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What advantages can I get from learning C++ if I'm mainly a C# Programmer? [closed]

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Recently I've started to notice a lot of smirks and generally rude comments whenever I mention C#. Everyone I talk to either says learn Python or learn C++.
Python is a nice language, I get it. But I don't find much use for it right now (for my use cases), and C++ I heard is a faster language (not sure).
So my question is this, what advantage can I get from learning C++ (besides the knowledge and expansion of my horizons), when I mainly program in C#?

The biggest issues are as follows:
C++ is the de facto standard of system AND application programming for the past 20 years
C++ is portable and compilers exist for ~ 95% of all processor architectures.
C++ can enhance your .NET code, by that I mean PInvoke can be done to run optimized code written in C++ -OR- can be used to run code from 3rd parties, allowing you to write custom wrappers etc.
C++ is linux/mac/PSP/Cray II/Random OS from Thailand compliant, it has no issue compiling because it doesn't run through the .NET CLI (which I have to admit is a beautiful piece of art) C# is bound, for now, to Mono implementations and Windows through .NET.
As a professional .NET applications programmer, I love C#, I worship the ground that the architects walked on. But C++ is in my opinion, the most important language you can/will ever learn because it will open more career doors than any other language in the modern industry. If you know C# it will take you a matter of months to learn it. I reccommend Timothy D'Orazi's C++ book if you have an academic software engineering background.
Afterthought:
C++ is a tool, just like C# or a drill or a shotgun (arguably) fit the tool to the task, I'd rather die than write functional code in C++, likewise, I wouldn't do application development in F#, they're all fine langauges. Learn something that interests you! If you want to be a better programmer, learn C++, if you want to be a better application developer, it may be more to your advantage to learn new technologies within the framework you're already working in! You are a C# programmer, have you learned WPF? WCF? what about the features of C# 4.0? Have you mastered lambda functions? expression trees? There are so many directions you can go from here, C++ is just one of them. Ask yourself the following questions:
What can I learn that will add value to me?
What can I learn that will interest me as a developer?
What can I learn that will benefit me in my immediate position?
What can I learn that will help me get into the kind of career path that I want to be in?
You'll find that there will be many answers that overlap for these questions, take your time, find something that interests you and won't be a chore to learn, you'll thank yourself for it 3 months from now.

Short answer: Learning at least some C++ (and some assembly language too) makes you better at leveraging and, perhaps more importantly, debugging the software platform deep underneath your code. This is true regardless of the programming language or OS you're working in.
Long answer:
One of the differentiating factors, IMHO, between good developers and great developers is that the great ones know what's going on under the hood in a piece of software and are capable of quickly drilling down underneath layers of abstraction in the technology stack, since the toughest software problems are often caused by things way down below your code in the stack.
Therefore, I've always recommended that developers, at some point in their careers, spend at least some time learning two languages which are at the bottom of almost every software stack: C/C++ and x86 assembly language. That doesn't mean you need to become an expert in either, but having a working knowledge of things like pointers, registers, memory management, stacks and heaps, un-GC-ed string buffers, leaks, etc. is hugely useful when you need to reach down into the stack to diagnose a problem, to better understand odd behavior, or simply to make smarter decisions as you architect higher-level software, regardless of the language.
An analogy: I became a much better manual transmission driver once I took apart my motorcycle's engine and saw how the clutch worked. That didn't mean I needed to become a motorcycle mechanic, only that it helped my overall driving skills once what was happening inside my bike was not a mystery anymore.
Also, regardless of the language or framework you're working with, for projects that must call directly down into the underlying platform, C/C++ knowledge is very helpful and sometimes required.
Note that I'm deliberately not touching the more contentious question about whether you should be writing entire apps in C++ or not. Other answers have done a great job covering those arguments. Instead, I'm simply making the case that C++ skills will benefit you, regardless of whether you continue writing most of your code in C# (or Java or Python or Ruby or...)

It depends.
The thing I like about C++ is that in some ways, it is a more expressive and yes, more elegant, language than C#. It enables some really nice abstractions (such as generic programming or RAII) that just can't be duplicated in C#.
In those ways, it's an eye-opener. Of course, so are functional languages. So is Python. All of them are worth learning, even if you write all your code in C# now and forever.
Of course, C++ is also an overcomplicated mess, and a far more error-prone language than pretty much anything else. And if you don't know it really well, then it will explode in your face when you least expect it.
Of course, plenty of people will shout PERFORMANCE! when you ask why you should learn C++. I won't. Because in many common cases, C# is going to be as fast or faster as your C++ code. This old exchange between Raymond Chen and Rico Mariani illustrates the performance characteristics of both platforms pretty well.
C++ has the potential to be extremely fast. But it also has a lot of subtle performance pitfalls that mean that most of the time, unless you're some kind of omniscient code-god, your code is going to be less efficient than the equivalent C#.
If you have an interest in programming languages, C++ is a wonderful example of the theory of evolution. ;)
It hasn't grown according to some great predefined plan. It has always improved and adapted one step at a time, according to what would make the language better right now. As a result it is huge, bloated, overly complex, but it is also more expressive than something strictly designed according to a single person's vision, such as C#. C# is designed with an unhealthy obsession with OOP, because that was the cool thing when it was designed.
In C++, OOP sort of drifted out towards the periphery, not so much as a conscious design decision, but because better alternatives turned up.
It's a fun language. And I'd recommend learning it just for the sake of becoming a better programmer. But I'm not convinced that you'll need to actually use it. Of course it will make certain tasks easier (native interop, or programming small programs which for one reason or another can't assume that the .NET framework is installed), but for most cases, you probably won't need it.
That leaves the "become a better programmer" argument, and while that is a valid argument, it is also true for other languages. You should definitely also know a functional language. And Python, or a similar pragmatic, high-level "make it easy for the programmer" kind of language.

