Best Programming Languages to Learn for Beginners
Thinking about learning to code but not sure where to start? The tech industry changes fast, and the answer to which language to learn first often "depends" on your goals. Programming languages are the tools we use to write instructions for computers to follow. New developers often hesitate before picking up a programming language, fearing they’ll waste time and energy learning something they’ll never use. But the truth is, there’s really no such thing as picking the “wrong” language.
Why Learning Any Programming Language is Valuable
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’ll help you learn other languages in the future. It’s not uncommon for developers to move between different languages throughout their careers as they’re asked to solve different sorts of problems. You’re definitely not locked into using the first programming language you choose. So don’t worry too much about focusing on whether you’re learning the “best” programming language. Every programming language you learn is of value. When you learn to program in one language, it becomes easier to learn and work with others.
According to Tech Elevator Coding Bootcamp Instructor John Fulton, what’s most important is the learning itself - learning how code functions and how to solve problems with it, no matter the language.
“We teach students to use programming languages to express problems in a way that computers can understand. That’s the essence of programming,” said John.
Determining Your Goals
Now that you’ve got some background, it’s time to decide what programming language you should choose. There are a couple of routes you can go with making this decision. 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? That’s why our free course Choosing a Career in Tech walks through some of the most popular careers in the field and the skills they require. 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 to get your foot in the door. Want to analyze data? SQL is great for data management, and Python and R are good starting places for data visualization. If you’re looking to make a career transition or get a new job, talk to people in the industry you’re interested in. If you’re interested in mobile development, web design, data science, IT, AI, or another industry, reach out to folks in those communities and ask what a typical day looks like for them. What languages do they use?
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Beginner-Friendly Languages
Python is known as a beginner-friendly language because of its high-level, readable syntax. R is another popular first language, especially in academia, due to its strengths in scientific and statistical computing. JavaScript is the language of the web, and as a result, it’s an incredibly popular and well-documented language. It has become more user-friendly over the course of its more recent development, and there are alternatives available that users can migrate to after learning the basics. In truth, every language has its own pros and cons for beginners. If you’re considering a career in coding, stick to mainstream languages when you’re getting started.
Popular Programming Languages
Here's an overview of some popular programming languages, based on surveys and industry usage:
C++
In Stack Overflow’s survey of thousands of developers around the world, 23% listed C++ as their favorite programming language. It’s a powerful, all-purpose programming language used for building applications with faster performance and far more effective scalability. C++ is ideal for managing resource-heavy applications, like web browsers, operating systems, desktop apps, cloud computing, and even video games. It’s used in a variety of industries, including VR, robotics, software and game development, and scientific computing.
C
C# is Microsoft’s programming language. Being one of the most popular languages, with 27.1% of developers naming it as their favorite in Stack Overflow’s survey, it has since been adopted into the Windows, Linux, and iOS and Android platforms. It’s often the language of choice for game developers and mobile app creators, though it’s also used in enterprise software like Azure and IoT.
JavaScript
JavaScript is the most popular language in Stack Overflow’s Developer Survey at 62.3%. It’s widely used by developers for web development, including web-based applications and browsers. As of recent surveys, JavaScript earned the top spot as the most commonly used programming language by all respondents, beginner and experienced.
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Ruby
Ruby is a general-purpose, dynamic programming language, most popularly implemented with the Ruby on Rails (Rails) framework.
Python
Python is another general-purpose programming language, and ranks as the third favorite programming language in Stack Overflow’s survey (51%). It plays an important part in data science, machine learning, and web development. You can even use it to program desktop applications. Python has a low barrier to entry. It’s simple but elegant, with many real-world applications - one notable example being artificial intelligence. Python has become one of the most popular programming languages for both new coders and experienced engineers. Its indentation-based block structure helps users write clean and easy-to-read code. This helps the coder, as well as teammates and collaborators.
R
R is another programming language used for data analysis and visualization. It has statistical computing capabilities that make it a helpful tool for data scientists and business analysts.
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. SQL is the fourth most popular programming language in Stack Overflow’s survey (51%), and it’s even helpful for non-technical careers. Structured Query Language (SQL) is used for handling structured data and is a crucial component in data management.
HTML and CSS
Though packaged together in the survey, HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are separate languages. However, they’re often considered one because they work together to create the structure and appearance of web pages.
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Java
Java is widely used in web applications, Android app development, and more.
Additional Learning Resources
If you’re still unsure about which programming language to learn first, there are a couple more tools to help you out. The first is our free course Learn to Code with Blockly, in which you’ll learn programming fundamentals and concepts shared between languages. Then, once you understand how coding actually works, try our coding personality quiz to find out which language is right for you. It’s kind of like a personality test, but for programming. You can also check out our Code Foundations skill path. Whether you’re looking to break into a new career, build your technical skills, or just code for fun, we’re here to help every step of the way.
