Deciding on your first programming language can either be easy if you have been dabbling with different technologies for some time, so you know which technology you lean more towards – or it could be a completely frustrating experience with you looking at so many options before you, each with its own set of uniqueness. However, there should be some sort of criteria on which you should choose the programming language to invest your precious time and energy in.
Here are some of the factors that can help you narrow down your first language ever.
•Consider the job market for the language (At the end of the day, you don’t want to choose a language that doesn’t necessarily have a large scope currently or in the near future)
•Long-term growth and progress of the language (see point 1)
•Learning curve (is it easy to grasp or are you willing to take on a complex language in your first try?)
•The projects you can take on while learning this language.
Either way, it entirely depends on your own capacity and will to learn. You can very well choose more than one language. However, it is advised to choose one, stick with it, ace-it, and then move forward to another.
I am going to narrow down the search for you, right off the bat. Python or JavaScript – two of the most famous languages at the moment with JavaScript raking majority of the votes from developers. Since according to SlashData, there were more than 10 million JavaScript software developers around the globe in 2018. Now we are in 2020, so you can imagine the numbers to be much higher.
As you must know, JS is an integral front-end web development language and has become a back-end development language as well, making it all the more convenient for the developers. JS has also placed its roots within the game development and IoT (Internet of Things) area. In addition, it has several frameworks for you to choose from.
Now, I could give you a generic list of instructions on choosing a programming language, or I could pitch JavaScript to you simply because of it being a great first language to learn and start your career with? I choose the latter. So shall we begin?
Think long term
JavaScript is growing faster than any language out there, beating Python as well. This indicates that the demand to have more developers on board is always there to compensate for more new and talented programmers.
Comparatively easy to learn
Scripting languages are fairly easy to learn and JavaScript is no different. Not only that, but it is also actually quite enjoyable once you start implementing it (remembering my good old days!). Python and Ruby also fall into the easy-syntax and learning category.
The lucrative job market
It goes without saying that you need to check the job market and your prospects with the language you are planning on learning. It would be a waste to not be able to make good money off of your hard work and projects. However, with this being said, learning something purely out of curiosity is also great.
JavaScript has a massive market, although the language has been around for a long time, it just recently picked up the pace of becoming a serious tool. Some of the famous applications built on JS include Netflix, Walmart, and PayPal.
You would be surprised to find out that although there are many JavaScript positions open, the developers in comparison are not adequate in number. So you still have a chance to take your shot at the open position without having to worry about stiff competition that languages like Java, PHP, and iOS face.
The many projects you can develop in JS
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that you can build practically anything with JS as the language runs on any device that has a browser.
With that being said, if you are into mobile app development, JavaScript is still a great language to start from and you have Node.js and Express.js for the back-end of things. So give JavaScript a chance as your first-ever programming language and you will not be disappointed!
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