Which programming language should you choose?

"What programming language should I learn?" It's the number one question we get at Codecademy, and there's no easy answer. The industry moves so quickly, and there are so many variables for every learner.
The best way we can help is to give everyone the tools they need to make the best intelligent choices for themselves, so that's exactly what we've done.
In this video, Pat will help you find the right language for you so you can take more confident steps into the world of programming.
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[@LanceNEvans]

The moment you said “picking a programming language without a problem is like shopping for ingredients without a recipe” - my entire problem for “how to get started” cleared up immediately. Best analogy you could have used, given that I am a foodie.

[@KanishkGoel]

But I don't know what i want to make haha

[@keelanboyce2377]

@@KanishkGoel websites are fun anyone who tells you coding games is fun is lying to you

[@cubedevgames9456]

@@keelanboyce2377 i like making games and it's fun for me :/

[@VladdyHell]

@@keelanboyce2377 That's definitely not true, I built 3D games once and it's so challenging and addictive. I'm mainly focusing on web development for today because my PC is potato, but once I finished and got a job to buy high end PC, I'll continue developing games. NGL, web development is a pain most of the time, it causes me to procrastinate.

[@keelanboyce2377]

@@VladdyHell what makes it untrue? You stated your objective taste but in general most would struggle with coding game design i speak from experience from a college course of 25 to at the end of my 2years only 6 of us left

[@LanceNEvans]

Best literature reference I can find for what you’re trying to explain around 11:00 Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. Alice: I don’t much care where. Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go. Alice: So long as I get somewhere... Cheshire Cat: Oh, you’re sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.

[@mallorybaker9267]

Wow, I really needed that. I've felt super overwhelmed reading through blogs and blogs about which language to choose. This finally helped me to feel ready to just start and know that if I need to switch, it won't be like starting from scratch.

[@thatoseluku4276]

This video is where a lot started. My job hunt has been very challenging and I've been progressing on my own after I got my CS degree. I realized that it's not easy standing out in the market but it's possible with commitment and constant hard work. Whoever is still searching or finding their feet, I wish ya'll dedication and focus in your craft

[@julmor196]

I SHOULD HAVE WATCHED THIS A LONG TIME AGO!!! I was always stopping when I feel overwhelmed on the subject that it took me years to finish HTML because i really thought I need be able to remember everything (which is actually a misconception as per this video). I am a subscriber of Codecademy and they really made it easy for new learners...

[@me7sinish]

Thanks Patrick for the useful video. My worries have faded away on choosing the best langauge. All boils down to what the application your trying to build.

[@imangomaa2210]

WOW!! what an insightful way to look at this topic, i've always struggled with deciding which language that suits me best but this video have been very helpful.

[@AaronH3n]

I agree that assembly is hard to learn even though it's really fast since it's closer to the native language of a computer.

[@allenholloway5109]

Even though I never learned a commonly used programming language, and I learned a rather more specific ones instead, but when I started learning other ones, it was really, really easy. (At least the beginning foundational stuff.) And even when I knew that specific language, I absolutely loved solving new problems, even ones not really designed to work with that language.

[@AaronH3n]

I got laid off due to this pandemic and now I need a job so I'm taking up coding.

[@null4961]

how old are you?

[@linglingli5780]

@@null4961 its laid off not laid my bro

[@r.henryjr.1533]

Hope it works out for you!

[@maryanne4594]

Did you learn!? How'd it go?!

[@Foxflix]

Amazing amazing It's like getting you inside of the computer world and then breaking programming languages down And then letting you choose which one you want Good job i love this video

[@anammurad4908]

Thanks for answering this complicated question. Very helpful.

[@AnitaPatel-mq2fp]

Hi, Patrick, Love all the information you went over. I've been enlightened by the video. Really appriciated.

[@AaronGravesthegravesmeister]

That was very informative. Thank you!

[@fatemeraie3779]

I think anyone who wants to start his or her journey in programming should watch this

[@jewel56]

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” Earl Nightingale

[@evelinbaka967]

this is the most complete and concrete answer I hve gotten to that question

[@heliosone1]

That was informative, thank you!

