Obligatory First Post
Everything needs a beginning.
I've spent over a year playing with Scala on and off. I'd have to say it's the one language since learning C++ that I've really struggled with. It does bear a semblance to C++ in that Scala is a tremendously powerful and expressive language and even after 4 years of professional programming I'm easily able to shoot myself in the foot with. Currently I work primarily with Java/Groovy and the usual mix of browser technologies.
I'm determined to learn Scala primarily because it challenges me. I learned very early on that if something was new, confusing and difficult it meant I should charge it head on instead of avoiding it. It's a language that challenges what I had thought to be a solid set of fundamental software engineering skills.
It may be a few years before I'm able to use Scala in a professional project, but I hope regardless I'm able to pull lessons learned from Scala into my everyday work.
Having learned many languages over the last few years of college, I feel compelled to push myself into unknown territory regardless.
