What Programming Languages to Learn
The world of computer science sounds daunting and difficult to navigate for the average person. The first time I was introduced to anything related to computer science was when I was a sophomore in college and enrolled in my first introductory class, Computer Science 1. At that time, all that I knew about programming was that really smart people could do it and that a bunch of words were written on a computer and did stuff, whatever that stuff was. Honestly, stepping into that class was intimidating and words like “C++”, “initialize”, and “runtime” confused me. However, at the end of the class, I realized that computer science was not as difficult as what I once thought it was and that anyone could do it if they put their mind to it. After taking CS 1, I decided to add computer science to my major and I have never regretted it since.
Over the course of my undergraduate career, I have gotten many messages from colleagues of various educational backgrounds, some in the business world and others in economics on what programming language they should learn. My article is going to go through many popular programming languages as well as which ones you should learn based on your interests or background. I encourage you all to learn programming because it is so versatile and applicable to many areas of life
.Choosing your first ever programming language can be daunting with so many options in front of you. First, you must decide the main reason why you would like to learn how to code. If you are learning how to code just for fun, then you can start with any language and go on from there. I recommend Python because of its readability, ease of use, and applications in multiple professional avenues. However, if you are learning how to code for a career path, then you should more intentionally choose which language to pick first. I will go through many of the popular languages and break down their uses. If the language use is something you are interested in, then that should be the first one you learn!
First, I will talk about web development, which includes the design and creation of websites, applications, etc. There are two categories within the scope of web development, the front and back end. Front end development deals with what the users interact with, like the design and graphics. Back end development work with the data and modeling behind the structure of a website.
If designing websites with beautiful graphics or layouts is something that you are interested in, then I recommend first learning HTML5 “....a markup language used for establishing layout and rendering content on global websites” (Xing, Yongkang, et al.). HTML5 is the text that you see on your website and is fairly easy to learn. After this, you should learn Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) which will enhance your layout with colors and other forms of design capabilities (Xing, Yongkang, et al.). Once you get the hang of this, you should learn JavaScript, which deals with the functionality of websites and is very popular within the job market. JavaScript is more complex than HTML5 and CSS which is why I recommend that you begin learning this language after mastering the others. JavaScript is frequently used by many developers and large companies such as Netflix, PayPal, and Walmart.
If you would rather prefer to learn more about data management, servers, and networks, then backend development is where you should concentrate your efforts. However, backend development languages are much more complex than front end ones. Common backend languages include Java, C++, PHP, and Python. Java, Python, and C++ are high level, object oriented languages, which means that they can be interpreted by a human and not just a computer. These languages are often utilized for Big Data, Android development, and businesses applications. If you are coding for fun and want to put in a lot of effort into learning complicated syntax for a language, I would recommend Java and C++. Java and C++ use a lot of symbols to represent words or ideas. For example, when comparing two variables you would write ‘||’ to represent ‘or’. However, if you want to learn a language that is easier to understand and grasp, then I would recommend Python which uses the actual word ‘or’ to compare variables.
The front end and back end development languages that I mentioned earlier barely break the surface of the computer science world; however, it is a great place to begin. As of 2020, JavaScript is the most popular language amongst software developers with websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google using it. It has a flexible syntax and is compatible with a wide range of browsers. In addition to this, the language is fairly simple to learn, especially for beginners. Like JavaScript, Python is easy to learn with a simple syntax and versatility to be applied to different fields. On many job applications, I have repeatedly seen that some experience in JavaScript or Python is highly recommended.
You do not have to obtain a college degree to become fluent in programming. There are many options available out there that will be able to teach you the same if not more than what an undergraduate curriculum will give you. The practice and repetition that you do outside of the classroom is what makes you a better programmer, so programming depends on how much work you want to put into your craft. I recommend using this free application called “Sololearn” which you can find on the App Store and on their website linked here. Sololearn helped me learn Python, JavaScript, PHP, and other languages all on my own. If you want something that is a little more structured with assignments and classroom style lectures, I would recommend Full Stack Academy and Code Academy to get you started. However, these options may require some payment before getting started.
Once you decide your language of choice with your preferred learning module, you must continually practice your skills. When going to programming interviews, you will be tested on your skills with many of the questions coming from beginner coding courses. Learning something new always is daunting at times; however, know that you will be able to persevere through this. I wish you nothing but luck in your future coding journey and hope that I was able to shine some light on what language would be best for you.
Works Cited:
Xing, Yongkang, et al. “Research and Analysis of the Front-End Frameworks and Libraries in E-Business Development.” Proceedings of the 2019 11th International Conference on Computer and Automation Engineering - ICCAE 2019, 2019, doi:10.1145/3313991.3314021.
Edited by: Monica Wallace