[@Escobar720]

I have the shortest attention span ever so I'm struggling a bit to learn BUT I usually repeat things over and over until it's second nature and it works for me. With that said, my only goal in writing this was to let you know that while I clicked off of other videos because of a speaker's voice, I find yours very easy and soothing to here. It helps me pay attention lol.

[@grampzoedien4571]

i have been stuck , thanks a lot this is quite helpful !

[@dilliondonathan4422]

This is the best video that was able to break down the different types of coding languages for me to understand. Thank you!

[@dr.g6105]

This was very helpful. Thank you.

[@CryptonizeThis]

Great video, Patrick! I've watched so many of your videos now trying to decode or encode which language, direction and path that I should take to get started in programming but this video made it VERY clear that it doesn't really matter, in a sense... It really is a non-stop ride into the future and being a "jack of all trades" can be just as beneficial as being the "master of n(one)". Thanks for the great advice ;

[@lukasmichal9643]

The best guide I have seen so far.

[@carolinewyatt8113]

I really enjoyed this video. It helped me think about a career in coding and programming in a different way. Well done!

[@codegeneva549]

Same here, had a lot of misconceptions about coding at first.

[@johndelarosa7204]

Thanks for this!😀

[@firacingast]

I cannot stress enough how true the concept of foundational knowledge is. I'm a returning student in my mid 20s. When I took AP Comp. Sci. in high school, we started with Java. On my own time, I learned a bit of python and c++ (And dabbled very briefly with C#) and just built the same programs I used to learn Java in those other languages to identify the similarities, differences etc. I eventually got to the point where I could develop very crudely made pong, or local PVP chess games. Unfortunately, I stopped programming because I left college and life got very busy. I still have the passion for it, but life events made it a bit hard to keep up with a project I was passionate about. I'm excited to be returning to school this upcoming semester for a Comp. Sci. degree, and I've taken Codecademy courses to get myself back up to the level I was at before, which admittedly wasn't very advanced but it was at least a start. Thanks for the structured courses Codecademy. I've always searched for ways to move at my own pace in coursework and school without venturing too far ahead. Your site makes it easy to repeatedly review a concept without the fatigue of reviewing the same example from class a million times outside of the context it was taught in.

[@user-vb4op8hy7o]

Thank you for the video!

[@karinasevillano9820]

Thank you for the video! I found it very well presented and insightful, basically anticipating my questions :). Well done! I have started learning Ruby to be better at calling data from the database at work (the company I worked for has created a query language based on Ruby).

[@oumaimael-mrabet5584]

THANKS YOU! This is perfect for everyone that's thinking about learning coding. Unable to find a job in my MSc in Water Treatment, I spent months thinking about which language to start with in order to learn programming... Complete waste of time. I wish I've seen this video before. Now I've just finished CodeAcademy's coding intro course and I'm just going to pick up whatever language! Good luck everyone.

[@HamidMN]

Thanks - answered my question!

[@eyetalic]

Good job with the huge topic. Very helpful.

[@inseerlink3511]

What a great video, thank you!

[@jamesspencer5180]

Excellent video, Thank you!

[@astwerhat]

Thanks for this video. It make me feel relaxed and just focus on learning for the sake and joy of learning :)

[@jimmyjimenez8599]

I am 21 a senior right now ready to graduate, I am not the best when it comes to studying when it depends on college. So I did waste 4 years but I met many wonderful people and made connections. I am taking it seriously right now by learning SQL, Python, Data Structures, HTML CSS and JS. Hopefully I can provide an update later on in my life!

[@jushcjz7198]

Same here I recently started Java though im still in college

[@tiagoney]

I just loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooved your video! Congratulations for consolidating what I try to explain over and over again for whoever reachs out to me wanting to create "some program" A HUUUUUUUGE THAAAANK YOUUUUU!

[@mustafaqureshey1956]

Very helpful thank you!

