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Welcome to the second part of the series where I will give my best to explain everything I know when it comes to picking your first programming lan...
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My recommendation for school students who ask me this question is as follow:
First learn a compiled Object Oriented language, This will develop an idea on how different parts of program should be structured, how real world can be modeled in software. In all it will develop a good coding practice. Java is my default recommendation. C# is also my recommendation.
Then learn an interpreted language for scripting, This will develop an idea on how small, routine tasks can be scripted and automated. Python is my default recommendation. Bash is also my recommendation.
SQL is must, even though these days nosql is getting popular, having an understanding of relations in data, is must.
Web Basics (HTML, CSS, JS) is must, even if someone doesn't plan to become web developer, It is unavoidable.
Lastly, I recommend them to get comfortable with command line, even if they work on windows. Powershell is good enough tool. WSL2 is Great. If they move to Linux, it will be the best decision of their life. Command line will give them better understanding on what they are working with, better control and faster performance than GUI.
An excellent, well-rounded selection of languages. The OP points out that you are not married to your first language, and "playing the field" as it were will leave opportunites open for as long as possible before specializing.
Play the field until you get to know what you want to specialize in 😄
That’s great advice for someone who has time to learn and as you mentioned is a student. This series is more about getting into the field and finding a dev job as soon as possible so you can get experience and later switch to what you prefer. Thank you for reading 😄
In this case, I would suggest learning OOPs concept, and then web language (PHP8 is really good). It can be done in less than a month. I am biased at this because I have seen good Java guys writing nice and structured code in node. Not just about structuring but also have a clear understanding about different parts of their application. I have rarely seen someone who started with just JS, able to upgrade their skills easily for the other part of stacks. I have dealt with many freshers (0-2 year experience) who complains that they feel this kind of abstraction will create complex code any they can do better in less number of files.
I have recently done some counseling for peoples who are trying to get into IT in the aftermath of last year. Web is certainly easy to get into. Especially when wordpress is still in such demand. There is no single path to follow.
Just pick up JavaScript and learn react. You can go anywhere from there.
These days JavaScript and Python are pretty much no brainers but for example in Europe Java is still doing strong so a country specific analysis will help a lot like mentioned in the article :)
Java is still huge here too. I’m definitely not saying JavaScript beats everything. I’m just saying from a starting point you hit the ground running when you start with JavaScript. Developing is instant gratification and therefore an instant learning experience.
Am I too old to learn a programming language, do you think? And what programming language would you recommend to start with, I mean a more versatile one? I wanted to change my profession, I used to work as an editor ca.edubirdie.com/buy-research-papers and I was happy about it. But I reached my apogee and now I'm drawn to develop in this field. No one wants to buy scientific papers, so it's time to change the occupation.
I think it's never too late to start programming only if you are ready to put in work. We are talking about 1-2 years of constant learning and preparing until you get a job.
Today I would recommend JavaScript since you can do pretty much anything with it. :)
Thanks for reading.
I think the first programing should be popular with many docs, clearly and easy to use.
So the Python is the good choice.
Btw, when you start with JavaScript first, you easy become a web Dev, even mobile Dev. It'll help you save time
Agreed - These days I would also pick either JavaScript or Python!
I think it's more important to learn how to program as well as the principles of programming rather than obsessing over the language to choose.
That said, Python and JavaScript are easy picks nowadays.
Im just a student and i was having trouble in choosing the language i should learn first. Can you please suggest
Your bio says "A 16 year old learning python".
I think this is a good choice ;)
Thanks for telling 😁
You're welcome.
I started to learning Python in early 2012, as the my second langage (C was the first when I was at university). I am still using it today for various tasks. I won't / can't use it for everything. But every time I have a simple (or not that simple) task to do, I try Python first.
In my opinion, you can't be wrong when you decide to learn this language.
If your local area has opportunities for Python then keep learning Python :)