Basic Programming Languages to Learn
Once, only a few people were considered computer programmers with coding skills. Now, many IT jobs require a solid grasp of programming languages. If you’re trying to master a programming language, you might wonder which one to learn. After all, it will take time and money to learn the language, so you want to make the right choice.There is no right answer, of course. Choosing a first language will depend on what kind of projects you want to work on, or how easy you want it to be. Hopefully, this article will help give you a better idea of which one you should pursue.
Python
Python is, quite literally, the most popular programming language in the world right now. Python is always recommended if you’re looking for an easy and even fun programming language to learn first. Python reads like English and is simple to understand for someone who’s new to programming.
Python also is ideal for web development, graphic user interfaces (GUIs), and software development. In fact, it was used to build Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify, so it’s clearly in demand among employers in addition to having faster onboarding.
Javascript
Among the top programming languages to use out there, you also have JavaScript, which has become the industry leader in desktop software, web-based applications, and even apps for mobile phones. The best part is that you can code almost anything in this language. It is particularly popular in the E-commerce industry for coding precises shipping apps and other backend and customer-centric applications. In fact, eBay was built with Node.js, a JavaScript runtime.
PHP
PHP is considered a relatively easy language to learn for beginning developers. Many web developers will find it essential to learn PHP, as this language is used to build more than 80% of websites on the Internet, including those like Facebook and Yahoo. Programmers mainly use PHP mainly to write server-side scripts. But developers can also use this language to write command-line scripts, and programmers with high-level PHP coding skills can also use it to develop desktop applications.
Java
Java is widely used in web and application development. Java is also used on the backend of several popular websites, including Google, Amazon, Twitter, and YouTube. It is also extensively used in hundreds of applications. Java is a little complex language to learn, but experienced developers with Java coding skills are in high-demand.
C
C is probably the oldest and popular programming language and is the root of other programming languages such as C#, Java, and JavaScript. C++ is an enhanced version of C. Many developers today skip learning C on its own, while others think learning C first provides a valuable foundation for C++ development. Both languages are widely used in computer science and programming.
Ruby
Ruby is a programming language that is relatively simple to learn. You don’t need to know a ton of commands or programming vocabulary to learn it, and it has a multitude of libraries and tools that come in handy.
A big reason people like Ruby is because of the awesome full-stack framework, Ruby on Rails, which is becoming increasingly popular among startups and enterprise solutions. Airbnb, Groupon, Hulu, and Soundcloud are just a few of the websites that were built with Ruby on Rails.
To put it simply:
- If you’re looking for something easy: Python
- If you want to try front-end development: Javascript
- If you’re programming an interactive website or a web application: PHP
- If you’re looking for a job or want to make mobile apps: Java
- If you want a solid foundation to make you a master developer: C
- If you’re programming for your startup’s website: Ruby
