You’re not the only one who googled this. Many people start learning to program by searching thinks like “learn Python”. But how do you know which programming language to learn first?

First, start with this infographic:

Credit: carlcheo.com

Even though deciding what language to choose may seem like a quiz, let us tell you the truth. It will take you hundred of hours of practice and there are numerous factors that should influence your choice:

  • Make sure it is an easy to learn language, as it is your first;
  • Pay attention to the job offers for that language;
  • See if there are long term prospects for it;
  • Make sure you can build something while learning, so you will stay motivated.

Yearly, new programming languages appear in the industry, but looking back at the past years, there is surely a winner who still lasts on top: JavaScript.

We’re not saying one language is better than other and we’re not encouraging you to learn only one language. All we’re saying is you should start with one language and lean it very well.

Looking at the languages that are truly used, we see this:

The used technologies

JavaScript is used by more than half of the developers. This language is crucial for front-end development and it also applies to the back-end environment. Recently, JavaScript extended its utility to IoT and game development.

Looking at the jobs, most of them refer to Java rather than any other language.

Not sure if JavaScript is the proper language for you? Let’s look in depth at what we mentioned above.

Its difficulty

Together with Python and Ruby, JavaScript is a high-level scripting language that is easy to learn. Universities still teach Java and C++, but they are more difficult to learn.

The job offers on the market

If you want this new skill to get a job, then it is really important to look at what the market offers. Close to Java, JavaScript is the second language mentioned in the job postings.

Even though JavaScript has more than 20 years, it is only recently it became a thing and big companies started using it.

Therefore, companies started looking for JavaScript developers and there are not as many on the market.

The long term prospects

Any JavaScript project sustains twice as many requests as other similar languages. And as mentioned above, JavaScript grows faster than any other programming language.

JavaScript also has the advantage of being sustained by other big companies as Google or Facebook.

The projects you can build with JavaScript

The advantage of learning JavaScript is you can build almost anything, anywhere, as it runs on any device that has a browser.

Closing thoughts

Working in the industry gave us a clear big picture on all the programming languages. If you just started learning or you’re looking for what programming language to begin with, we hope this article was useful for you. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to contact us. At Team Extension we really appreciate self-taught, motivated people.