5 Programming Languages to learn as a beginner in 2020!

No fluff guide! Concise explanation and opinion on where to start your programming career.

Starting anything can be quite tiresome and feel overwhelming.There are more than 500 programming languages and the demand of each language greatly fluctuates every year or two. Also each of these language usually specializes in one area or another,however few of the languages are very well received by the tech community and caters various needs.I will be discussing specifically these few languages as not only will they be versatile,but also updated and robust.You obviously don’t need to learn all the programming languages listed- pick the one that suits you need and you can learn others if needed.

Before I start listing,I just want to assure you that learning a language first time can be tricky,and understandably so.But,once you are able to fathom the logic and basics of one language,you can carry the same concepts and logic to other languages as well,i.e you just need to get used to the syntax(language writing style) of the second language you learn!

1)JavaScript

JavaScript logo

JavaScript has been around for over 20 years now.The main reason I listed JavaScript on number 1 position is primarily because it’s an all-round language. It is used widely in browsers nowadays to add dynamic functionality and animations to your websites. It is also used by major companies such as Netflix to manage their servers.From automation to mobile applications,JavaScript has wide support.

Installing it is very easy and the syntax of the language is easy to grasp. Besides that,it supports every highlighting feature and more which a language should support in 2020. The future of the language also seems very secure and it’s safe to say that the language is here to stay.

2)Python

Photo by Hitesh Choudhary on Unsplash

Anyone having more than amateur interest in coding would rightly say that this list would be incomplete without Python.Python language has the easiest syntax of any programming language out there in my opinion. Python can be used to server side code however,it is observed that it is used primarily in scripting(by hackers mostly) and data science.

Python is necessary if you want to deep dive into automation scripts and/or mathematics and statistics(such as Machine Learning and Deep Learning).Python has a vibrant community as well and it is an excellent choice for first-time learners.

3)Java

Java logo

Java is the first language that I learnt and I have to admit that there exists a learning curve with regards to Java,hence I have mentioned it as #3.

Don’t confuse Java with JavaScript;its like confusing car with carpet!

The reason why Java made the list is because of the suite of applications it supports and due to its “Write Once,Run Anywhere” functionality. When you compile(save in layman’s term) Java program,it gets saved in a format which can run on any machine.Java is a powerful,feature-rich and stable language.

4)C or C++

Although C and C++ were created to fulfill different objectives,and even have different syntax,however learning anyone of them is more than enough for most of the programmer.

C is considered to be the most disruptive language ever made.It was made by Dennis Ritchie during 1960s and early 1970s.Most drivers and operating systems made using C/C++ simply because C/C++ gives you a very high control over the hardware and memory allocations.

However,I highly recommend that you start with Python or JavaScript before moving to C/C++ as the learning curve is steep and infact,even experienced developers complain about the complexity of this language.It is worth noting that if you are going into web/app development,you most certainly can steer away from C/C++.

5)PHP

PHP logo

PHP initially stood for Personal Home Page, but it now stands for the recursive initialism PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.

PHP is widely used,most famously by Facebook.PHP,like JavaScript,has a lot of functionality and is also in demand.Although,in last few years with the rise of JavaScript,PHP market share has taken a hit.

PHP has been in use for over 35 years now and many great tutorials and stable frameworks available in the market for this language.It was ranked #8 by TIOBE in January of 2020.

You must be wondering which language to pick?Let me put you at ease.I have designed the list based on importance,application and learning curve.Therefore,I recommend you to learn JavaScript or Python and then move on the other ones.

Also many may be wondering why I didn’t mention Kotlin,C# or TypeScript or any other such language:

The reason is quite straightforward, C# has a very similar syntax to Java,and so does Kotlin. Kotlin can be labelled as a mixture of Python and Java.Coming to TypeScript,TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript i.e. you can write JavaScript code in a TypeScript program without any issues.TypeScript however provides you with additional features to enhance your JavaScript code(which I am not going to dive into right now ,as it is a beginner-friendly article).