Should I use Java or Go to learn algorithms and data structures?

I’d lean Java if you want a guided path. There’s a lot of established teaching material and exercises written for it, so it may be easier to find explanations and practice that match what you’re learning. The extra language features aren’t required for understanding the algorithms, though, so don’t feel you need to master all of Java at once.

Either is fine. The ideas transfer across languages, even though the details of implementing a structure can change. Pick the one you’re more likely to keep using, and focus on tracing the algorithm, understanding its tradeoffs, and writing a working implementation.

Go is a perfectly reasonable choice if its simpler feel helps you get started. It doesn’t make the concepts less real or less useful. One practical downside is that you may find fewer beginner resources and worked examples than you would for Java, so check that the course or book you like uses Go before committing.

Try not to turn this into a language decision that delays the actual learning. Choose one, implement a few basic structures yourself, and use the standard library afterward to compare your version with a production implementation. You can revisit the other language later, once the concepts are familiar.

If you want a reason to choose Java, it’s the depth of classic teaching material. If you want a reason to choose Go, its smaller surface area may feel more direct. Neither choice is a shortcut to understanding, and neither locks you into that language for future work.