The 2 Simplest Question Guide To Figuring Out Which Programming Language To Learn First Exposed

The need to be computer programming literate for many jobs is increasing rapidly. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, software developer jobs have increased by 22%.  As a newbie in programming, moving from making that critical career-boosting decision to acquiring the skills is confusing. Usually, everyone is faced with multiple options to pick from, which can be challenging most times.

So, before making that critical choice, it’s a good idea and also very necessary (as you will see later), to ask yourself these two key questions:

• What is it that motivated you to be interested in learning to code?

• What type of apps do you want to be building as a programmer?

In this write-up, I will discuss these two questions to help you better understand how to answer them very well. This will control your decision-making significantly. And if done very well, it may turn out to be the best decision in your life as a beginner in computer programming. Note: This post won't be trying to make you a professional in any of the languages because there are a few more concepts you must cover.

What Is It That Motivated You To Be Interested In Learning To Code?

Your best answers to this question will drastically navigate your first steps and, possibly, your entire programming career. Before now, you may have seen or had someone who already does what you love to do. Is there a particular area of technology that you have fun watching, building, or doing? 

If the question you have in your head now is, "what are those things I am good at?" then you are ultimately getting it wrong. But the question should be, what makes me happy when I remember or see people in the computer programming field? This concept is pretty straightforward.

I don't care if you are very good at math, are already tech-savvy, or are completely computer illiterate. Those things don't matter, but what does matter is your ability to figure out what motivates you to become the next great computer programmer.

What Types Of Apps Do You Want To Be Building As a Programmer?

This question is the most important one, as it dramatically shapes your choice of a particular programming language. Don't stress yourself too much by being in your head for a long time before you answer this question. You don't have to be an expert in building any software to answer this question; you need to have a basic knowledge of computers.

Most importantly, this narrows your question to whether I love building mobile apps, websites, desktop apps, operating systems, etc. The other way to look at it would be that if a project idea sparked your interest, that will significantly determine what programming language would be best to accomplish it.

Moreover, it is essential to let you know that no "world best" programming language exists. But what we do have, is the best programming language for a particular task or project. For example, the C programming language is mainly used when speed and good memory management are the focus points. While it can be done using other C-based languages, the efficiency will be super hard to achieve.

Another way to answer this question is to think about Front-End, Back-End, or Full-Stack Development. Let's take these concepts briefly,

The Front-End developers tend to focus on creating an excellent user experience and attractive user interfaces for websites, mobile apps, and other apps. This set of developers figures out the best areas and corners to place buttons, text boxes, drop-down lists, etc.,, so users don't have to stress their fingers to touch them.

The Back-End Developers focus on almost all the logic needed for an application to function as intended. There is mostly concerns primarily the security of the software, displayihelpfulful error messages when things go wrong, talking to the database, and so many other responsibilities, but let's keep things simple here.

And the last one is Full-Stack Developer. This is the most common group of developers seen in most developing countries where one person will have to do both the Front-End and Back-End development. This developing style is mainly found in solo programmers; they build everything from the user interface to talking to the database and servers. They can produce complete software single-handedly without needing the other two groups. However, this can be very hard sometimes.

In a nutshell, making a wise decision about your programming journey is essential as it also helps you pick a perfect programming language that will make your life easier and less stressful.

What Are The Programming Languages I can Choose From?

And Yes! There are so many programming languages; some are super simple, while others are hard to get started with. However, suppose you already have answers to the questions explained above. In that case, it is also essential to know a few of these languages that you are going to choose from and what they are capable of doing or, better still, places where they are good at and mainly used.

Note: I will not try to make you perfect in these languages yet. Let's talk about them briefly to help you figure out which to pick from.

1. Python

Python is a server-side interpreted, open-source, non-compiled, scripting, and dynamically-typed programming language. It can be used on its own or, as part of another framework, like Django. Python was created by a programmer called Guido Van Rossum.

What is Python Used For?

• Python is used for web development
• Video game development
• Desktop GUIs (Graphics User Interface)
• Software development.

Python was used to build great projects like Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify.

Pros of Python

• Python is regarded as the most straightforward uniqu programming language to learn.
• Python has enormous and extensive libraries (pre-written codes you can tap from) of amazing tools and functionalities that make building projects easy.
• It is trendy and can be used for programming Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Raspberry Pi is based on it.

