What are the top programming / coding languages right now and for the foreseeable future?

I assume you've done some googling.

Programming languages are just tools, and like any tool you need to choose one that works for the task at hand. That means the best language(s) for you depends on what you're interested in.

So what do you want to do? It's impossible to know what will be popular years down the line, so just figure out what you like and work from there.

If you're interested in web technologies, then obviously you need to know html/css and javascript at a minimum. On the back end, it's helpful to know sql and something like java or Go. Javascript is also used a lot on the back end, as is python and numerous others.

If you're interested in the IoT world (or any lower systems level stuff), maybe start with C/C++.

Python is often suggested for beginners. It's easy to get into and is quite powerful.



As for what's popular and in demand, javascript has been a leader here for a while, and it's constantly evolving and finding new applications. Go and Rust are two relatively new languages that are coming on strong. C doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon, either. I think Dart will keep growing, mostly because it is the language of Flutter and Flutter use is growing rapidly.


My personal opinion is that the language doesn't really matter. Just build something. Make it work. Make it better. Look at a bunch of other peoples' code. Take something that's already built and modify it. You just need to learn how programming is done, the fundamentals, and begin to think like a programmer. After that you can pick up any language.

Java, Ruby, python are generally always in demand with a lot of competition.

However, depending on your long term goals and aspirations, Perl is rapidly becoming a prized commodity. Simply because a large percentage of Unix/Linux type SysAdmins that need and use it every day are either retiring or will be soon, and leaving behind decades worth of perl scripts/programs used to maintain critical systems.

C++ for the building blocks for sure. Even if it's not used as often these days, still quite valuable. C# has been my goto throughout much of my career. As others have mentioned though, definitely learn a scripting language or two as well... Python, Perl, etc.

Once you get the basic constructs down (classes, loops, conditionals, variables, functions, arrays, etc), then applying to ANY language just becomes a matter of converting between language syntax.

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If you are looking to start learning, pick a language, any language. The fundamentals, if/then, while, variables, functions, arrays, etc. are what you need to focus on getting comfortable with.

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This. It's not important what you pick, only that you pick. All the fundamentals you learn carry over. So, you might spend 8 months learning JavaScript, decide you want to write something in Python and you would know enough about programming fundamentals to be on your way to writing Python that day. The ramp-up of learning a new language is drastically reduced once you already have a firm grasp on one. So, it's not like the language you pick today you are stuck with forever, in fact, it would behoove you to ultimately be language agnostic.

Learn Java or C#. You'll learn a true object-oriented programming language with a lot of demand/job security. JavaScript/Python are in high-demand but all of the coding bootcamps/youtube courses teach them so you'll be competing with a glut of self-taught programmers. Also, knowing basic SQL (data querying language) is a must. Do a language basics tutorial, then fullstack tutorial, and finally try to build something on your own. Google is your best friend when hitting roadblocks.

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n. Google is your best friend when hitting roadblocks.

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StackExchange

I mostly learned Java, C++, an Python, but now I only use Powershell, SQL, and HTML for my job.

Learn one object oriented language and the rest will come naturally.

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If you've never coded before I'd suggest starting with Python. It doesn't use as much formal structure with parentheses and curly braces that are common in many languages. That should make it a lot easier to pick up you can just focus on getting the logic right and not have to think as much about having the correct syntax.

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Thanks for the advice

What’s the situation on getting a job after learning a language or two but not having a computer related degree? Also, are there maybe opportunities to do this as freelance work on the side of another career or something? Wouldn’t mind learning some myself if there would be some opportunities from it.

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You just need to learn how programming is done, the fundamentals, and begin to think like a programmer. After that you can pick up any language.

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Pretty much this. Start with Python, learn the ropes and the general concepts and the rest really builds upon itself. Sure all languages have slightly different syntax but the same concepts build upon themselves. Variables are variables, strings are strings, etc.