still valid, so I'll make I'll change it up a bit: I'm interested in Perl and Python, would it be a bad idea to learn both at once? If not how should I go about it to make it work well? Or should I learn both? (man that question may get this page closed as well) Or maybe a better pairing? All I really know is Java, and not much in the way of data structures since I'm taking Data Structures & Algorithms class this fall as well as a class on functional programming.

I don't need book suggestions for those 2 (Learning Perl 6th ed & Dive into Python 3) but if another language is suggested then a good way to learn it would be nice.

Also what tools I should look into? I used Eclipse for Java and Notepad++ is great for reading code without launching an IDE.

I would also love tips to help improve my skill in general alongside/outside class. Would Open Source projects be a good way to go? If so how would I go about getting into one? How do I know if I even know enough to be helpful?

Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!


  [1]: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7129907/perl-or-python-first-as-well-as-some-other-questions-from-a-compsci-student
Learning 2 languages at once, good or bad idea? CompSci Student Questions
===

Ok, so I made [this thread][1] a few minutes ago and quickly found out it's a terrible idea, but some of it is still valid, so I'll make I'll change it up a bit: I'm interested in Perl and Python, would it be a bad idea to learn both at once? If not how should I go about it to make it work well? Or should I learn both? (man that question may get this page closed as well) Or maybe a better pairing? All I really know is Java, and not much in the way of data structures since I'm taking Data Structures & Algorithms class this fall as well as a class on functional programming.

I don't need book suggestions for those 2 (Learning Perl 6th ed & Dive into Python 3) but if another language is suggested then a good way to learn it would be nice.

Also what tools I should look into? I used Eclipse for Java and Notepad++ is great for reading code without launching an IDE.

I would also love tips to help improve my skill in general alongside/outside class. Would Open Source projects be a good way to go? If so how would I go about getting into one? How do I know if I even know enough to be helpful?

Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!


  [1]: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7129907/perl-or-python-first-as-well-as-some-other-questions-from-a-compsci-student