Coding can be tough for beginners.
One moment you have a sudden burst of inspiration and feel like you could take on the world.
But next thing you know, you’re drowning in a sea of information and have absolutely no clue where to start.
How awesome would it be to finally create that app you’ve been thinking about for ages, or finally starting that software company and getting your ideas out into the real world?
All of this sounds fantastic! That is until reality sets in and you realize that learning your first programming language can be quite an overwhelming process. Until you realize that your dream to learn to code in a few days isn’t as easy as you thought…
There’s so much information out there that it’s normal to get paralyzed and end up doing nothing.
You want to start with right information. You don’t want to realize later down the road that you’ve been going the wrong way all along, or that you’re taking the longer path to your destination.
Figuring out your “programming path” is essential. It’s the single thing that’ll give you the confidence you need to push through the tough times.
What I just described often happens among aspiring programmers. It’s hard to know where to go and how to get started.
But there’s good news!
I realized that the hundreds of programming languages out there can be broken down into four major categories.
Each of these categories depends on how the programming language is used and what it’s most commonly used for.
I’m going to show you how to take the ideas in your head and set a laser-focused path for yourself to reach your ultimate goals. This is a path to coding for beginners like yourself, illustrated from start to finish!
Whether you want to create a video game, mobile application or any number of ideas that can be created from raw code, after setting up this path for yourself you’ll know exactly how to make it happen.
- First, you’ll learn about the four primary categories of development and choose one that interests you the most.
- Next, you’ll learn how to take your interests and use them to carve out a laser-focused path that aligns with your future goals and aspirations.
- Finally, you’ll learn what programming language(s) you should learn, and in what order, to create your masterpiece and get it out into the world.
Stop for a second and think about your goals and interests.
Do you want to create websites and web applications in the future?
Are you more interested in building mobile apps for iPhone or Android?
Do you want to create desktop software that runs on Windows, Mac, or Linux systems?
Or do you want a career in data science, analytics, or data mining?
You might not have an answer right away, and that’s okay. As you dig deeper into the opportunities available to you, you’ll find something that grabs your attention.
Now, depending on your answer above, there’s most likely a programming language you should learn first for maximum efficiency.
By maximum efficiency, I mean that you want to learn a programming language your future industry or “space” uses the most. You want to know that specific language that allows you to create the applications you want to create in the future.
For example, the video game industry uses different programming languages compared to what people in the web development space would use.
If you can start learning your first programming language on a path that leads to your future industry’s standard, you’ll be exactly where you want to be.
Contents
The four primary paths of software development
There are four main paths or categories that software development can be broken down into.
Based on each development space and their standards, the programming languages they use can vary from one to the next.
Since you’ve already picked your main category of interest, or at least have an idea of the types of software you want to create in the future, you’re one step closer to defining a learning path for yourself with laser-like focus.
Let’s dig deeper into each of these four tracks.
Web Development
Being a web developer means creating websites, web applications, web animations, online games, and pretty much anything you see on the internet today. Web development is a very broad space.
Most of the time when people talk about web development they are referring particularly to creating websites and web applications.
Creating a website involves making the front-end, which is what the person using the site sees such as buttons, windows, and menus they can click.
Creating a website also involves the back-end, or what the person using the site can’t see.
The back-end is code that runs in the background and tells the web page what to do when a button is clicked, or what to do when someone puts their mouse over a menu item.
To create a functional website both the front-end and back-end have to work together in unison.
If building websites and web applications are what you want to pursue, you’ll want to start out learning basic front-end web development by learning HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). By knowing these two basic web markup languages, you’ll be able to create a basic functioning website with content, buttons, and links.
Notice that HTML and CSS are only markup languages, not “real” programming languages by most standards. If you want to dive into what feels like a programming language, you may want to start by learning JavaScript.
The next step is where it gets interesting, since now that you’ve mastered the basics of web page design, you can start creating back-end code that allows you to do virtually anything you set your mind to. For this, you’ll want to learn JavaScript, PHP, and potentially a database language such as MongoDB or MySQL.
Databases are crucial to websites and web applications as they can keep track of, for example, user accounts and passwords for membership sites, and character progression and levels in web games.
Another favorite back-end language for web developers is Python, which is a bit easier to learn than other programming languages and can be extended to a variety of different fields, not only web development.
It takes a relatively small amount of time to learn how to write a python program. The language is known for its overall simplicity and effectiveness.
There’s also MEAN, which is a combination of front-end and back-end programming languages and frameworks that allow extreme flexibility in development.
MEAN stands for MongoDB (the database), Express.js (web framework), AngularJS (front-end framework), and Node.js (server platform). You can think of MEAN as a “toolbox” that has everything you need to create any web application.
Finally, Ruby on Rails is another very popular development framework that many web and technology companies use. A significant benefit to Ruby on Rails is how quickly you can prototype and test applications during development.
Web Development Takeaways:
- Start with the simplest web languages: HTML and CSS
- Move on to JavaScript, PHP, and potentially a database language such as MongoDB or MySQL
- Learn a widely used front-end and back-end development framework, such as MEAN
- Learn Ruby on Rails
Remember, you should always dig in, do some more research, and see if there is any other web language most suitable to your liking. This is meant as a guide based on what’s most commonly used in the industry today. You can always deviate and make your own way!
Mobile Application Development
If the thought of creating an iPhone or Android application, game, or utility excites you, mobile development is the space you should be in.
