There are dozens upon dozens of programming languages out there. If you are planning to learn a programming language, then it can be tough to know which one to pick up. Thankfully, you have us to make it simple for you. We are going to run you through four programming languages which are going to be immensely important to learn. If you must learn one programming language, then try to ensure that it is one of the ones on this list.
These languages have been chosen not only for their usefulness (you will likely have used an application based on these programming languages in the past) but also because there is overlap. Yes. Programming languages are functionally similar in many cases, but these languages have a bit more overlap with other programming languages than you would normally expect. This means that, eventually, you will be able to start programming in other ways.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a programming language which is executed on the client side. This means that you won’t be tapping into databases and manipulating your server using JavaScript, you will just be adding more interactivity to the site on the client side e.g. you can program certain games, or just add some nice buttons to your site (honestly, this programming language is much more exciting than that, we promise!)
Many people opt for JavaScript for their first programming language as it is incredibly easy to learn. You can also link it up with other programming languages easily. For example; it works well with PHP and HTML when you are looking to build up a website.
If you are planning to mainly get into website design, then JavaScript is the route to go down. You will not be using heavy amounts of JavaScript on the website, but you will be able to create useful snippets of code which can extend the functionality. JavaScript programmers are in huge demand too since many people opt for one of the other languages that you will find on this list (massive shame that one). Once you have picked this up, then you may want to start looking into HTML, CSS, and PHP to breathe more life into your work.
Java
Next up is Java. This is one of the ‘newer’ programming languages. It has gone through a massive push to the fore too. This is, in part, down to the fact that it is the main programming language for putting together Android applications. So, as you may expect, this is the programming language that we recommend that you jump into if you are planning to put together applications for mobile devices.
Once again, this is a programming language which is easy to learn. It is probably worth pointing out right now that JavaScript and Java are not the same programming language (some people think that they are). Yes, there is a bit of overlap due to the way in which they work e.g. both are object-orientated programming languages, but that is where the similarities end.
Java is a platform-independent programming language. While it is mainly used for programming apps on phones and tablets, there are several pieces of software on the computer which have also been programmed using it. In fact, the most popular game in the world ‘Minecraft’ was programmed using Java. So, it is a programming language which does have a lot of potential use if you learn it well.
PHP
PHP is a programming language used for developing web applications. Unlike JavaScript, PHP is executed server side (if you do not know what that means, then do not worry). JavaScript and PHP often go hand in hand for that reason.
Just about every major website that you find online will run on PHP to some degree. You can design so many things with it. For example; you can make blogs where you write a post and the information is stored in a database, you can program booking systems, membership systems, photo galleries, and a whole lot more.
If you are ever planning to have a website based around WordPress, then PHP is a fantastic programming language to learn as you will be able to make changes to the site’s programming to make it even better for you, or for someone else. Although to be honest, any web developer having this in their arsenal is going to be in a very, very good position.
Python
Python is a programming language which has been designed to be simple. The problem is, it does not have much which overlaps with other programming languages. A lot of what you find in Python can’t be found in other things. This is not much of an issue because Python is still going to be an incredibly useful programming language for you to pick up.
Python is often used in web development. In fact, it interacts well with certain web development languages e.g. HTML when you make use of the included Python libraries (again, don’t worry if this is something you do not understand). Python is often used when there is a lot of data in a database that needs to be handled and manipulated. It has a main role when it comes to Big Data Analysis or Data Mining process. If you install a site framework (i.e. the bare bones of a site, sort-of), then it is likely that it will have been coded in Python at some point, so you will need to understand the programming language to really get to grips with how everything works.
Conclusion
Obviously, we could not talk about everything there is to know about these programming languages on this page. We wish we could. These four programming languages are all unique in their own way. Our suggestion to you is to go out there and research what each of these programming languages does maybe look at a few tutorials and some sample code. There should be a wealth of information on each of these. Armed with this code, you will then get an idea as to how each language works and the type of things you can create with it. This should make the decision-making process a lot easier.
