I think I went the other direction... started with Pascal as an introductory computer language, then had to take a 1 credit Fortran class (with 3 hours worth of homework) so we could see how clunky a higher order language could be, and many years later, spent a handful of years doing assembler on the 6811 microcontroller in engine control modules (the electronics that makes internal combustion engines work without generating lots of pollution).
For stuff where the processor has to read inputs from the world and respond quickly, assembler isn't too bad. I imagine C is preferred now, although that can be made to be nearly as cryptic.

Steve in Peoria