Java Vs. MS.NET

The most freqently asked question about Java and MS.NET is, which one to learn? Many students ask me about it. They say they want to concentrate on only one of these two. They ask me to suggest which is better.

To be honest, I don't choose between them when it comes to learning. I, my self, invest in both of them. It is difficult to ignore either of them as both of them are doing good in the industry.

If you can, better invest on both and keep both these weapons in your Arsenal. If you can't then it is more a matter of what suits you than what is having more market or any other technical issue. If you consider yourself as above average programmer and have found programming not too tough (because some do), then you can think of Java. Make no mistake, Java doesn't mean only Java language. It means both language (Java SE) and the web and enterprise stuff (Java EE).

If you don't want to (or cannot) spend much time and want something that is comparatively easier than Java, then of course, it is MS.NET. It is easy (only compared with Java and don't expect MS.NET to be like HTML) and highly productive. Things to know in MS.NET are - two languages - VB.NET and C#, and ASP.NET to develop web applications.

Java's projects tend to be large in size and duration. Whereas MS.NET projects could be short in duration (not because the applications are simple, but MS.NET is productive). If you are looking for Jobs in small companies or small places not in cities like Hyderabad or Bangalore then .NET suits you more.