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How to Choose a Programming Language

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Many people are curious about programming. And these days, knowing how to code can be an interesting job – and one that pays quite well! Still, with so many programming languages around, it can be difficult to choose the one that’s perfect for a specific task.

Begin by asking yourself this question: what is it that I want to accomplish by learning programming? Are you interested in programming multimedia applications, exciting 3-D games, mobile apps, server-side applications? Or are you only interested in getting a salary that’s as big as possible?

When you know your main goal, you can then start thinking about the best programming language for your needs. This doesn’t mean that by making use of this criterion you will single out a programming language, but at least you will know that the list has been reduced to a few options.

Let’s pretend that you are interested in learning how to code web-based apps. What should you do next? As always, Google can be your friend. Try your luck by googling “best web programming language“. This should give you several good ideas.

best-web-programming-language

Of course, these ideas may conflict with each other. You are getting answers from humans, and just like computers, humans are prone to errors. If this is the case, it’s time to contact your programmer buddy. I know, you may not have a programmer among your friends. But maybe you know somebody who has one! Get in touch with him or her, and then ask their advice.

So, what are some of the most popular programming languages?

  1. HMTL and CSS

Most people will tell you to start by learning HTML and CSS. These programming languages are used to build lots of website pages. HTML builds the foundation of the page – its content, if you will – while CSS puts the finishing touches by making it look nice.

html-example

If you plan to build websites at some point in your life, you are going to need to learn HTML and CSS programming. As a bonus, these languages aren’t difficult at all, so you should be able to build your own sites within weeks.

  1. JavaScript

If you are interested in programming web applications and sites, JavaScript is the next logical step after learning HTML and CSS. JavaScript makes websites intelligent, allowing them to process data and output results.

You may have seen sites that can convert values, solve equations, and so on. Those websites were built using HTML and CSS, but the actual converters and equations solvers are almost always built using JavaScript.

javascript-example

This programming language is quite old, but surprisingly it can be found almost everywhere. It’s also one that can help you understand, and then learn the more complex programming languages.

  1. Java

It may sound like JavaScript, but Java is a totally different language. Java is a general-purpose programming language which has found its way in complex applications for banks and hospitals, for example, as well as in mobile apps.

  1. PHP

PHP is a very popular web programming language, which is heavily used even by the world’s largest web platforms – Facebook, for example. It’s also the language powering WordPress, so it will help you learn how to build interactive websites as well.

php-example

These are just a few examples, of course. There are literally hundreds of programming languages, and their number may grow in the future. So choose a language that’s easy to learn (one of the examples above may help) and see how it goes.

Don’t forget that besides learning a language’s syntax, you will only learn to code by practicing – that is, by coding and running various little programs.

Programming isn’t easy, but it can be very rewarding. You need perseverance, but fortunately help is available. Find forums where people like you try to learn that programming language, and ask for help whenever you get stuck. You will surely discover friendly people who are eager to help. Good luck!

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