High-Level vs. Low-Level Languages
Computer programming languages are mainly classified into two broad categories: low-level languages and high-level languages. Low-level languages have very few abstractions. They contain basic instructions that computers can process. High-level languages are more commonly used by programmers as they are a lot easier to read and understand. They basically translate abstract commands into machine codes.
When it comes to programming languages, you have two core types: Low-level languages (ex: C or C++), and High-level languages (ex: Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, Rust, etc.)
Low-level languages are very similar to machine code, which can be hard to understand at first. This 'syntax' makes these low-level coding languages more difficult to learn, which is why it's generally recommended to learn a high-level language first. The exception is if there's a specific job or company that you want to work for that uses a low-level language.
High-level languages are more similar to how we speak or write, so they're easier to understand on the screen. JavaScript and Python are high-level languages so they're much easier to pick up, and are very beginner friendly.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Language
Deciding on what coding language to learn first depends on many factors, such as your background knowledge and what you want to learn coding for. There are many types of programming languages that you can use, but not all are easy to learn, especially if you’re a beginner.
Ease of Learning: It’s best to choose a language that is easy to learn, perhaps something that closely matches a spoken language, like Python. Start with looking at and coding simple programs that are already written.
Learning Resources: For which programming language is the right learning material available? Most programming books or courses are not made for absolute beginners, but for programmers who want to learn yet another language. Get ready to dabble with your textbook for quite some time. So you really want an enjoyable one!
Community Support: You don’t need a huge community; smaller communities have their benefits, too. But it should be a welcoming one.
Static vs. Dynamic Typing: The terms “static” and “dynamic” actually come from static analysis and dynamic analysis, which says something about when certain properties of a program will be checked; here, it’s about the data types.
- Dynamic Typing: The data types will be checked while the program runs - at runtime. With a dynamically typed language, we’re never quite sure what kind of value we’re dealing with, until it hits us at runtime. They offer more flexibility and can be faster for prototyping, thanks to their tolerance for sloppy thinking.
- Static Typing: The data types will be checked by the type checker before the program runs - at compile time. The code will not even compile until the type errors have been addressed.
Learning Methods
You can either learn on your own at your own pace by watching video tutorials and practicing code syntaxes. However, if you want to learn more quickly and with less of a trial-and-error approach, you might want to enroll in an online course. You could also enroll in short-term courses at your local university or college. Having a dedicated instructor who you can ask for tips and advice when working on programming projects can be immensely helpful. You can use tools, such as programming simulators and integrated development environment (IDE) platforms, to practice programming. Learn from people who know how to code. You might be able to find a mentor or a community or forum for those who are interested in learning how to program. Another option is to enroll in a coding boot camp.
Specific Language Examples
Here are some languages that are often recommended for beginners, along with some considerations:
Python
Python coding language is one of the most highly recommended programming languages for beginners. Unlike other high-level programming languages, it does not have the awkwardness of complex syntax. It’s flexible, portable, and has a powerful toolbox.
Python is also an interpreted programming language. That means each line of code can be checked to see if it works (or not) by running it.
Lua
On the surface, Lua is quite similar to JavaScript - just without the ugly parts. Lua is elegant, performant, carefully designed and consistent. First, it is compact: There are not a lot of concepts or features to learn before you can do something meaningful. But then you can go on and combine the small set of building blocks with each other in many ways to implement more sophisticated things. Lua is used in many domains, especially in the game industry (e. g. World of Warcraft, Roblox). It’s straightforward to get started and build something with Lua: You might want to make your own 2D game with the Löve game engine, or you could use it to code native games and other apps for Android.
Lisp (Clojure, Scheme, Racket)
Clojure is a member of the Lisp family; those have in fact the cleanest syntax of all programming languages. The language is built on top of the Java platform. Software built on Java can run on almost any major operating system. Clojure can be used for different things, even for artsy stuff. It’s also a practical language to build serious business software with, because it can use Java’s enormous library ecosystem.
Scheme is commonly recommended to beginners, especially for those who are interested in computer science.
Racket is a descendant of Scheme (it was called PLT Scheme before). But Racket is far from minimal. Scheme can run on Racket, so even if you just want to learn the Scheme language, you can do it comfortably in Racket. Further, Racket emphasizes “language oriented programming”.
Elixir
Elixir is new language that runs on the Erlang platform. Developed at Ericsson, the Erlang platform has become not only a major building block of today’s telecommunication networks. After Ericsson has open-sourced the Erlang platform, it has found a new area of application in web backends.
The Importance of Learning to Code
Coding plays a crucial role in our increasingly digital world. Many aspects of modern life rely on coding. Coding lets people communicate with computers to accomplish desired tasks.
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