Without a degree, your best chances of getting work is with a small business. Over 80% of small businesses use PHP to power their websites. So that makes PHP the #1 choice for those with no degrees.
WordPress is also widely used by small business, and WordPress is created with PHP, some JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS3. Together, these coding languages are part of what is called the web stack. Learn the web stack and you will open up MANY job opportunities.
PHP is old and sucks – no?
LOL! No! Old PHP from the 1990’s wasn’t very good, but much has changed since PHP4. Today PHP is at version 7 and it has all the ability and security as any of the other mainstream languages including:
JavaScript
Python
Java
C#
Ruby
… So don’t let uninformed nerds convince you that somehow PHP has problems. It doesn’t.
If PHP is the top language, what are the others?
JavaScript is #2 and Python is #3.
How to pick the best language for you?
After 23 years of writing code and building real software, my philosophy is to be language neutral … all programming languages have their strengths and weaknesses. The choice of language just depends on:
What KIND of programming you want to do.
If you have a degree or not.
The job options in your part of the world.
… You may love Java, but if there are no Java jobs where you are, what’s the point? So the best approach is to learn the fundamentals of programming and then with your new nerd-eyes, you will be better able to judge which path to go on. I recommend learning the web stack and Python.
… All my students will tell you, you can’t go wrong with that! Check out what my students think about my courses:
– Click on the above image to view the testimonials.
I created a video on the best programming languages if you DON’T have a degree:
Mobile app development has moved toward hybrid apps, using the web stack (HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript,) and frameworks like Phonegap or React Native.
But when it comes to the development of high demand (in terms of performance) mobile apps, using native languages like Swift for iOS and Java for Android is still the way to go. This might change with Googles Flutter framework.
In 2018 C++ is still a very viable programming language to learn. In fact, many programming languages are worth learning in 2018:
JavaScript
Python
Java for web apps or Java for Andriod
PHP
C#
Swift
C++
C
… And others. Although, the above would be my top picks.
The key to choosing a language comes down to two things: market viability of the programming language and what KIND of programming you want to do.
Kinds of Programming
You have many choices in terms of marketable programming languages … there is plenty of work for the languages listed above. Each language though, means a different kind of programming, and that often means a different type of person would enjoy programming language ‘A’ vs programming language ‘B’.
For example, C++ programming is a low level language, and that means you will be writing code that requires lots of management by the programmer of little details. It reminds me more of math.
On the other hand, JavaScript is much a higher level, meaning you don’t have to concern yourself with low level details that you do with C++. With JavaScript (and other high level languages,) very little code gets a lot done. But, at the cost of speed of processing and control over the finer details of how your program runs.
Choosing your language
I could write 10 pages on this, and still scratch the surface. Regardless, the key is to explore a little on your part, check out which TYPE of jobs you get with C++, and which type of jobs you get with Python … and the other languages. Again, different programming languages mean a different type of job.
The good news is that you don’t need to worry about your choice too much because you can always switch languages later. It’s easy to switch over, because all the above languages share about 90-95% of the same principles and concepts. The code looks different, but learning the code is the easy part.
Suggested first programming languages?
I would suggest either Python, JavaScript or PHP. All 3 are powerful, and have lots of jobs open to them. But, they are easier to learn than Java, C# and especially C++.