I have been C++ developers for last 10 years and last two years, I have been using java for new product development. I have also done some programming on C# just to learn it. Based on my experience I would say C++ is a challenging and high performance language which is good for computer science students to understand programming concept and algorithms. Other usage of C++ would be protocol implementation which doesn't change often E.g implementing SIP Proxy or HTTP Server..
For practice product development where requirements changes often, I would recommend any high level language where developers can focus on application logic instead of reinventing wheel. E.g Recently I started an open source project xcapserver which I was able to do quick prototype in two days using java technologies (Glassfish,REST, log4j, eXist db)but I wanted to lean boost libraries and again it's a protocol which is not expected to change often, so I decided to implement in C++. I spent 4 days just to get the logger working using BOOST::log and another 4 days to fix the thread deadlock issues with Berkeley DB XML.
Another aspect is product maintenance. I have spent days and night to fix memory leaks and corruption and learning curve for new developers is too high versus J2EE or .NET where it's easy to find developers and maintenance is much easier.
In sort, C++ is good programming language which I would recommend to all developers to learn but I don't see much use of it going forward as processors are becoming faster and cheaper so performance is not the reason.

There are reasons to use pretty much any language.
C and C++ have uses in that they are compiled into native code rather than running on a virtual machine. There is a speed advantage and it also means these programs can run without having a 50MB+ framework installed.
Pretty much all games (certainly first person shooters) are written in C or C++.
Is this applicable to you? No idea because I have no idea of what you're trying to achieve.
What will you learn from C or C++? Pointers, memory management and the like. It's quite a different world from more modern garbage collected languages like C#, Java or Python.

Learn C++ so that you can better appreciate C#.

Apart from what others have said:
People do like to see it on resume's.
Learning any language helps you translate that language into C# which makes you more valuable as a programmer.
Learning another language helps you to understand samples using that language, arguably allowing you to draw on a wider range of samples, books, examples, experts.
Wrappers! Learning C++ helps you wrap those pesky C++ dlls for consumption in C#!
That said, there are quite possibly other things you should be learning before C++ if you're a C# programmer who never learned C++ in the first place.

You'd get more utility out of learning a functional language like Clojure, Haskel (or maybe F# given you obviously feel comfortable with CLR). They have a different underlying programming model which will expand your horizons in ways that learning a new syntax will not.
In the other direction, learning C would actually be much more useful than learning C++. That will focus your learning on pointers, memory, and 'close to the metal' topics.

2015 Update
Learn Swift. It will teach you the same use of functional and generative patterns as modern C++ but without the baggage or as many gotchas. It's also semantically a significant overlap with F# so you get a chance to study functional programming. There's a vibrant functional community pushing the bounds of Swift.
Ironically, in my current day job on C# bindings for Realm, I'm still using my C++ skills alongside C# but not much has changed my attitude in the last 6 years.
Original
I speak as a C++ programmer for 15+ years who has spent the last year learning and using C# (and C++/CLI), on top of an ongoing fascination with languages and a broad range of studying other languages to improve my thinking.
I am very very impressed with C# as a language, especially with the improvements in C# 3.0.
I would take the contrary views:
Unless you want employment writing computer games, or relatively low-level components, forget about C++ as a language because there are enough skilled C++ programmers out there and the gaming industry generates a lot more (of presumably varying quality). It is not going to improve your career prospects.
Do invest some time into studying the interesting depths of C#, the implications of operator overloading, how to use unsafe code etc. Pick up a book like the excellent C# in a Nutshell and be able to go through and annotate all the content with deeper explanations of how that idiom might be used.
Learn a dynamic language like Ruby or Python, use it for some real-world tasks such as generating or mangling test files, so you appreciate the simpler language for manipulating files, structures and strings.
Learn F# or another function language and develop a few smirks of your own about the implications of functional languages for parallel processing and clouds :-) In a few years time (or earlier) this will yield huge career benefits when people are scrambling for cloud-savvy programmers. Remember, you haven't learned a new language until you can compare it to the old ones so you need to be able to pontificate about when and where to use F# (or Haskell) instead of C#.

In terms of performance, it is a lot faster. If you have any desire to do game programming or high-performance computing, C++ is a great language for that.
But, I would also say C++ is very difficult to learn. No garbage collector, compile errors that need to be deciphered, and the need for external libraries are all difficulties to overcome.

Regarding C/C++, here are a few things that come to mind out of my own experience.
Learning C/C++ can provide experience working more closely with detailed operating system features and with raw memory. For example, many Audio, Video, and Game applications require this level of access to perform at their best.
Knowing how to interop with components and libraries written in C/C++ is a handy skill. There are many useful libraries out there that still do not have adequate equivalents in C#. TSAPI (telephony), various file format libraries, and legacy components are much easier to work with in C# if you understand their construction in C/C++ and other languages.
If you are working with windows applications, having experience with Win32 through C/C++ allows you to understand how a number of other applications written in non-managed code work; even if you do not have the source code available to you. You can then use P/Invoke more effectively to deal with libraries that would ordinariliy be unavailable or too opaque to handle otherwise.
Many techniques, though potentially black-hat in nature, are tougher to accomplish with C#. Things like DLL substitution, re-writing function entry points, injecting code into other processes, and generating inline assembly code are easier to do with C/C++; though not impossible with C#.
Finally, fine tuned control over un-managed objects is something better suited to code written with C/C++. For example, things like overlapped I/O on windows, some socket library features (ex. UDP Multicast), and device control have more working C/C++ examples out there than C#. But, these are quite esoteric and usually not handled in C# applications anyways. Some of these are likely to have equivalents in future APIs or frameworks as well.
In summary, the main motivation I would suggest for learning C/C++ is to broaden your knowledge of other systems that are not accessible in C#. Learning Python would be a step in the other direction, where learning other styles and semantics of code construction is a more likely benefit. C/C++ code written by other people tends not to have more beneficial nor recognizable patterns like software written in Python, Ruby, or Lisp.