Cons of Python

• As an interpreted programming language, it is often slower than other compiled programming languages.
• Python is weak in mobile computing. Few mobile apps are developed with python.
• Devotees cited several issues with the design of the language. Python is dynamically typed; it r; its more testing and has errors that only show up at runtime.

The Python Job market is pretty much attractive. The average salary of a python developer ranges from a low of $65,000 to a high of roughly $144, 000 depending on experience. Also, the python job count is impressive, and the top employers of python programmers are Intel, Amazon, and Dell. To get started with Python, visit the python website to learn more.

2. Java

Java is an open-source, compiled, and strongly-typed programming language used to create different cross-platform applications. Chances are you have downloaded a program that required the Java runtime, so you probably have it installed on your system. Java also has a web plug-in that allows you to run these apps in your browser. The original name of Java was Oak because of a giant oak tree that grew outside James Gosling's window. And finally, Java is the basis of the Android operating system.

What is Java Used For?

• Android and IOS app development
• Video game development
• Desktop GUIs (Graphics User Interface) using Java Swing or JavaFX
• Software development.
• Web services using Java servlets.

Java was used to build Gmail, Minecraft games, and Android OS.

Pros of Java

• Java developers are in great demand. It is one of the most desired software-building skills by a wide margin.
• Java is an evolving language. The platform continues to add new features.
• It has enormous and extensive libraries (pre-written codes you can tap from) to avoid re-inventing the wheels.
• Anchors android apps development. Google's Android mobile platform is the No. 1 mobile platform in the world. To build apps for Android, developers predominantly use their Java skills.
• Java has one of the largest and most potent communities online where you can discuss issues and find solutions when you are stuck.

Cons of Java

• Java uses a lot of memory, even more than C++. It has a large memory footprint.
• The learning curve is pretty much high. It's not the easiest of languages to learn but certainly not the hardest.
• Java has a slow startup time. Anyone who has tried to create an Android app using Java knows how slowly the simulator code runs on your desktop.

The Java Job market is also beautiful. The average salary of a java developer ranges from a low of $97,000 to a high of roughly $118, 000 depending on experience. Also, the java job count is very impressive, and the top employers of Java programmers are Google, eBay, Amazon, and IBM. To get started with Java, visit the java website to learn more.

3. C# (Pronounced as C-Sharp)

C# is a general-purpose, compiled, very object-oriented, and strongly-typed programming language used to create different cross-platform applications for the Windows echo system. It is a clear and flexible programming language. Like all programming languages, it can be used to creatdevelopous applications. Your potential with C# is limited only by your imagination. The language has no constraints on what you can do. C# has been used for projects as diverse as dynamic websites, dev tools, and compilers.

What is C# Used For?

• Android, IOS, and wearables apps using Xamarin Forms or MAUI
• Video game development using Unity
• Desktop GUIs (Graphics User Interface) using WinForms and WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation)
• Software development for business enterprise applications.
• Web services, APIs, and dynamic websites using ASP.NET Core.

C# was used to build Evernote and StackOverflow

Pros of C#

• C#, along with Java, is one of the top languages in demand for employers. 
• It is based on the C language, so your learning structure is transferable to other languages like Java, Objective-C, PHP, and C++.
• C# is an evolving language. The platform continues to add new features with great IDE
• The dot NET library is an enormous and extensive library (pre-written codes you can tap from) to avoid re-inventing the wheels.
• Anchors android and windows apps development. Google's Android mobile platform is the No. 1 mobile platform in the world so is Microsoft Windows. To build Android and Windows OS apps strong, developers predominantly use their C# skills.
• C# also has one of the strong online communities where you can discuss issues and find solutions when you are stuck.

Cons of C#

• C# tends to target only Windows-based servers and Operating Systems.
• The learning curve is brutal It's not the easiest of languages to learn but certainly not the hardest.
• It's costly as most things are not open-source. Though there are free versions of these products, you can get started with.

The C# Job market is beautiful. The average salary of a C# developer ranges from a low of $97,731 to a high of roughly $120, 805 depending on experience. Also, the C# job count is very isive, and the top employers of C# programmers are Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, and Dell. To get started with C#, visit the C# website to learn more.

4. C

C is a general-purpose, imperative computer programming language supporting structured programming, lexical variable scope, and recursion, while a static type system prevents many unintended operations. Ideal for developing firmware or portable applications. They were initially intended for writing system software.

What is C Used For?

