The Most In-Demand Programming Languages of 2022

Learn these languages to give yourself a huge head start

Samu Kaarlela
CodeX
3 min readJan 29, 2022

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A man is pointing to a laptop screen, while another person is looking at it over their shoulder. The screen has code written on it.
Photo by Shamin Haky on Unsplash

Even in 2022, the tech industry is still booming. So, companies need programmers now more than ever. It can however be intimidating as a beginner to know what language you should start learning.

To make that decision a little bit easier I’ve gathered the languages that have the most demand as of right now. I’ll also list off some of the most common applications of each language. Starting with the most in-demand language.

Python

We know it, we love it. As has been the case for a while now python continues to surge and takes the number one spot on this list. Python is the language I would always recommend for most beginners. No programming language is easy, but Python is the easiest to start with. Especially, with no prior experience in programming.

Python is most often linked to the data science world, where it dominates the field. Easy readability and relatively good speed make it the first choice for most data scientists.

Other fields where you’re likely to run into Python include web development and software engineering. Due to Python’s massive popularity, it has libraries to support anything you want to do.

To get started with learning Python I recommend checking the Python documentation

Java

Some see Java as a thing of the past, but reports are still listing it as one of the most in-demand languages out there. Java is also a very beginner-friendly language. You can also find thousands of high-quality tutorials all over the web.

Java is most commonly used in web applications and embedded systems. Outside of that, you’re likely to run into it in mobile app development or game development. Most of us use many apps each day that need Java to be installed in order to be used. It’s no wonder it still has such huge demand.

One of the biggest demands for Java right now lies with E-Commerce, A.K.A the buying and selling of products online. The E-Commerce market has massively blown up in the past years so there’s no better time to learn Java than now.

If you want to learn Java I recommend taking a course. One of the best out there is this course on codeacademy.

Javascript

Despite the name, Java and Javascript are not the same language. Anyone that does any web development should know Javascript. Luckily Javascript is quite easy to learn, so you can get up and running in no time.

Javascript is most often used in web development in both client- and serverside programming. Nearly all websites you visit these days use Javascript in one way or another. From creating timers, playing videos or using simple drop-down menus, Javascript has the power to create anything.

Due to the pandemic demand for high-quality websites is higher than ever. To be honst I’m surprised Javascript isn’t higher up on this list. One reason might be that a lot of the demand for Javascript lies within the freelancing market.

If you get interested in Javascript especially for web development then I strongly encourage this coursera course.

C

One could argue C still runs the technology world. Many programs and systems used worldwide were created using C. Some of the biggest names on that list include the UNIX operating system and the MAC OS X. Things like a car’s automatic stability control, cruise control, displays, or even automatic transmissions are also coded in C.

It’s quite obvious why C is in demand and if you learn it you have near endless possibilities. There’s a reason it’s been in use for so long and still continues to have relevance.

One of my most used resources for learning C is the official devdocs.

Conclusion

So those are the most in-demand languages. There are other great languages with high demand, such as SQL or C#. Also consider things like HTML or CSS, which aren’t exactly programming languages, but are still essential to know for web development.

If you are a beginner I also suggest you look at some of your favorite products and find out what language they’ve been written in. Finding inspiration from your favourite things is one of the best ways to make sure you commit to learning.

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Samu Kaarlela
CodeX

I write about data science and health, sometimes combining the two. Hold every day as a new opportunity to learn.