The best reasons for learning C++ for a C# developer is to learn new programming paradigms. C++ is more than just an "object oriented" language and hence offers a chance to learn new approaches to solving problems. With C# 3.0 and .NET 3.5, C++ doesn't affer as many unique paradigms, but if you are not using them, then effective C++ programming will force you to learn them.
In particular, C++ still offers a very powerful generic programming paradigm that is unmatched by C#. The STL forces you to use functional programming concepts that many C# developers avoid or don't use (LINQ extensions and lambda's for example).
I've also found that it strengthens a persons understanding and appreciation for lexical scope. Concepts such as RAII or C++ namespaces really push the need to manage scope very carefully... in C#, many of these concerns exist, but are less "in your face". Template metaprogramming is another unique concept that C++ offers that C# doesn't.

Learn C++ so that you can feel like blowing your brains out.

With every programming language you're able grow your vision of the landscape and apply lessons learned. Although I have never written a production C++ application, it was very educational for me to understand the system at that level. If you have the spare time, dive in! You may also want to explore unsafe C# code. It could help you understand many of the advanced capabilities of C++.

In order to respect the OP's wishes I won't say anything about how I think C++ can help a C# programmer think differently about code. ;-p
Seriously though, as a tool the main advantage of C++ is that it is multi-platform. Code written in C++ can be run on a huge variety of platforms.
On the other hand the big disadvantage of C++ compared to C# is that it takes a lot longer to write correct code.
While it is possible to write faster code in C++ in theory this assumes an unlimited amount of development time. In practice because I can write more sophisticated code more quickly in C#, I can spend the extra time optimizing the code.

It depends what programs you're working on. I've never used Python before, so I can't comment on that.
As for C++; most performance critical software is written in it due to its speed. You have more power over your hardware, but with that power comes responsibility and a steeper learning curve. It also doesn't have access to .NET; so you'll probably have to dig into Win32 programming for doing some of the tasks!
Examples of where C++ is used: Game development, aerospace, air traffic control systems.
Personally, I think that learning C/C++ makes you a better programmer overall, it teaches you many things; especially about performance and memory. And also well.. pretty much everything important is built in C++.

First off, It sounds like your interested in learning more. That is really the most important part of being a good programmer.
That said; Almost all big open source projects are written in C or C++, if you want to leverage or build on top of those you need to know the language. Not only is working with a large open source project look great on the resume, it also let's you examine some really good (and really bad) code. For me that alone has been a invaluable learning experience.

The primary reason to learn any new or different language is to learn a new and different approaches to solving problems in programming. C# and C++ certainly have some similarities. They also have some pretty substantial differences. At first, those differences will seem (as a few have mentioned) to be primarily with syntax. Further study, however, will reveal considerably greater differences that go well beyond simple syntax.
That means that if you decide to study C++, you need to plan on dedicating a fair amount of time and effort to it before you gain much. If you want something that's radically different from the get-go, you'd probably be better off with something else. My own advice for a completely different language would be Scheme -- basically Lisp with a good housecleaning.
There are lots of other functional languages, and some of them are pretty cool -- but Lisp has outlived a lot of would-be successors, and I think it'll outlive quite a few more. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on Lisp outliving F# by several decades...

C# popularity industry-wide or is SO atypical? [closed]

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I feel I'm a well rounded programmer, I'm comfortable in C# and java (several large projects with both) but I tend to use C++ for most applications when I have a choice. (and sometimes R,Python, or Perl as appropriate..)
But I am astounded to see the popularity of C# here on SO. There are 18500 C# topics, more than C, C++, and java combined. I've never felt C# as having such an impact in the companies I've worked with but the SO popularity of C# is undeniable.
My question:
Why is C# so popular on Stack Overflow? My question is not so much a SO question as a desire to understand C#'s current acceptance/growth compared to C++ and java.
Possible explanations for the popularity:
C# is truly that popular and accepted in industry, it's everywhere!
SO is not typical, it seems to have attracted a disproportionate number of C# users
C# has more questions/confusions that tend to need community help to solve
Microsoft (maybe on its forums?) encourages people to use SO for questions
The first explanation is likely the reason, but I just haven't felt that popularity in the real world!
What's your reason you discuss C# topics here?

I think the founders of SO are .Net gurus. Most of the people who follow their blogs found out about the site, and started coming here. The original user base was probably pretty .Net/C# focused.
I also think that C# is the preferred language in .Net with it's interop and ability to use old C and C++ code. Those familiar with C, C++, and Java can easily get a useful application built and working in C#, and be pretty certain it will run on any system with the proper .Net framework installed.
And, C# sounds cool.

