Programming Languages to Learn as a Beginner in 2016

STEM talents are highly in demand today, and they are well paid too. Online software job postings across the USA grew nearly 3x faster, reaching 31% from the figures during 2007 to 2012. In fact, this growth is much faster than any other job postings. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, software developer jobs continue to rise at 22% from the period of 2012 to 2022, and median pay is to be between USD95, 510 for all software app developers as of 2014.

Programming Languages – An Overview

Before comparing languages, it is very important to take a first look at those languages that are commonly covered.

Dynamic Programming Languages

Generally, dynamic languages are believed to be much easier for beginners to start learning as they are fun and flexible at the same time. Learners can quickly develop an app from the scratch with fewer lines of code. Also, there’s no hard and fast rule on how the language should be written in order to behave in the same way as you expect.

Because dynamic languages are high level languages, you have to spend lesser time trying to get those details right and spend more time in learning different programming concepts that is another good reason that makes dynamically types programming languages more popular with beginners. Beginners are usually motivated to be able to develop things and experience results faster.

JavaScript

JavaScript should not be confused with Java. JavaScript is mainly a client-side scripting languages that is commonly used for the purpose of front-end development. It is compatible across browsers and used for creating interactive web-based apps, often using libraries like front-end frameworks (Ember.js, Angular JS, React, or more) and JQuery.

JavaScript can also be used as server-side language through Node.js platform, and when Node.js is new, the community can gain momentum. It can also be used for building hybrid mobile apps using frameworks like phonegap, whereas Facebook React Native only aims to permit you to develop native mobile applications using JavaScript.

Nonetheless, JavaScript is often considered an otherwise difficult language to learn because it is un-typed and hard to debug. In fact, you can find statically typed versions of JavaScript like JSX or Microsoft TypeScript used by React.

Ruby

Built to make sure developers can have fun and enjoy productivity at the same time, Ruby is a popular programming language made by Ruby on Rails framework – a full-stack web framework optimized for programming. As it reads like English, Rails has some tools to make common program development tasks much easier. Many people recommend learning Ruby as the first programming language.

Ruby is commonly used for the purpose of backend development. Some of the popular sites like Shopify, Airbnb, Hulu, Bloomberg, and Slideshare have been built using Ruby on Rails.

Python

Python is a highly recommended programming language for beginners, and also the most popular introductory language at some of the top American universities. Python is used by developers to build web apps and desktop apps alike, and it uses some really great tools solely for data mining. Additionally, Python is also popular with various aspects of data analysis, bioinformatics, and scientific computing.

Google, Pinterest, Reddit, Dropbox, Civilization IV, BitTorrent, Instagram, and many more have been developed with Python.

PHP

A server-side scripting language, PHP is considered beginner-friendly as it’s easier to conceptualize. Most websites are built with PHP because it is highly specialized for the web. Examples include WordPress, Tumblr, Yahoo!, Wikipedia and Facebook.

Statically Types Languages

Statically types languages are used to build app that are more stable, maintainable, and scalable. Such languages are stricter with catching errors with type checking, and take more code for building a prototype. Mobile apps, game engines, enterprise-level backend and others are built with this type of languages.

Some common examples include:

• Java


• C


• C++


• Objective-C/Swift


• C#

Job Opportunities

If you know any of these programming languages, now that you know their level of difficulty, getting your dream job won’t be difficult. Aim for it!