&gt; It teaches a way of thinking, and it really doesn&#x27;t matter much which language is used as long as the basic principles are covered.<p>Nevertheless, schools do not want to teach an inferior language that encourages bad programming habits. They (now) tend to rely on languages with a vocational bent, such as Python and Java. I remember my days in university when odd languages like Scheme and Turing were taught. Now, it&#x27;s sensible to at least try to prepare the student for the job market. I&#x27;m glad they didn&#x27;t stoop to JavaScript.<p>&gt; If you are a new programmer reading the article and feeling discouraged, don&#x27;t lose heart. Build stuff and you&#x27;ll learn.<p>Why should a new programmer feel discouraged? There are plenty of <i>good</i> languages to choose from (Java, C#, Python, C++, Ruby, etc.). They offer varying levels of ease, but Python and Ruby would be more than good enough. If you want to do web development, use a transpiled language (). That&#x27;ll save you much of the grief of JavaScript. (My personal favourite is Amber Smalltalk.)<p>I agree, build stuff and learn.