I wrote about the popularity of C# on another thread, but to discuss why it's popular on SO, I'd say others have the right of it. C# is popular here because most of the people who first came to SO did so following Jeff Attwood's blog. That's certainly how I came here.
The thing is, SO really is language neutral, even if it's written in C#. Both Jeff and Joel have programmed in other languages and are hardly bigots when it comes to language; they just chose C# because it really is an amazing language to program in.
Comparing C# to Java and C++, the growth has been astounding. C# when it was first introduced was basically Java with a better GUI library (Win.Forms beats the ever-lovin' snot out of Swing any day, IMO, and WPF is heads-and-shoulders above both) and a few extra concepts, the biggest of which was delegates and properties as first-class citizens. Since then it's grown meteorically, constantly adding newer and better things. The entire concept of LINQ has drastically changed the way I approach iterations; couple that with WCF for contract-based inter-process/computer communications and WPF for a truly amazing way to build GUIs, and you've got a rock-solid language and library.
Hell, WCF alone makes .NET the correct enterprise/SOA choice.
By contrast, Java hasn't released a new version in, what, 5 years?
C# is innovating. Java is stagnating. C++ is... well let's call it "stable", shall we? The newest version, which is dubbed "C++0x" will soon need to be called "C++1x". The features that are planned require so many changes to the runtime that you're almost going to have Java or C# when you're done anyway so why bother?
Finally, to answer your last question, I come here to answer questions about any topic. I mostly prefer to deal with abstract problems rather than language-specific issues, but I'm always willing to help regardless of language. Just because I love C# doesn't mean it's all I know. :)

I think it's a combination of reasons 2 & 3. From what I've seen, C# is not as popular as Java, and it's probably not as popular as C++.
From where I live, most people use Java, followed by CPP, followed by C#.

Is atypical.
C# is very popular but StackOverFlow is by no means a reflect of the industry-wide.
Dup: Why is there such a large percentage of C# questions?
Related: Why does Ruby seem to have fewer projects than other programming languages?

I've mostly avoided C#, because (a) I've got a silly prejudice about that glandular freak of a program loader masquerading as an operating system — I just don't do Windows, and (b) because it's so much like Java that I have trouble keeping them apart in my head.
That said, there's a lot of C# being done, and if I weren't an old crank it'd probably be a good language.
The thing is that C++ is riding without training wheels. This makes it much better for some things — I helped build the AS/400 operating system in C++, bare metal up — but not as good for the sort of application programming most people do most of the time.

I guess that is partly due to people knowing of the site thru Jeff Atwood's blog, and Joel Spolsky's website.
Although their writings are not technology specific, it has a slant towards MS stack and hence the site is popular among developers working on MS suite of tools/languages.
Once the site becomes more popular and gets ranked high in google for questions on other tools, it will have more questions on those topic as well.

It really just depends if you plan on working with windows. If you like Linux or mac better then you probably want to use another language (although you could use Mono.NET). I just use C# because of 3 main reasons:
Easy to learn
Easy to use
Easy to deploy
But if you like a different language better then use it. Right now I'm learning C so that I can help contribute to some of my favourite open source linux apps.

C++ or Python for C# programmer? [closed]

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I am a corporate C# programmer. I found some time to invest into myself and stumbed upon a dilemma. Where to go from now? C#/.NET is easy to learn, develop for, etc. In future I would want to apply to Microsoft or Google, and want to invest spare time wisely, so what I will learn will flourish in future.
So: Python or C++ for a C# programmer? I am a little scared of C++ because developing anything in it takes ages. Python is easy, but I take it as a child-play language, which still need lots of patching to be some mature development tool/language.
Any C# developers having same dilemma?

I Am a little scared of C++ because developing anything in it takes ages.
I'm not sure how you can say that when you say yourself that you have no experience in the language. C++ is a good tool for some things, Python is good for other things. What you want to do should be driving this decision, not the technology in and of itself.
C# programmer or not, I would assume that you can pick up any language, but a language is just a tool, so your question is difficult to answer.

Python may be easier to get started with, but a dynamically typed scripting language is a very different language from C# or C++. You will learn more about programming learning it than you will by hopping to a close cousin of a language you already know. Really, solid familiarity with at least one scripting language (Python, Perl and Ruby are the favorites) should be a requirement for all programmers.

If you want to apply to Google then Python might be the one to go for, surely MS would like the C# already. If nothing else the competition would not be as fierce as there are much more folk out there with multi years of C++ experience. Also Python gives you a broader language skill and would be a good path to more languages and scripting.
But as said and will be said again, choose your tool wisely and see whether it's a nail or a screw you're trying to secure.

C# is a little closer to Java and C++ than it is to Python, so learn Python first out of the two.
However, my advice would be:
Stick with your current language and learn more techniques, such as a wider range of algorithms, functional programming, design by contract, unit testing, OOAD, etc.
learn C (focus on figuring out pointers, multi-dimensional arrays, data structures like linked lists, and resource management like memory allocation/deallocation, file handles, etc)
learn Assembly (on a modern platform with a flat memory architecture, but doing low-level stuff like talking to hardware or drawing on a canvas)
learn Python or Ruby. Chances are, you'll stick with one of these for a while, knowing all of the above, unless some hot new language has come along by then.

Why not learn some of each. Studying a language for a week or so won't make you an expert, but it will answer a lot of questions in your head and plant a seed for the future.
It's important to not just read through exercises. Find some simple problems that can be programmed in a page or two at most and solve them with each language. That will help you to learn the strengths and weaknesses in the context of the way you think and how you solve problems.

C++ is usually used when speed, and low-level OS access is involved.
It's a good skill to have if you want to expand.
Python allows you to do thing quickly, and it's quite easy to learn, and provides more power than you'd expect from a scripting language, and probably one of the fastest ones out there.
C++ isn't exactly slow to develop, if you've got an IDE, it's not hard to write per-se, but the syntax is going to get you.

