First Steps in Coding: Choosing the Right Programming Language
June Updates on Hyperskill
Introduction
Are you excited to start your coding journey but a bit puzzled about where to begin? Don’t worry, you are not alone on this quest. Let’s march ahead, and determine the best programming language for you.
Step 1: Define Your Mission
The choice of your first programming language depends heavily on what you wish to accomplish. If your dream is to develop a website, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript might be your new best friends. On the other hand, if you are more fascinated by developing mobile applications, Swift for iOS or Kotlin for Android will be your likely companions.
Let’s delve deeper. Are you inclined toward data analysis or machine learning? With its extensive libraries and user-friendly syntax, Python is an attractive choice. But if you envision yourself creating the next big video game, C++ or Unity (which uses C#) could be your game-changing language.
Step 2: Consider Your Personal Preferences
Choosing a programming language also mirrors picking up a new book. Are you drawn towards a complex, epic fantasy novel with intricate detail (think Tolkien’s *Lord of the Rings*) or do you prefer a straightforward, page-turning thriller (à la Dan Brown)?
The complex novel here can be compared to a statically typed language like Java or C++. These languages demand more precision, but they can yield powerful results. The straightforward thriller parallels a dynamically typed language like Python or JavaScript, which offer more flexibility and a gentler learning curve, making them great for beginners.
Step 3: Explore the Terrain
When deciding on your first programming language, remember that you’re embarking on a journey, not just a quick tour. So, be curious and explore! Join communities like StackOverflow or GitHub to learn from others’ experiences. Engage in coding challenges and hackathons.
Step 4: Leap into the Future
According to the 2023 StackOverflow Developer Survey, JavaScript, Python, and Java are currently the most popular languages. But remember, trends change, just like the wind. Always keep an open mind and a curious spirit.
Step 4: Learn to program
You can find 53 new topics on JetBrains Academy and 6 new topics on Edvancium. Additionally, we’ve introduced 10 new projects and taken 3 projects out of beta. These updates cover various subjects, from Java and Kotlin to math and bioinformatics, ensuring you have access to diverse and up-to-date content.
JetBrains Academy updates
JetBrains Academy Topics:
- Algorithms: Hamming code, Hamming decoding
- Django: Intro to views in Django
- Ktor: Ktor Containerizing, OAuth in Ktor
- Node.js: Process object, Intro to URL module, Intro to crypto module, What are streams?, Global objects
- Spring Boot: Dependency injection in Spring, Testing Beans
Data Science
- Instruments: DataFrame.apply(), Principal component analysis in scikit-learn, sklearn.metrics.classification_report()
- Machine learning: Support vector machines, Introduction to clustering evaluation, K-Means
- NLP: Image Annotation, Visual QA, N-gram model, Context-free grammar implementation, Deep understanding of context-free grammar, Formal grammars, Sentence embeddings, Word-frequency distribution
Frontend
- CSS: Explicit and Implicit Grid, Grid alignment: part 2 and part 3, Grid Template areas, Introduction to Responsive Web Design, Best Practices in Responsive Web Design
Fundamentals
- SQL and Databases: Indexes in MongoDB
Mobile
Programming languages
- Go: Relationships between models
- Java: Resilence4j, Atomics, Happens-before
- Kotlin: Argument naming in overridden functions, Final members, Visibility for classes, packages, and modules, Object expressions, Packages and imports
- Python: ENUM
- Scala: Lambdas
System administration and DevOps
New Projects
- Databases for Sales (Easy, Python, SQL, Beta)
- Computer Store Database (Easy, Python, SQL, Beta)
- Barbershop Simulation (Easy, Python, Beta)
- Smart Calendar (Medium, Python, Beta)
- Photo Slider (Hard, Frontend, Beta)
- Petbook (Hard, Frontend, Beta)
- Honest Calculator (Medium, Java, Spring Security, Beta)
- HyperMetro (Challenging, Kotlin, Beta)
- Restaurant Menu App (Challenging, Jetpack Compose, Android, Beta)
- Run Docker Run (Easy, Docker, Beta)
Out of Beta
- Hyper Commander (Challenging, Bash)
- Corpus Annotation from Scratch (Challenging, Python, NLP)
- HyperForms (Challenging, Python, Django)
Edvancium
Math
- Linear Algebra: Transformations
- Fundamentals: Applications of Math, Math notations, formulas, and statements
- Probability: Bernoulli distribution
Bioinformatics
- Data and tools: Bowtie2
Biology
- Biology basics: Secondary endosymbiosisё
We hope this article helps you in making a more informed decision about your first programming language. And remember, there are no wrong choices here.
