There's a new book out called Programming F# What's F#? Why should you care? What's it gonna do for you?

Well, here's what you get when you become multi-lingual: you get more work! Are you a freelancer? Are you a little depressed with the state of the market these days? Does it blow? I can think of several similar adjectives to describe the state of affairs with opt-in work. What do I mean by opt-in? That's stuff that in-house staff can do without sacrificing year-end bonuses, holiday parties and perks to outside contractors. Given the choice, what would you do?

On the other hand, how's your Python? Check out the jobs here on the Python dot org jobs list. Ruby-ista? Do these make you feel better? And, Java dudes have some options these days, too. That's just a few languages, not to mention the .Net suite and a host of others.

Does that make you happier? How about if you're not a freelancer. You're in-house staff. You say, what's learning a new language going to do for me? Well, different languages have unique features. Pythonistas say "Life's better without braces" Ever hear that? Wonder what they're talking about?

All this stuff about functional languages is interesting. Now, Microsoft has come out with F#. What's the big deal about functional languages? One way to find out is to see some code. It truly broadens your horizons to learn new tricks. And, if you think your role is dull, try spicing it up with a new language that might cooperate with what you're running now.

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