If you want to apply to Google and/ or Microsoft then I'd say that of the two you need both!
Given more choice, probably C++ and one other language - either dynamic, functional, or both (Scala might be a good choice too).
It's not necessarily about whether you'd use the languages themselves but more about the different approaches they require and encourage.
If you continue to be "scared" by C++ you're probably going to struggle applying as a dev at either of those organisations - unless you are highly specialised elsewhere.

I think you just asked wrong question. It is not about the tool itself. It should be about what kind of software do you really find enjoying to create. C++ is used in creating different types of applications that are written in C# or Python. Please mind, that C# or .NET itself is not easy to learn. It may be quite easy to develop something that works somehow, but if you just delve into the details...
Anyway, my point is: if you're interested in developing web solutions: go for Python. There is a lot of hype about Python at the moment, and even Microsoft realized the power of this language (you may use your knowledge of .NET and Python programming using IronPython).
C++ is at the moment used in some specific areas. Business apps are written mostly in Java or .NET, and C++ is still great for more low level programming, in areas where performance is the crucial thing (and I mean 'performance' as performance of language/platform itself). The good example is game industry: Java and C# are definitely easier to learn than C++, but... how many 'big games' have been created entirely in C#/Java?
I have another advice for you: if you want to work for Microsoft or Google, do not focus on language itselft. It is NOT the most important thing. Focus on problem solving, algorithms and other stuff (Stevie Yegge's post about how to prepare for an interview at Google).
Oh, and of course as a fan of C++ (and C# too) I must admit that it is not true, that developing anything in C++ takes ages. You probably think of C++ as of "C with clasees" - take a look at STL, templates, advanced templates, Boost... Somehow all those people working in games industry manage to create better and better games in not so looooong time that takes others to create 'boring and easy' business app in Java/C#.

You might be interested in looking at Windows Powershell. It's the latest scripting technology from Microsoft, built on .NET, and can be extended via C#.
Granted, it's not as portable as C++ or Python, but it would leverage your C#/.NET experience more readily. Otherwise, I would suggest C++ (and possibly C). Microsoft builds a lot more of its products with C/C++ than with Python.

As someone familiar with C# and .NET you should consider IronPython. Python for .NET. This would be a good way to leverage what you know and learn a new dynamic language at the same time.

Why should I learn C#? [closed]

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I want to know why I should learn C#?
What features does C# have that Java does not?

C# is an object-oriented high-level language which can be useful to develop applications.
It supports getter/setter constructs, delegates and true generics, which Java does not.
C# usually feels more "native" on Windows, since Windows.Forms and WPF are closer to native code than Swing.
However, Java is more cross-platform than C#(even though project "Mono" is changing that)

There's a whole lot of differences: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_C_Sharp_and_Java
Whether you should use one over the other depends on your priorities. What do you want to write in them?

C# (and other the CLR languages) have aspects of functional programming (such as delegates and closures) that make some types of development and design patterns easier. See this post by Steve Yegge for more. Delegates can make code much more expressive and concise.

You should learn both, and use each of them as appropriate. I don't feel like it's a "which one should I learn?" kind of question. (Or a "I know Java, why should I learn C#?" question.) That comparison that Welbog posted will help you decide when to use one over the other. But, myself, I like having both in my toolkit.

Syntax:
They are both reasonable languages--they support pretty much the same high level structures and designs (OO, encapsulation, ...) and are fairly equal up until you get down to the code level (which overall isn't that big a deal. C# beats java in features, Java beats C# in simplicity I guess).
Portability:
My biggest factor has been that lately I've worked on apps for a spectrum analyzer and upcoming cable systems. Neither would have been remotely programmable in C# (you are completely reliant on microsoft to port the runtime to your platform of interest. Java is open source (there may still be one or two little pieces that aren't, but they are sincerely working on that and it's enough that you can port it and use it just about anywhere.
If you are only ever interested in Windows and if you'd like to take advantage of tight, simple integration with windows, then C# is the platform for you.
VM
Both languages include a "Runtime" that can support other languages--and those other languages generally have access to the (very rich) libraries provided in each environment.
Microsoft can run a few (a dozen) languages on it's VM, none as impressive as C# (although Ruby and Python could be good--are they fully available yet)?
The JVM has a few hundred including some cutting-edge experimental languages that often run as well as or better than their native counterparts. Some are considered the next generation in programming, as different from Java/C# as they were from C. I looked into Scala, but I must be getting old, it just hurt my head, but I admit there are some very advanced concepts available in there. Groovy rocks.
System integration/tools:
C# wins hands down since Java can't commit to any one platform. C# is also very well integrated with databases and other external dependencies, Java is getting better integrated, but the tools are a little more mismatched. C# the entire toolset tends to be very integrated since it all tends to come from a single vendor.
Number of platforms using it (number of potential customers):
Last I heard, Java wins hands down. WAY down. Every try to figure out how many phones, microwaves, TVs and toasters might be running Java? The number dwarfs every other language combined as I understand it...

the only reason you should is because you want to
C# is a
multi-paradigm programming language that encompasses functional, imperative, generic, object-oriented (class-based), and component-oriented programming disciplines
so you get to learn a lot of tricks from different paradigms, all in a single language

There are lots of questions that people have asked on this topic already. Read up, they've got good infos there. :)

The biggest reason, imho, why is because (for windows desktop apps at least) Java UI is godawful ugly. Fugly ugly. Vomitously ugly. Ugly like the kid you'd have if you impregnated your sister.
If you are required to run on any OS, Java is your best option (tho Mono is catching up!). But if you're programming for the Windows environment, C# is a dream to code and looks like any other native application.
Other than that, I'd say Linq. And the ability to fail fast on exceptions rather than having to handle exceptions everywhere (like we actually know how to handle each and every exception). Oh, and Linq again. Linq is so beautiful... to me... Can't you see?
Crap, forgot about lambdas. Damn, I love lambdas and all their closure goodness.

