Which programming language is best to learn first and why

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

FreeCodeCamp teacher and popular blogger Quincy Larson explains what you need to consider when choosing your first programming language so that you don't regret it later. Lifehacker publishes an abridged translation of his article.

Choosing your first programming language can seem as much fun as taking tests like "What character are you from the Tarantino films?" But before you pick Ruby because you liked a toy with a similar name as a kid, let me remind you: the stakes are quite high here.

You will spend hundreds of hours of practice before you become even remotely competent in your first language. Therefore, first of all, you need to think about the following factors:

• the demand for the language in the labor market;
• its long-term prospects;
• how easy it is to learn the language;
• what projects can be created with it.

Before I continue, let me be clear on a few points. I don't think any programming language is objectively better than any other. I agree that the developer ultimately has to know several languages. I insist that first a programmer must be good at one of them.

And that language should be JavaScript.

According to the largest developer community, Stack Overflow. JavaScript is the most popular language among all surveyed users. It is vital for building the browser-based part of websites and is becoming more and more suitable for developing their server-side components. In addition, JavaScript is rapidly expanding into areas such as game development and the Internet of Things.

Factor # 1. Labor market

If you are learning programming purely out of curiosity, you can safely skip this point. But if you want to make a living in this way, like the vast majority of students, this factor is very important for you.

Java is the leader among all programming languages in terms of the number of vacancies. JavaScript follows immediately after it.

But there is one important nuance. While JavaScript has been around for over 20 years, it has only recently become a powerful tool for companies like Netflix, Walmart, and PayPal to develop their entire apps.

Many employers are looking for JavaScript developers. The latter are even lacking in the labor market.

Based on data from Indeed.com, the largest job aggregator., for each open position of a Java programmer, 2, 7 applicants apply. The competition for the positions of PHP and iOS developers is also quite high.

But for every vacancy in JavaScript, there are only 0.6 applicants. In other words, demand is higher than supply.

Factor # 2. Long term prospects

JavaScript is evolving faster than any other popular language. Its ecosystem is backed by massive cash and smart investments from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Netflix.

For example, there are over a hundred people working on TypeScript (a special version of the language that extends JavaScript's capabilities), many of whom receive funding from Microsoft and Google.

Such collaboration between different companies is difficult to organize for the development of Java. Oracle, which acquired the rights to the language after purchasing Sun Microsystems, often sues organizations that want to contribute.

Factor # 3. Ease of learning

Most developers will agree that high-level scripting languages are relatively easy to come by. JavaScript is as such, as is Python and Ruby.

Despite this, in universities, the first thing they do is learn languages like Java and C ++, which are much more complex.

Factor # 4. What projects can you create

In this regard, JavaScript is at its best. It works on any device that has a browser. With JavaScript, you can develop almost anything and easily share it with others.

Co-founder of the Stack Overflow developer community, Jeff Atwood, has articulated a pattern that reflects the ubiquity of JavaScript.

Any application that can be written in JavaScript will eventually be written in JavaScript.

Jeff Atwood

And over time, this pattern becomes more and more accurate.

Once upon a time, Java developers also promised this language ubiquity. You can remember about Java applets. But Oracle officially dropped them earlier this year.

And Python suffers from similar problems.

How can I give a game I developed to my friends? Better yet, is there a way to download it to your phone so you can show it to kids at school so they don't have to install it?

James Hugh Game Developer

Know your first language well. Then learn the second

If you jump from one language to another, then you will not achieve success. To go beyond basic skills, you need to have a good understanding of the first language. The second will seem much easier after that.

Over time, you will be able to expand your knowledge and develop into a well-rounded programmer by learning other languages:

• C helps you understand computers in terms of memory. It is also useful when dealing with high performance computing.
• C ++ is great for game development.
• Python is great for scientific computing and statistics.
• Java plays an important role for those looking to work on enterprise services.

But first, master JavaScript.