Software development requires the ability to use programming languages, and there are hundreds of them. Deciding which one is the most suitable to learn in 2021 will depend on each person’s career goals.
JavaScript is suitable for front-end and back-end development but is also a good programming language to know for mobile development. Then again, Python is great for back-end development and desktop applications. Game developers often use Unity or TypeScript, but Go and Rust are ideal programming languages for systems programming.
Any of these 9 programming languages are valuable to learn in 2021:
1. JavaScript
JavaScript continues to be one of the most popular languages used by developers, and this won’t change in 2021. Together with HTML and CSS, JavaScript is used by most software developers and is essential for front-end development.
Most of the popular sites on the web rely on JavaScript for the creation of interactive web pages and dynamic content. These include YouTube, Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter.
Node.js allows JavaScript to be used on the side of the server too. This allows developers to build scalable network applications.
Its flexible and forgiving syntax allows JavaScript to be used on major browsers. Beginners find JavaScript easy to learn and use. See this free website for some valuable beginner projects.
2. Python
Python is another popular programming language for beginners because it has the clearest syntax, and it’s intuitive. Like JavaScript, Python is versatile and has the open-source Django framework for back-end development. Django is used by sites like Instagram, Mozilla, and Spotify.
Python libraries include NumPy, SciPy, PyTorch, OpenCV, and scikit-learn. These are used for development in different fields that range from mathematics, engineering, scientific computing, machine learning, data science, computer vision, and image processing. Python is popular with those in the academic field.
3. Go
Go is one of Google’s favorite core languages. It is a low-level language systems programmer with the functionality of C and C++ but has an easier syntax and learning curve. Go is the ideal programming language for building web servers, machine-learning packages, and data pipelines.
Personal contributions to Go can be adopted by others because it’s an open-source language and because it is compiled, it is super-fast.
4. Scala
Scala is a modern version of JavaScript and combines Java’s best features. These include Object-Oriented Structure and its fast JVM runtime environment.
It is a functional programming language, and engineers can raise the quality of their code to almost pure math. Concurrent programming allows complex procedures to be carried out simultaneously. The strongly typed language allows engineers to create and customize their data types safely.
5. Swift
Swift was created by Apple and is used to develop applications for iOS and macOS. Apple’s strength in the mobile marketplace ensures that this is a popular programming language to learn. iOS applications are used on all iPhones. iPads, watchOS, and tvOS.
6. Ruby
Ruby is another popular programming language for web development. Its web application framework, Ruby on Wheels is a popular web application framework. A friendly syntax and helpful user community make Ruby popular with beginners. Ruby on Rails is popular with tech businesses and startups. It has been used by Twitter, Bloomberg, Shopify, and Airbnb.
7. Elm
Elm started as a student’s thesis at Harvard and has become very popular with front-end developers in the space of just a few years. The functional programming language compiles to JavaScript and User Interfaces (UI) built with it are fast and present zero runtime errors.
8. Rust
Rust was developed by Mozilla for low-level systems programming. It emphasizes speed and security, making this upstart a popular programming language. Big tech companies like Coursera and Dropbox are using it internally.
Rust has a steep learning curve, but its popularity continues to grow, making it a programming language worth learning.
9. C#
Pronounced C Sharp, C# is built on the foundations of C. The object-oriented language also has a general-purpose and was designed as part of the .NET framework by Microsoft to build Windows applications.
Its syntax is similar to C++ and other C-derived languages, making it easy for other C family users to learn it. C# can be used for more than Microsoft development and is valuable for cross-platform apps building on Xamarin. It is also the recommended programming language for VR development and used for building 3D and 2D video games on the Unity game engine.
Coding Languages and The Future
The programming language’s ability to continue to remain relevant is important. Even though some coding languages have been around for longer, they are still in high demand. The best languages to learn are those suited to the career goals of different software developers in different fields.
Author Bio
Rachael is a content writer at Pearl Lemon Leads, who has written on a Ultimate Resume Guide, from colored diamonds to SEO software. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, sketching, cooking, and video games.