Simple answer -- C# is the primary language for developing Micorosft applications at this point. Learning it opens up a new world of potential opportunities to work on Microsoft-based applications.
Also, it's not really that hard to learn. Just a little harder than VB was, but with lots of OO power.
Some people would say C# is Microsoft's Java -- actually they look almost identical, just minor differences but different class libraries. If you already know Java, picking up C# shouldn't be too hard.

I can't believe nobody has posted this yet..
Because, it is a fun language. Personally I think Java is a rather nasty language (still can be fun), but not as enjoyable as C#.

Do you need to learn C#?
Is your job situation going to improve?
Do you want to learn something new?
Is the development environment better in C#, is the tooling better?
Do you think you can do something in C#, that you can't do in Java?
Maybe a generic language for desktop, web and mobile - but Java has this as well.
Just a few questions you could use to decide.
I'm C# myself, started out in Java when I was introduced to programming. I think Java did a fantastic job for me in understanding programming, mostly because there were no magic IntelliSense, or form designer for Windows apps - we had to write the whole damn thing our selves. Which was good, when you're learning. But I think C# and the whole .NET/Visual Studio eco-system enables you to be more productive.

More important than the feature of the language are the run-time environment and the libraries.
C# and Java have a different set of libraries, frameworks, operating system interactions, etc.

Based on the question seems like you are not interested in learning it for the sake of knowing more about programming and clearly looking for practical reasons.
That is why I don't think you should bother learning it, since it will be just another tool to accomplish same thing in your toolbox.

I like what Welbog wrote. I would add that it would also depend on where you're at professionally, your interests, and your job prospects /interests.
If you're you've just started to learn Java, then picking up a little C# might help in terms of broadening your programming horizons. The languages are similar (roughly speaking), but of course there are nuances to say the least in programming in one versus another. If you've been programming Java for awhile, then perhaps you'd be better off either expanding your J2EE area of expertise or maybe looking at other supporting areas and/or languages.
In terms of job prospects, you might find companies in your area hire more .NET developers than Java, or vice-versa. You might also want to look at companies you want to work for and make sure your skill set matches. For example, if you've dreamed at working at a particular firm who uses JSP, just as an example, then sticking with Java would be better.

It is not C# that you should want to learn but .NET Framework and related technologies.
Think rather J2EE vs .NET.
Why would you want to learn .NET? It's up to you to decide. Like Java it's one of the few major development platforms. It is functional, very actively developed and supported with a huge community knowledge base.

To me the choice is as simple as I need to use .NET libraries, so I'll use C# or I need to use Java libraries so I'll use Java. If I'm working on something on a Windows client I'll use C#, if I'm working on something that needs to run against the P6 Integration API I'll use Java.
You shouldn't feel like you you are missing something or should use one or the other. Look at what you have to do and pick the best tool for doing that.
It's tough to list on a post here all the features of the .NET Framework, just like it would be tough to list all the features contained in the Java SDK Libraries.

Learning C# because it may or may not have features that Java doesn't have seems like a very odd reason in opinion (it does have a number of features, that Java doesn't but so does F#, LISP, Haskel, Ruby, Lua and even COBOL).
You should learn C# because
You need to (to keep or get a job, stay in school, whatever)
You want to
It is fun to expand your horizon
Any or all of the above

There are some syntactic sugar advantages in .NET such as LINQ or Properties. (Yes, you don't have properties - not to mention auto-properties - in Java).

Strategically, it helps to know several languages as demonstrated by a little research. Currently, PHP, Java, and ASP.NET (C#) are the most widely used server-side programming technologies (see https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/programming_language/all). Therefore, knowing all three empowers your backend engineering potential.

How long would it take a non-programmer to learn C#, the .NET Framework, and SQL? [closed]

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I am not that good at programming. I finished my masters degree in electronics. I want to learn C#, the .NET Framework, and SQL. How much time do you think it would take (if I have 5 hours a day to devote to it)? Also, what order do I learn them in? I have Visual Web Developer 2008, is that enough to begin?
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I should have specified that I wish to make a career out .NET Development. I'd like to give myself 2 months to get the 'basics' down. As a developer, what is expected out of you in IT companies? What skillset do they require and what are the responsibilities as a junior or mid-level developer? I don't have any industry experience, will I be able to get a feel of the job duties while at home?

That's like asking how long it would take to learn French:
1 day to learn what it is
1 week to learn it to an infant/elementary level
1 year to be considered a beginner by professionals
Several years to be considered an experienced professional
Plus there's "deep" knowledge of those subjects which a mere mortal such as you or I will never learn
Then again, plenty of people (most normal people, non-programmers) never learn those subjects, so if you're like "most" people then the answer would be "it would take forever" or "it will never happen".

