Introduction

As a tech bro or sis, it is important to learn one or two programming languages to get ahead in the IT field, It is not essential if you are not a software developer but it sure would accelerate your career prospects and give you an edge as a professional in the IT space.

As an aspiring software developer, your first thoughts are most likely what are the top programming languages to learn and what are their potential impact on the tech industry. This article will break down different programming languages and talk about the top programming languages to learn in 2024. Before we get into that.

What are Programming Languages?

Programming languages are also commonly referred to as coding languages. Programming languages are a way to communicate with computers. It is usually done by developers to communicate across systems. Their degree, use, and impact varies by tech stack, domain, and industry. for example, programming languages most popular in the gaming industry is different from the one most popular generally in the coding world.

A few examples of programming languages are C Sharp (C#), Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP, Kotlin, C, C++, Typescript, Structured Language Query (SQL), NoSQL, Go, Rust, Scala and Swift.

There are different parts of an application or website which requires different technologies and these different areas are called front-end and back-end development. Based on your career goals, you can decide which languages to learn first before adding more to your skills. The technology, skills, and purpose of these different aspects varies. Some of the languages are either back-end focused or front-end focused, i.e. it is mostly used for the coding of that aspect of the application. For example, javascript is common across both but python is usually more specific to back-end development.

Programming Languages: Types and Classifications

There are different types and Classifications of Programming languages. Though the terms are often interchangeable, there's a subtle difference between them.

Types of Programming Languages

Object-oriented languages - based on the concept of objects. They basically include data attributes representing the objects state and methods.

Functional - these are efficient parallel languages, they have no mutable state. You can program functions and parallelly work as instructions

Logic - as the name implies, this is programming based on formal logic. It consist of clusters of logical statements or rules that determine relationship among objects.

Scripting - simple to learn with easy syntax and dynamic typing, the scripting language is the type of language that is interpreted rather than compiled.

Imperative - it is the most popular in software programming for system engineering and low-level programming tasks.

Procedural - divided into functions or procedures, they perform specific tasks. These procedures can be called from other program parts, allowing flexibility in code.

Classifications of Programming Languages

High-level - are easier to understand and write, these are closer to human languages but might sacrifice some performance.

Intermediate level - offers a balance of efficiency and readability, closes the gap between low and high level.

Low-level - These are a bit more technical, difficult to write and read, close to machine code. It offers the highest performance.

Top 7 Programming Languages

1. C Sharp (C#)

A general purpose programming language developed by MicroSoft, it is one of the most used programming languages for the .NET framework. C# is used for a wide variety of applications such as for developing desktop applications, IOS/Android and game development. It is known for its readability, simplicity, and powerful features.

2. Java

A general purpose object-oriented programming language and among one of the most popular languages. Java is a high-level language and it's regarded as a good start for learning to think like a programmer and gain coding skills. It is known for its robustness, portability, and security.

3. JavaScript

JavaScript is a high-level language used in web development for front-end, back-end, and game development. It is used to create interactive web pages and it is also estimated to be the most used language. It is easy to learn, can be used anywhere in the web and it reduces the demand on the website browser.

4. Kotlin

A general purpose language used for a wide variety of applications, including web development, android apps development, and server side development. Most of the Google apps are based on Kotlin, other companies include Pinterest and Coursera. It is known for its conciseness, safety, and full compatibility with Java.

5. Python

A high-level general purpose programming language that is mostly used in back-end development. Python is used for a wide variety of applications such as web development, data science, machine learning, and deep learning. It is known for it's readability, simplicity, and large community of users.

6. Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)

PHP is a widely used open-source scripting language primarily focused on web applications. This language is used to build more than 80% of the websites on the internet, including notable site like Facebook. It is known for its efficiency in creating dynamic web applications. It is relatively beginner friendly.

7. C/C++

C is a low-level programming languages and one of the oldest languages, mostly used for embedded system and application where the program needs to be executed quickly. C and C++ can be used to learn the fundamentals of programming at the lowest (hardware) level but it is not very beginner friendly.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the programming language you choose to learn depends largely on the type of software you want to develop or the requirements of your workplace. For instance, if you are interested in machine learning, Python is essential. On the other hand, if you aim to develop Android applications, learning Java and Kotlin would be more beneficial.