Compared to web developers, the “native” programming languages you use to create iPhone or Android apps are entirely different.
Of course, these “native” languages are not the only option. When I say “native” programming language, I am referring to the intended, official language of the platform.
For iOS, the native language has always been Objective-C, until Apple recently released a new programming language called Swift. The primary language for iOS development (this includes pretty much any Apple products) is Swift.
For Android, the native language has always been Java and continues to be Java to this day.
Mobile Development Takeaways:
- For iOS development: Learn Swift
- For Android development: Learn Java
Desktop Software Development
Desktop software development includes developing software or creating games that run on all of the most widely used operating systems you see today, such as Windows, Mac, and Linux.
For creating desktop software, you’ll notice that you have quite a bit of freedom in choosing your language of choice!
What you want in a programming language is the ability to create a friendly user interface, which is the window that your users see. If you’ll be releasing and potentially selling your software to future clients or giving it away, a clean, intuitive user interface becomes even more necessary.
To ensure that your software is stable, you’ll want a strong back-end programming language and framework as well.
Some common languages for software are C#, C++, Java, and Python.
C# runs on the Dot Net Framework created by Microsoft. This framework can also be extended to both Mac and Windows computers through MonoDevelop.
In other words, when you write C# code, you can run the software you make on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
C++ is thought of as a more sophisticated language than C# and is known for its speed. Wherever speed and flexibility are needed, C++ is the winner.
Java is also a very popular programming language. Aside from the fact that it can be used to develop web applications and create mobile Android apps, it can also be used to make desktop applications that run on numerous devices.
Python is another good desktop development language, primarily due to the quick amount of time it takes to learn how to write a python program, as well as its overall simplicity and effectiveness.
According to a programming language popularity index created by analyzing Google search trends, Java ranks as the most popular programming language, followed by Python, PHP, and C#. Essentially, if more people are looking for tutorials and lessons related to a particular programming language, it is assumed to have higher popularity.
If the popularity of every programming language were placed on a pie chart, Java would occupy a huge portion of that graph – almost a quarter!
Of course, these percentages will change when trends change, but this is a good overview of the most popular programming languages out in the world today and how they compare to one another.
Finally, if you’re interested in game development, there are many game engines out there that operate on C++, Objective-C, and even C#.
One such game engine is Unity 3D (a very popular choice) which allows you to run the games you make on mobile platforms like iOS and Android, as well as any desktop platform.
Desktop Software Development Takeaways:
- For desktop software development, take your pick from Java, C#, C++, or Python.
- For game development try out Unity3D and if your curiosity is piqued, do some additional research on game engines – there are plenty out there!
Statistical and Scientific Development
Statistical and scientific programming languages focus less on the ability to create software that you distribute to users or sell online, but rather, their focus aims toward automating computational tasks and making them easier.
Modern mathematical and scientific programming languages include R (a data mining and statistical language), SAS, MATLAB (matrix laboratory scientific and engineering software), and much more.
If your goal is to use your future programming skills in a mathematical or scientific field, you’ll want to pick up one of these statistical or scientific programming languages.
It won’t hurt to learn an actual programming language either but based on your particular area of study; there are computational languages that are considered the industry standard.
Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) is a very popular computational software package used in scientific fields for everything from signal processing to various engineering fields.
Statistical and Scientific Development Takeaways:
- Research the industry standard for your area of interest. Often, certain industries and niches will have a particular computational language they require.
- You may want to take a look at R, SAS, MATLAB, and potentially Python. Python is commonly used in machine learning applications.
Figure out which path most closely aligns with your future goals
I know this is a lot of information to take in at once, but now comes the fun part.
With your newfound knowledge, you can now take your dreams and aspirations and start laser-focusing on your ultimate goal.
Do you want to create games for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android all at once? Try out Unity3D and learn C#!
Do you want to focus on iOS applications for iPhones, iPads, and other Apple products? Learn Swift!
Do you want to harness your inner-entrepreneur and create a software company that sells a software solution to thousands of online users? Learn Java, C#, or C++ depending on your preference!
The possibilities are endless.
With the vast amount of information out there about learning a programming language, I hope you realize how useful it can be to develop a solid plan of action before you begin your learning journey.
There isn’t a wrong way, though!
If you have the persistence and courage to learn one programming language you can easily transition to any language you choose in the future. Nothing is set in stone.
In fact, after you learn your first programming language, learning others will only get easier and easier.
Every good developer has several languages tucked under their belt.
Now it’s your turn to take action
What will your first programming language be? It’s time for you to step up, evaluate your choices, and make a decision!
To make this as easy as possible for you, we’re giving away our PDF checklist to learning your first programming language that lets you see each software development path and the programming languages required for each.
This checklist is intended to help you find the best programming language you should learn first. Use it to get an idea of what direction you’ll enjoy heading in the most.
On top of that, it comes in a very easy to follow infographic format that maps out each of the programming languages mentioned in this article and how they fit into the spectrum. It’ll give you a clear picture of how all these programming languages are interconnected and what you can do with each of them.
Enter your best email address below and we’ll send you the PDF checklist infographic right away!
Remember, learning a programming language is challenging. It takes effort, dedication, and most importantly, time.
If you stick through the hard parts and persevere when the going gets tough, you’ll be one step nearer to your ultimate goals and dreams, moving ever closer and closer to making them a reality.
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