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What programming language should I learn first?

Don’t worry too much about focusing on whether you’re learning the best programming language. Instead, focus on gaining that foundational knowledge with whatever language you choose.

What are programming languages?

If you’re trying to decide which programming language to learn first, the first step is understanding what a program language is in the first place.

Programming languages are the tools we use to write instructions for computers to follow.

Computers think in binary and programming languages help us translate 1s and 0s into something that can be more easily understood by humans.

Programmers are the ambassadors between the worlds of humans and computers, and programming languages are the tools they use to tell computers what to do.

What if I choose the wrong programming language?

It’s also important to know, before you start learning your first programming language, that no matter what language you choose you’ll be learning valuable skills. There’s really no such thing as picking the wrong language.

Programming languages may look different on the surface, but they have a lot in common. They share similar patterns and structures and by learning one language you’ll be introduced to key coding concepts that will help you learn other programming languages in the future.

Once you pick up your first programming language — no matter which you choose — it’ll be easier to pick others up.

You should also know that it’s not uncommon for a developer to move between different languages throughout their career as they are asked to solve different sorts of problems. You’re definitely not locked in to using the first programming language you choose.

So don’t worry too much about focusing on whether you’re learning the best programming language. Instead, focus on gaining that foundational knowledge with whatever language you choose.

What programming language should you learn?

Now that you’ve got some background, it’s time to decide what programming language you should choose. There are a couple routes you can go with making this decision.

The first is to choose a programming language based on your goal and the second is to choose a programming language based on what’s the most in-demand or popular in the industry

Finding the best programming language for your goals

Why do you want to learn a programming language? Are you programming just for fun? Curious about what coding is like? Trying to build something specific or get a new job?

If you’re just learning for fun, pick any language you like! Some popular languages for those starting out include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or Python.

If you’re at the very beginning of your coding journey, you'll want to learn basic markup languages like HTML and CSS just to get your foot in the door. These two are essential to front-end web development and can be used to design attractive webpages simply by adding some interactive elements.

Learning HTML and CSS is an excellent starting point for those who want to build websites from the ground up. Once you are familiar with HTML/CSS, you can move on to languages like JavaScript, Node, or React to give your website the functionality it needs. Keep in mind that you will need to showcase a diverse portfolio of your past projects to become a web developer.

Want to analyze data? SQL is a great option if you're looking for help with accessing data and Python and R are good starting places for data visualization. Ruby, JavaScript, and Python are useful for automating tasks.

Popular programming languages to choose from

If you’re considering a career in coding, it’s recommended that you stick to mainstream languages when you’re getting started. They generate the highest demand in the tech industry, with countless job openings listing them as required skills for entry-level developers.

C++

C++ is a powerful, all-purpose programming language used for building applications with faster performance and far more effective scalability. In fact, the basic foundation of most Windows software was written in C++

C#

C# is Microsoft’s programming language. Being one of the most popular languages, it has since been adopted into the Windows, Linux, and iOS and Android platforms. C# is also known for having a huge collection of libraries and frameworks.

JavaScript

A dynamic programming language, JavaScript is used primarily in web development to design interactive, user-friendly websites. It provides stylized web pages with added functionality and allows brands to increase their user engagement by displaying animated elements on their websites.

Ruby

Ruby is general-purpose, dynamic programming language, most popularly implemented with the Ruby on Rails framework. Ruby on Rails is praised for its disruptive, server-side framework and for providing users with cutting-edge features, all thanks to its concise syntax and object-oriented support.

Swift

If you want to be an iOS developer, it’s totally fine to start with Swift. Swift is a relatively new language, but it’s easy to learn (kids can do it) and it was literally made for developing iOS apps.

Java

If you want to build Android apps, Java is your language. You can use it for desktop applications, too. And some games. Java used to be one of the most commonly taught languages in computer science programs, but Python has surpassed it in recent years. Java is still quite popular, but Python and Ruby are arguably easier to learn.

Python

Python is another general-purpose programming language. It has played an important part in data science, machine learning, and web development. Python’s documentation library covers how to visualize and compile large quantities of data using Matplotlib, Pandas, and more. People have also used it to program desktop applications.

SQL

SQL (pronounced "sequel") is a data-driven programming language. Its purpose is to store information into separate data sets so you can retrieve them to generate accurate reports based on your search query. SQL is an absolute must for any aspiring data scientist, given that data science uses relational databases. However, it’s not the best language for building apps from scratch.

PHP

PHP is a scripting language, and it’s a bit underrated, considering the fact that 80% of the web is powered by PHP. It’s pretty well known for being the foundation of WordPress themes, so if you’re interested in creating custom themes, you’ll have to get comfortable with PHP.

R

R makes use of statistics to discover patterns in large data blocks. It comes with standard data processing functions and statistical algorithms used in distributed libraries. Most programmers use R as a high powered scratchpad inside an IDE to play with extensive data. Few of the top IT firms, such as Capgemini, Cognizant and Accenture, have applied R to their enterprises.

GO

Go provides excellent multithreading support and is used by companies that rely heavily on distributed systems. This language does not incorporate any complicated concepts or complex metaprogramming. The basic features are set in straightforward syntax without ambiguity or complicated code.