In what language to write code for a beginner and why the choice is an illusion

There are more than 600 languages ​​in the world – what language should a beginner write code in? It seems that the choice is great, but this is an illusion. Read on to find out why this is so.

" In what language to write code for a beginner ?"

If you are new to programming, you may not realize how many languages ​​there are. While many of them are similar, they all require a different knowledge base and all serve different purposes when it comes to web development and computer programming.

How choosing a first language will affect your future career

The programming languages ​​you specialize in can affect the job you apply for and even the salary you can expect to earn:

"What languages ​​should I learn?"

Depends on your goals:

• If you want to be able to create and edit static web pages without interactivity, you need to know at least HTML and CSS.
• To add interactive elements, you will need JavaScript.
• To create websites that collect and store information, you will need PHP, Python, or Ruby.
• And to create mobile apps for iOS or Android, you need either Objective-C or Java.

“Why is it said that beginners have no choice in terms of which language to start with?"

Despite the fact that there are more than 600 languages ​​in the world, you really have little choice. And this is easily explained.

What are “experimental languages” and why you shouldn't choose from them – in which language to write code for a beginner

So, we have already mentioned that there are several hundred languages ​​that are actively used in writing various products. Now imagine even more experimental languages.

And it is completely incomprehensible which courses should be studied at the initial stage, and whether to listen to the opinion of mentors and teachers about the future of certain languages, or simply try to “absorb” only knowledge, and form an opinion independently with a deeper “immersion in the environment”, working with a team or completing individual orders.

"No choice at all?"

This is very important to understand. Among hundreds of languages, only a few dozen are used universally. 20% of the total number of all possible groups account for 80% of developments.

The famous Pareto principle is 100% effective here. Accordingly, among the whole variety of language groups, novice developers rarely choose a language that is not in the top twenty leaders. Another "ten" languages ​​could be attributed to the most strange, unusual, and rare. But studying them is no longer for work, but in order to completely wind down your brains and get pleasure from it.

"Why don't we choose a language?"

It's frustrating, but the choice of " what language to write code in for a beginner " has already been made for you by the development market. The industry itself dictates the rules. A historical accident "works" with it in tandem.

But you still have a choice.

Determine direction. Despite the fact that the industry has deprived you of the opportunity to choose "big", find the area of ​​​​coding that meets all the parameters that are important to you. It will not end with one language. You will have to study at least two, three, because there is no such area in coding, where there is an independent and adequate language It happens that in some types of programming there is no specific language at all, and the type of coding is more of a concept.

We wrote about this in more detail in an article about 6 types of development that a beginner must learn before learning his first language.

“What if I take language too seriously?”

When it becomes clear in which language to write code, it begins to seem to beginners that there is nothing more important than syntax and grammar in the whole world. And this is understandable, because unfamiliar concepts, terms and algorithms still need to be understood. New information absorbs attention. Often almost all attention. But you must understand that language is not everything.
Stick your tongue out of your mouth right now. Seriously.
Now compare the size of the tip of your tongue with the rest of your body. A language in programming is only a small part, the tip of the iceberg. You can be an attentive and concentrated student and then you will see the tip of the iceberg, thereby avoiding collision with it. But don't you wonder what the depth hides?

6 important components without which your understanding of the world of programming will be incomplete:

• The environment in which the development is performed;
• The platform you are using;
• Community;
• Trends and tendencies;
• Understanding or self-building links between ecosystems and language groups;
• A set of your ideas, as well as what you don't already know about the language.