[@user-yr9uy2ut7u]

wow! awesome, exciting, and very informative. Should also mention the clear and "not boring" speaking. Really appreciated.

[@thelist5677]

What a very wonderful video, every beginner should see this video before searching anything on youtube on this topic. very helpful thanks.

[@noisearchitect]

Thank you for the advise. I'm learning C++ and VBA for Excell at the moment because it is usefull at my job.

[@33nano]

Truly awesome video. My biggest takeaway, 'picking a programming language without a problem is like shopping for ingredients without a recipe."

[@Nobody-vj2yu]

Thank you so fun for the advice.

[@thebluefrog951]

7 or 8 videos later and I find this one. This video actually answered the question.

[@ESLWithPurpose]

Excellent overview! I'm looking at converting my physical products into an online website that doesn't require an app download. At first, I thought, "Hmm...maybe I need to learn how to engineer an app?" Then a friend and mentor of mine mentioned it could likely be done as just a simple mobile-friendly website that is interactive. As a marketer, I could then leverage that as a lead-magnet to collect email addresses and in turn provide valuable and educational content.

[@ipods87]

Usually don’t write comments but I’m applying to boot camps currently and this was helpful and relaxed me. Put in the work and the results will come.

[@KapilKumar-pk9vz]

Thanks Sir for your guidance

[@user-zq1wn7th8m]

Thanks for explanation!!))

[@AnitaPatel-mq2fp]

Same for me I was furloughed and laid off, therefore, learning new things that I was reluctant about.

[@phungdao4660]

You mentioned that person who researched for months for the right code to use/learn for the project--i'm literally THAT guy. I've been googling this question for god knows how long. No matter how many times people have tried to answer it, it was never clear enough for me to be satisfied by the answers. THIS video. Oh my god. This needs to literally be at the starting point of your website's coding pathways. THANK YOU for breaking it down into layman understanding. luv the ANALogies

[@dr.abdelrahmanhussin2490]

great advice to start

[@Eric-qt1qt]

so helpful to start

[@BlueShellshock]

Bless this video, especially the bit about misconceptions. I wanted to start programming to eventually get a job, but was hung up on the 'what language?' question for months. Truth is, I don't know what job I want to accomplish, which is why the section in this video about shared concepts between languages was so spot on. I'm going to pop into learning Java as my first language, and worry about the rest later - thank you!

[@naja7610]

how is it going!

[@BlueShellshock]

@@naja7610 Stuck! Turns out, I'm not a natural. That being said, I -am- slowly progressing through intro to Java bit by bit; might have to reread everything 5 times, but you know what? Eventually, it clicks. I'll get there eventually, thanks for asking.

[@naja7610]

@@BlueShellshock you got this ! 💪💪❤️

[@Glazovikovirizatel]

Thank you!

[@leonleese4919]

Great explanation of what code is. My problem is I’m self taught in BASIC and wrote a programme using MS Basic then converted this to Visual Basic. A much prettier looking tool than the old DOS flashing cursor. I now have a MacBookPro, iPadPro and an iPhone. The ideal would be an App. but I can’t find any way of writing code on iOS machines. The programme itself is to display the details of each battalion with a picture of the CO if available or a closeup of the miniature figure. The rest is a database that works like Ashton Tates DB II. I can’t find a language that I can use on any apple machine ??

[@nigelgolightly8327]

31 years old. Lost my job last year. Moved homes four times and cities twice(birmingham to manchester to london). After getting somewhat stable I've spent the past 10 months in the shaky hospitality industry, I can no longer deal with people. It's getting a bit mad out there and I'd rather work from home so I just started learning javascript. I think I'm too old but lets see if I have the competency to make it through the javscript course.

[@TerrenceBurnett]

Nice video, I'm also a computer science graduate looking to dabble into java!

[@wendyk9694]

Learning and mastering the basics will make it very easy.

[@DisperseControl]

Really helpful video!

[@dannyman2200]

Hey there, you mentioned it slightly in the video but I wasn't quite sure what the whole answer was, for app's to go onto the app store do they have to be written is swift? or can they be built in Javascript or Python? Thanks!

