What Programming Language Should a Beginner Learn in 2016? | Codementor

What Programming Language Should a Beginner Learn in 2016? | Codementor

It's not news that STEM talents are in great demand and are paid well. Online postings for software jobs across the U.S. grew 31% from 2007 to 2012 - nearly 3x faster than overall job postings.

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Whereas there is a bit too much focus on salaries in my opinion, this article provides some insights to help you decide on your first language. It's an interesting read.

TL;DR

  • Dynamically typed languages (Ruby, Python) are preferred over statically typed languages (Java, C, C#, C++) by beginners, because they are said to be easier and more fun.
  • JavaScript is growing fast, since NodeJS it is becoming increasingly important.
  • Ruby on Rails might be losing ground because of NodeJS.

  • If you want to work in web development learn JavaScript.

  • If you want to work with data or in an academic environment pick Python.
  • If you want to work for large enterprises pick Java.

I personally started studying Java as I needed to get the Oracle Certified Associate Java Programmer certificate. Later on I started learning Ruby because that's what we are using at work. I think Ruby is a fun language to learn and Ruby on Rails is a cool way to get introduced to web development, especially because there are so many learning resources available.

There is little mentioned about functional programming, but I personally have the feeling that functional programming is growing. I will try to do some research and write something about functional programming later on :-)