The programming world has been progressing by leaps and bounds, with innovation in Software not slowing down. As more companies come online, the demand for programmers is increasing. There are a number of programming languages launched in the past few years, and a few more are in development.

According to the TIOBE Index, there are over 265 programming languages out there. Every language was created to cater to different problems, and, thus, each provides a different result. It is impossible to get expertise in every one of them. But the best way to begin is to understand the basics – study the concepts that are common in all languages.

What are programming basics?

Learning the basics of a programming language is the first step any aspiring coder should begin with. Majority of the languages are based on a certain framework which you can learn in programming basics. 

Learning a new programming language can be challenging, especially when you are new to coding. It is not as simple as learning a few new words in human languages. 

It requires learning new ways of thinking about problems, approaching them from different angles, learning about the different data structures, algorithms, and much more. 

The road to becoming an expert can be long and arduous, but with dedication and perseverance, you will get there eventually. The good news is that there are plenty of resources out there that will help you learn the basics of coding, so that it becomes easier for you to pick up other languages later on in your career.

Once you have a firm grip over the fundamentals, it is time to choose the language you wish to learn. The programming language you choose will determine what role you can play or which industries you can work in. 

It will determine how much money you can make and how much value you can add to an organization. It will also determine how long it will take you to transition into a new role or company. 

That’s why choosing the right language is perhaps the most important decision you will make in your software career.

But what makes one language better than another?

Programming languages ranked

The popularity of a programming language is determined by several factors, including:

• the number of developers using it,
• the number of jobs available in that language (higher demand means higher salary),
• how easy it is to learn and master,
• how fast it runs, and
• Its ability to scale with large applications or projects

This article ranks programming languages based on their potential for 2022.

• Python

Python has been ranked in the top 3 by all reputable indexes and for good reason also. It’s a language that is very easy to learn, but at the same time, it can be very powerful. Python is one of the most popular programming languages in use today.

The reason why Python is so popular is because of its simplicity and flexibility. At the same time, Python doesn’t enforce any particular style of coding which makes it very attractive to new programmers who want to learn how to program on their terms.

Python has a huge ecosystem of libraries which means that you can use it for almost anything – from web development to scientific computing and other fields where you need some extra features for your application.

• JavaScript

JavaScript is the most popular programming language in the world, and its popularity continues to rise. It was created in 1995 by Mocha. The language has evolved from a simple client-side scripting language into a full-fledged server-side programming language. 

JavaScript runs on many different platforms and can be used for everything from building websites, to creating desktop applications, and to driving robots.

JavaScript is also one of the most widely used languages for machine learning, which explains why it’s ranked number one on RedMonk’s list of most popular languages.

• C/C++

C is an older language that has been around since 1972 but remains highly relevant even today because it’s fast, portable, and efficient. C is a low-level programming language, which means that it can be used to access the computer’s hardware directly through its machine code instructions.

C++ is a superset of C where the programmer can define new data types and functions. C++ supports object-oriented programming, which allows the creation of reusable code for different programs. 

C++ was invented in 1985 by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs and has become one of the most popular languages for writing operating systems, compilers, libraries, and other large software projects.

• C#

C# is a language that was developed by Microsoft in 2000. It’s a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language and is also known as C Sharp. 

The language derives much of its syntax from C and Java. It was designed for developing applications for Windows but has since been ported to other platforms such as Linux and Android. C# has been ranked as one of the top 5 most popular programming languages. 

There was a dip in its popularity between the years 2019 and 2020. But it soon regained its glory and has successfully added over half a million developers in 2021.

• PHP

PHP, short for “Hypertext Preprocessor,” is an open-source scripting language that can be embedded into HTML code as a way for producing dynamic web pages. 

It was created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1995 to help create content management systems (CMS). In recent years, it has become popular with web developers who use it as a way of building dynamic web pages that run on their server instead of requiring users to download software onto their computer before they can view content.

• Ruby

Ruby is a dynamic, open-source programming language with a focus on simplicity and productivity. It has an elegant syntax that is natural to read and easy to write. It was created by Yukihiro Matsumoto in 1993. 

Ruby is a scripting language that provides object-oriented features like classes, modules, and methods, but it’s also one of the few dynamic languages (meaning it can be dynamically modified at runtime.)

Many popular apps like Airbnb, GitHub, Shopify, Fiverr, Bloomberg, etc. are made with this language.

• R

R Programming Language is a programming language that was developed by statisticians for the Data Science domain. It is an open-source programming language, and it has vast number of applications in statistical computing, data analysis, data visualization, and machine learning. 

The R language is used in many areas of science and commercial applications, such as finance, statistics, social sciences, and operations research.

Conclusion

Learning to code can be a great asset to have in your skillset. Choosing which languages to learn, how many to learn, and when to focus your studies on them can be one of the most challenging decisions a coder can make. No matter what you decide, the most important thing is that you keep learning, growing, and advancing as an up-and-coming programmer. 

Also Read: Top Seven Tips to Find Best Online Programming Homework Help