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All of these "best language to learn" pieces ignore a basic question: for what purpose? If your goal is to make money as a programmer then you need to find out
by mikece 5y ago
All of these "best language to learn" pieces ignore a basic question: for what purpose? If your goal is to make money as a programmer then you need to find out what languages are in demand in your locality or by companies hiring remote workers. What is in demand in Silicon Valley won't necessarily be what's in demand in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
Alternatively, if you goal is to learn computer science for the sake of abstract knowledge, or if you want to get into cyber-security at a very deep level these reasons for learning point in different directions.
Absent all other qualifications I stick to the same advice I gave 12 years ago: learn JavaScript. If/when you get to a point that you need to do more than JavaScript allows you will have developed sufficient context around your needs that you won't need anyone to tell you what language to learn next: you'll already know.
- BoorishBears 5y agoI'd say learn Python as someone who doesn't even like it It's becoming the next Excel, a "default language" for non-programmers to write programs in
- thghtihadanacct 5y agoI like Python but mikece is more right. Go with the language that fits what you do. Websites dont need to be done in Python when there is PHP and so much more ... with lots of libraries already written for the task. I couldnt imagine debugging a content management module written in rust or go or python.
- BoorishBears 5y agoI mean they're basically right but it's kind of a non-answer The reality is people who ask "what is the best language" are better defined than the comment implies. Someone who's asking that is usually a beginner, is usually interested in a fast ramp up, is usually more reliant on existing resources than most, etc. It's not quite as hopeless of a question to answer as it might seem
- thghtihadanacct 5y agoI agree, it is typically a beginner question which leads to learning the language suited for what youre doing. If a computer student then the world is your oyster and you can learn them all. If youre already in the industry you use the one that works and I havent found a silver bullet language yet. C, maybe, but not really?