Java and Python - Which One Is Better to Learn First and Why?
If you're new to the coding world and are trying to decide on a language to learn, you've likely narrowed your choices down to two powerful languages - Java and Python.
There is, of course, lots of debate over which programming language is better, with fervent supporters in both camps chiming in and making it difficult for beginners to make a decision.
Despite the enthusiasm you'll hear from many who side with Team Java, Python is really the best choice for beginners. Yes, there are great aspects of both languages there just happens to be more for Python - and its easier to learn.
Applications
As with pretty much all programming languages, your limits with Python depend on you more so than the language. There are plenty of ways for you to build all sorts of projects - apps, websites, etc.
Plus, with the growing popularity of the programming language, more and more businesses are starting to integrate it into their work - and even rely on it as their main language!
This is also true in terms of how many different universities and coding camps are adapting Python as their number one language to teach students.
In the past, switching from C to Java used to be the trend. Now it looks like Python is about to overtake Java and make some serious waves in the tech world!
It's already happening. Just look at how its being integrated by some of the most influential companies in the tech world. Apple has built a plethora of tools that rely on Python - and it's the only dynamic language that was added to Mac OS X. It's also a plugin for Visual Studio Code - quite arguably the future of code editors.
And don't forget Google. Python is the only dynamic language Google decided to incorporate into their App Engine platform. Talk about impactful!
Influence Outside of the Programming World
Besides being so influential in the world of programming, Python is also very important as far as other jobs go. Leaders in every industry are starting to acknowledge just how important Python is becoming in terms of data and programming. Just look at Citigroup - they're working towards training their bank analysts to learn Python and hoping to make it an essential skill for anyone hired for this position to have.
Aside from bankers who code (crazy right?) there are plenty of other jobs that are starting to rely on Python knowledge. Data analysts are starting to see requests for prior knowledge of Python more and more because of it's easy readability - as are Project Managers.
If shifting through piles of data to discover trends doesn't interest you, that doesn't mean you don't have an application for Python in your daily job.
In fact, data journalists are also starting to turn to Python as a reliable tool for digging up information! All it takes is some creativity and a couple of lines of code to write programs that sift through information quickly to give you usable metrics for a story. The possibilities are quite literally endless.
If you're new to programming, it's likely that you'll spend a lot of time learning a lot of languages. That being said, you should definitely start with a language you can learn quickly - like Python.
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