Dive right it, make it a hobby, and have fun :)
Coming from an electronics background myself I can tell you that you should pick it up pretty quickly. And having an electronics background will give you a deeper understanding of the underlying hardware.
IMHO the root of information technology is electronics.
For example..
Think of objects as components.
The .NET framework is essentially drawers full of standard components.
For example you know what a 7400 (NAND gate) is capable of doing. You have a data sheet showing the pin outs and sample configurations. You don't typically care about the circuitry inside. Software objects are the same way. We have inputs and we have methods that do something to the inputs to produce predictable outputs. As developers we typically don't care how the object was written... just that it does what it says it will do.
You also know that you can build additional logic circuits by using two or more NAND gates. This of this as instantiation.
You also know that you can take a NAND gate and place it inside a circuit where you can modify the input signals coming in so the outputs have different behaviors. This is a crude example but you can think of this as inheritance.
I have also learned it helps to have a project to work on. It could be a hobbyist project or a work project. Start small, get something very basic working, and work up from there.
To answer your specific question on "what should I learn first".
1) Take your project you have in mind and break it into steps. For example... get a number from the user, add one to the number, display the result. Think of this as your design.
2) Learn basic C#. Write a simple console application that does something. Learn what an if statement is (this is all boolean logic so it should be somewhat familiar), learn about loops, learn about mathematical operations, learn about functions (subroutines). Play with simple file i/o (reading and writing text files). The basic C# can be thought of as your wiring and discrete components (resistors, caps, transistors, etc) to your chips (object).
3) Learn how to instantiate and use objects from the framework. You have already been doing this but now it's time to delve in further. For example... play with System.Console some more... try making the speaker beep. Also start looking for objects that you may want to use for database work.
4) Learn basic SQL. Lots of help and examples online. Pick a database you want to work with. I personally think MS Access is a great beginners database. I would not use it for multi-user or cross platform desktop applications... but it is a great single user database for Windows users... and it is a great way to learn the basics of SQL. There are other simple free databases available (Open Office has one for example) if you don't want to shell out $ for Access.
5) Expand your app to do something with a database.

Just do it! Don't sweat the details.

Well, it will take you forever. There is so much to learn about programming that 10 years are not enough.
http://norvig.com/21-days.html
Don't get me wrong, you will learn the basics quickly enough, but to become good at it will take much longer.
You should focus on an area and try to make some examples, if you choose web development, start with an hello world web page, then add some code to it. Learn about postbacks, viewstate and Sessions. Try to master ifs, cycles and functions, you really have a lot to cover, it's not easy to say "this is the best way to learn".
I guess in the end you will learn on a need to do basis.

The best thing about C# is that it is very catchy. Easy to pick up, and you'll also have fun doing it.
But .Net framework is a very big library full of wonderful things to discover, and yet again due to the nature of .Net you'll also have fun learning it. It's a coherent, object oriented, well documented library, and C# makes it so simple to work with it that you can simply discover your way through it while coding.
The vast majority of articles, books or resources about .Net and C# simply concentrate on explaining functionality and the framework and far less about how to avoid quirks, workarounds or exceptional cases, like it happens with other languages I don't want to name (*cough C++*) so in the end the experience of learning C# and .Net is very enjoyable from start to finish, and the things you can accomplish using .Net also makes it very rewarding.
You picked a good language to start with, in my opinion, and finally to answer your question, it will take you about:
2 to 3 months to learn the basics
1 to 2 years to become a versed developer
5 years or more to become a expert or, depending on your dedication, a "guru".
But then again, beating the numbers and breaking the limits lies inside human nature. Can you do it faster than this? ;-)

How long is a piece of string? I think this is subjective. I know programmers that have learned an extraordinary amount in a very short time based on the experience that they've exposed themselves to.
Basically, get your hands dirty and you're bound to learn more.

It really depends on what you mean by "learn". You could probably spend a week and get a couple of pages up on the web that had some minimal level of interactivity to save information entered by the user in some database, and then have some other pages for querying and displaying the information. You could then spend the next 10 years of your life learning all the intricacies of the .Net framework, SQL, and mastering using the IDE.

The period of which you are capable of learning really depends on your ability to grasp the logic behind programming while where to learn from depends on your learning style.
If you are a learn-by-a-book type of guy, just jump on Amazon.com and perform a quick search, pick up the book with the best reviews or wait for someone here to recommend a book (I'm not a programming by book guy)
If you prefer screencasts (video feeds demonstrating what to do) or tutorials, then go straight to the source: http://www.asp.net/learn/. There are tons of videos and tutorials explaining everything you need to get started.
Visual Web Developer 2008 Express should be all you need to get started. Basically, the express editions are Visual Studio chopped down to a precise set of functionality to accomplish one thing. They don't have some of the bells and whistles needed for large scale development, but everything you should need.

Can't tell how long it would take, it really depends on your existing knowlege. I managed to learn the C#/.NET 2.0 core basics in about 2 months.
My suggestion to you: Try to learn towards exams, they make sure your learning covers all important parts and also guide you through this new technology. See Microsoft Learning.

If you have any programming experience, you can probably learn the C# syntax in a few hours, and be comfortable with it within a week or so. However, you will not be writing complex structures unless you write a lot of code with it. It's really the same as learning any language: you can learn all the words and grammer fairly quickly, but it takes a while to be fluent.
EDIT
A book you may want to pick up for learning C# is C# in a Nutshell (3.0) which I found to be very useful, and has been recommended by several people here.

If you want to learn, REALLY want to learn, then time is not of consequence. Just move forward everyday. Let your passion for this stuff drive you forward. And one day you'll see that you are good at C#/.NET.