• Operating Systems
• Software development.
• Hardware-based and low-level projects

C was used to build Amazon Kindle, Linux, OpenGL, Windows OS, etc.

Pros of C

• C is highly portable. You can develop software that runs on different platforms with little or no modification.
• C is very small. It is entirely based on variables, macros, functions, and structures; there isn't all that much to it. Due to this, C has been embedded on almost any modern microprocessors, from fridges to alarm clocks.
• Know C and you will know them all. Since almost all programming languages nowadays are themselves implemented in C, knowing C gives you a free ticket to learning all other programming languages.
• C also has very supportive online communities where you can discuss issues and find solutions when you are stuck.

Cons of C

• C programming language has no runtime checking mechanism. 
• The learning curve is super hard. It's not the easiest of languages to mess around with as most things are handled manually by the developer, like memory management but certainly not harder than Assembly language.
• Does not support Object-Oriented Programming, hence why C++ was created.

The C Job market is beautiful. The average salary of a C developer ranges from a low of $69,970 to a high of roughly $93, 220 depending on experience. Also, the C job count is impressive, and the top employers of C programmers are Microsoft, Intel, Google, Amazon, and Dell. To get started with C, visit the C website to learn more.

5. C++

C++ is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language that is viewed by many as the best language for creating large-scale applications. C++ is a superset of the C language. C++ was developed in 1983 by Bjarne Stroustrup.

What is C++ Used For?

• Operating Systems
• Software development.
• Search Engines
• Hardware-based and low-level projects
• Video Games

C++ was used to build Google, Outlook, etc.

Pros of C++

• Learning to be proficient in C/C++ will put you in a place that sets you apart from most programmers in the market. With C/C++, you understand programmingrogramming languages like Java, C#, or Python work regarding memory management.
• C++ will allow you to finely tune your application and leverage all the power of ththe computer's powerprettyendly to write compared to Java, C,# but you can do anything with it.
• C++ also has very supportive online communities where you can discuss issues and find solutions when you are stuck.

Cons of C++

• C++ is a reacomplicated learn, but on language that will give you the edge over programmers if you are very fluent.
• C++ is extrehuge, and its various features interact complexlydeveloper can use the entire set of building blocks it provid. Still, itit takes great effort and wisdom to choose the correct subset for your program.

The C++ Job market is beautiful. The average salary of a C++ developer ranges from a low of $69,970 to a high of roughly $93, 220 depending on experience. Also, the C++ job count is very isive, and the top employers of C++ programmers are Microsoft and Amazon. To get started with C++, visit the C++ website to learn more.

6. JavaScript

JavaScript is most commonly used as a client-side scripting programming language. This means that JavaScript code is written into an HTML page. When a user requests an HTML page with JavaScript, it, ththats sent to the browser, and it's up to the browser to do something with it. JavaScript was created in 1995 by Netscape.

What Is JavaScript Used For?

• Front-End of Website development
• Analytics 
• Widgets development
• Web Interactivity

JavaScript was used on the part of PayPal, YouTube, etc.

Pros of JavaScript

• Being client-side, JavaScript is very fast because any code function can be run immediately instead contacting the server and waitingvariouswait for an answer. 
• JavaScript is relatively simple to learn and implement.
• JavaScript plays nicely with other languages and can be used in awidet variety of applications. Unlike PHP or SSL scripts, JavaScript can be inserted into any web page regardless of the file extension.

Cons of JavaScript

• Security Issues. Because the code executes on the user's computer, in some cases, it can be exploited for malicious purposes. This is one reason some people choose to disable JavaScript.
• Reliance on End User. JavaScript is sometimes interpreted differently by different browsers. Whereas server-side scripts will always produce the same output, client-side scripts can be unpredictable. Don't be overly concerned by this though, as lon . If you test your hand in all the major browser,s you should be safe.

The JavaScript Job market is beautiful. The average salary of a JavaScript developer is roughly $90 864 nandabove depending on experience. Also, the JavaScript job count is impressive, and the top employers of JavaScript programmers are Microsoft, Amazon, and IBM. To get started with JavaScript, visit the JavaScript website to learn more.

In summary, choosing a programming language to start with should not be a hard thing to do. Also, there is no how the above-explained programming languages are exhaustive, many will disagree with the list and ,that's okay. But being fluent in one language can make moving to other languages easier to navigate.

Good luck!!!

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