First issues first: Very similar to choosing an ice cream taste or deciding which birthday reward to open first, it’s just about unattainable to decide on the “mistaken” programming language to study. That stated, loads of rookies agonize over which programming language they need to study first. You could be worrying: What if it’s a waste of my time? What if the language turns into outdated? What if I can’t get a job with this language?
With over 600 programming languages on the market, these are legitimate issues, and it’s simple to get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of selections. Folks sometimes have a tough time making a choice after we’re offered with numerous choices, whether or not we’re speaking about ice cream flavors or coding programs. This can be a psychological phenomenon that’s also known as the “paradox of selection.”
The excellent news is that we’ve launched a brand new Codecademy course designed that can assist you overcome this determination paralysis so you can begin studying the suitable language for you. The free course Selecting a Programming Language will stroll you thru all the components you should contemplate when choosing a language. You’ll get to assessment a few of the widespread starter languages, discover their variations and similarities, and uncover beginner-friendly programs that can deliver you one step nearer to your targets.
When you begin coding, it’ll turn out to be clear to you why you’ll be able to’t mess up and decide the “mistaken” language. Nonetheless doubting your decision-making talents? Listed below are a handful of the reason why you actually, actually can’t go mistaken, irrespective of which programming language you study.
Programming languages share ideas
There are specific ideas that present up in all programming languages, like variables, conditionals, loops, lists, and capabilities. The way in which that you just entry and execute these duties shall be totally different from language to language, however the identical ideas are at play. In Selecting a Programming Language, you’ll get to see what a code snippet appears like throughout languages, and we’ll present you side-by-side how totally different languages can carry out the identical capabilities utilizing totally different coding syntax.
The reassuring factor to bear in mind is that when you’ve acquired the grasp of 1 programming language, it’ll really feel a lot simpler to select up subsequent languages — no matter which language you began with. As you study, deal with the big-picture ideas that you just encounter relatively than attempting to memorize the precise syntax of a language (that’s what Google is for).
Programmers often must know a number of languages
Throughout your coding journey, you’re going to want to make use of totally different languages as a way to full new initiatives — it’s extraordinarily uncommon {that a} programmer can be restricted to at least one singular language. So the extra expertise you will have working with a sampling of languages, the extra you are able to do.
You additionally don’t should be an professional in a single language earlier than you’ll be able to dabble in one other. For instance, you may contemplate your self a diehard Pythonista, however often you flip to information science languages like SQL or R. Otherwise you may begin studying JavaScript, then decide up PHP as a result of it’s listed as a job requirement for a place you’re making use of to. Or maybe you resolve to study Lua as a result of it’s stylish in your tech circles. (Learn this weblog to see much more cases once you’d want so as to add a programming language to your repertoire.)
Studying is an enormous a part of being a developer, as a result of expertise is consistently evolving. You’re not prone to pigeonholing your self simply since you began with JavaScript as an alternative of Python. What’s necessary is sustaining a newbie’s mindset and all the time staying open to attempting new languages and instruments.
Consider a programming language as one software in your toolkit that you should utilize to develop software program. As a developer, it’s your job to know which software (or programming language) is suitable for a selected job. So irrespective of which programming language you resolve to position in your proverbial toolbox first, you’ll be including a invaluable and marketable talent that can serve you nicely in your profession.
It’s necessary to notice that there’s far more to being a programmer than understanding each tiny technical nuance to a language (although that doesn’t harm). Don’t overlook the opposite “instruments” that allow you to do your greatest work, like your capacity to resolve issues below strain, your consideration to element, or your management and communication abilities.
How to decide on a programming language
Prepared to begin studying the way to code? Try the free Codecademy course Selecting a Programming Language to assist discover the suitable programming language for you. We’ll fill you in on an important components to think about when selecting a language and even level you within the path of the suitable Codecademy programs and talent paths to take.
This may very well be the primary massive (however so thrilling!) step in the direction of launching a brand new profession in tech or discovering your ardour. And whichever programming language you find yourself selecting, Codecademy has beginner-friendly programs, tutorials, and sources that can assist information you each step of the best way.