You'll pick up c# fairly quickly (the language syntax is not that complicated). It will take you a long time to really learn the .NET framework, but you'll pick up the heavily used parts of the framework fairly quickly, and you should start seeing patterns in the framework.
My advice to you: don't just learn from a book or website. They will teach you the language and framework, but they will not teach you how to program anything useful.
Writing little code snippets will teach you how to do a very specific tasks, but they do not teach you how to write applications. My suggestion is that you think of an app that might be fun to work on (and doable... e.g. don't think that you're going to write an operating system or crysis or something in a month or two). Personally, when I was learning, wrote my own full featured IRC app, complete with rich text, personal messaging, etc.

The answer in my view is related to whether you have a tangible problem to solve or if you just want to learn for example to be prepared for a possible new job. If you have a problem then you are in better shape. You can start by looking around and seeing how other people went about solving that problem. Languages in general you should be able to pick up fairly quickly (after all you hold an MS in EE, no small feat IMO).
What you need to be on the lookout for is good programming practices. You'll probably see yourself asking "why is this method so small", "why is this method empty and what the heck is this abstract word doing here". That will give you perspective beyond syntax towards good writing.

When I switched careers out of Finance, I took 9 months off to study C++ full-time out of a book by Ivor Horton. I had a lot of support from my best friend, who is a guru, and I had been programming as a hobby since high school (I was 36 at the time).
It's not just the syntax that's an issue. The idea of things like pointers, passing by reference, multi-tiered architectures, struct's vs classes, etc., these all take time to understand and learn to use. And you're adding to that the .Net framework, which is huge and constantly evolving, and SQL, which is a totally different skill set than C#. You also haven't mentioned various subsets of the framework that are becoming more widely used, like WPF, WCF, WF, etc.
You're an academic so you can definitely do it, but it's going to take serious effort for a long time, and you definitely will need some projects to work on and learn from. Good luck to you.

According to Malcolm Gladwell, it will take you 10,000 hours to get really good. So get cracking.

Simple answer: a lot longer than two months. Learning to program competently will take longer than that, no matter what. It took me years to learn to be a competent object-oriented programmer, and I'm good at this stuff.
More detailed answers: it doesn't really matter whether you learn C# or SQL first, as they're very different. I'd probably suggest SQL, as it's easier to learn and more independently useful.
You will have a hard time getting used to the on-the-job realities at home, much as if you were studying plumbing or quantitative finance.
You're going to have a hard time putting all the information together without one or more projects you try to do. You're going to need to have other people to tell you when you're being stupid, when you're being overclever and will pay for it later, and when you're actually getting it.
Try to find an open source project you find vaguely interesting. Study their code. Figure out why they do what they do. Look at the bug list, and try to find something as trivial as possible to fix. Work from there. Learning to contribute is going to teach you things that are useful in the work world, and it will give you something to point at. It will be far easier to get your first job if you have some experience to point to.

All "relativity" aside, not fast. Based on the fact that you said you never programmed before...to become a basic programmer, a few years.
And to become a good to outstanding (using design patterns and industry recognized standards that relate to common standards as defined by ISO/IEC 9126 Standard such as testability, maintainability, etc.) programmer, it takes years of experience and coding often.. you do not become "Sr." or an "Architect" overnight and the same thing is true for a mid-level developer who doesn't code slop.
It's always a process where you improve. So learning is relative. But to learn the basics, seems simple until you start to design classes and interfaces. And even Leads stumble on the basics..doing things wrong. Everyone does. There is so much to be aware of.
If you're just going to be adding features (using classes your Lead or Architect has stubbed out for the team) and not really adding new classes, etc. it's easier....but you should take care in coding using standards and you still have to know complex areas of OOP. But that's not really OOP. When you start to creating classes, interfaces and knowing about inheritance, heap, references, etc. yada yada...and REALLY understanding it takes time no matter how smart you are or think you may be.
So, for a new programmer. Not easy. Be prepared to code a lot. And if you are not, find a job where you are. It's all about coding as much possible so you can get better.
Read these books FIRST. Do not dive into any others out there because they are not geared toward teaching you the language in a way you can get up to speed fast:
http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Object-Oriented-Analysis-Design/dp/0596008678/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231280335&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-SQL-Brain-Learners/dp/0596526849/ref=pd_bbs_sr_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231280335&sr=8-7
http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-C-Brain-Friendly-Guides/dp/0596514824/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231280393&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/First-Design-Patterns-Elisabeth-Freeman/dp/0596007124/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231280393&sr=8-3
they will get you the fasted jump start into understanding, better than any books out there.
Also for these lame type of responses, ignore them:
"Then again, plenty of people (most normal people, non-programmers) never learn those subjects, so if you're like "most" people then the answer would be "it would take forever" or "it will never happen"."
Those come from developers (typically leads) who have some Ego trip that DON'T want you to learn. Everyone learns differently and at different paces and eventually you will become "fast". I get very tired of hearing Sr. developers say statements like this when their sh** also stinks many times no matter how good they are. Instead they should be helping the team to succeed and learn as long as their team is working hard to keep abreast and doing what they can on their own as well (not leachers).
Make sure you try to get a Jr. Level Developer position first...

2-3 months to learn the basics...no way. Unless you're gonna code spaghetti sure. Same goes for the 1-2 years. Spaghetti it is then..

Build on what you already know and have a look at lot of job adverts. E.g I have seen jobs asking for WinForms/WPF AND electronics for the writing of a UI to control a custom bit of hardware.
You may find the “robotics” .net toolkit interesting.
.Net is now too big for anyone to learn both WEB and Desktop so you have to decide the way you are going to go. Web has lots more jobs, but there are very few people with good desktop stills.