[@gruv2nz]

Good video, thank you

[@shada0]

What I'm picking up as a new programmer on his 4th day is, my first task is to learn is to learn to program not really to learn a language, but you learn to program through a language. I'm also seeing to go pro you may need to learn a few languages, my question is how much of what I'm learning is basic programing & how much is that language like say 70% the process & 30% is the tool. Also if you get really into this it's very possible your language may fall out of favor, requiring you to migrate to a new one.

[@viliuskuznecovas]

Thanks!

[@gautamsunal239]

Hey Patrick. Thank you very much for the video. It was really helpful. If you don't mind, could you suggest to me some low-level languages?

[@joserosa5342]

Im choosing C cuz is the basic or core for the others language and C/ and C++ is use in robotics. thats why.

[@norajorba1899]

I just had a baby and during maternity leave I started being curious about coding because my partner, a musician with no work due to the pandemic, has started one of Codecademy career paths. I'm joining in with the free HTML course... let's see what happens from there. Might edit my comment as I go along. My background is also in music but up till my baby's birth, I was working as a Virtual Assistant for musicians. I'm worried I might have fewer clients once I go back to work. That's why I want to start learning about coding and doing some small projects. Thinking about long term plan now that we are a family of three! Thanks a bunch for this video. It made me feel more confident to carry on learning!

[@trenth6121]

how u doing?

[@sabuein]

Thank you.

[@SotraEngine4]

I have learned some Python (still at simple level as I haven't yet completely figured out classes). I can like make silly word generators and I have made a rotating pseudo-3D box in pygame to really like get the trigonometry and matrix math for local vs global coordinate systems under my skin Now I wanna learn either C++ or C# (leaning towards C++) as I like wanna just test like if I can like make some game-ish stuff work there as well. Like a rotating box again

[@floweepospisilova6534]

These videos are reason I will subscribe to Codeacademy. You are great, guys

[@firefoxo]

CodeCademy should have a PHP programming language course. That language itself takes like 50% of the world wide web alone.

[@chrissabre1761]

There are a couple good ones on Udemy and W3schools has a good basic program.

[@dkdodge711]

Hi Pat, Are the courses set up to go at your own pace?

[@mysterychemical]

Always remember one thing. Say you recalled some code/syntax by googling or fixed bug you found recently, don't hope that you fixed that issue and it's done. You have to remember what you missed of that code/syntax and type of bug/issue and how you fixed it so that you don't have to freaking google it every time you have such bug/issue or have to recall forgotten code/syntax every freaking time.

[@bills1967]

The analysis paralysis I had for 3 years. KZbin videos will make things worse since they are all telling you different things. I started with html and css back in may and realized that I enjoyed it and got more into web development. Know I am learning js .

[@Vethorzinho]

great video!!

[@Caesar512]

My only critique is that this is very clearly from the perspective of a web developer. Html is mentioned several times while industry mainstays like Java and C++ get only a passing mention at the very end of the video. Not to irk any of the web dev guys but raw html is these days honestly closer to being considered a data file than something executable. Sure that's kind if the point of the video, that you should gravitate to what will suit you, and if you're a web developer then sure, html, css, javascript, but if you're a full stack product guy it's insanity to not start in something C-flavored--C++ is probably a bold choice for a beginner but Java is a great starting point, for example (alternatives including like C# for example) . Full points for the repeated Python call-outs though, that's also a very strong choice for a beginner while also commanding a lot of power.

[@EvanArizona]

Now I need to find websites or blogs to see what's best for my project. For instance, right now I'm trying to do a project where I can fill out text on a website, have that text transfer to a PDF for export to a printer or download. Any ideas?

[@GeekForeverChannel]

now I am learning HTML :) being a front a backend developer is my goal.

[@newtonlkh]

I've been solving my problems wi Excel. But in fact I don't have large amount of data to analyse or visualize. But I use it just because the result is easy to see. I can apply fonts and make the text larger or smaller. I can input and randomize things. But it's really troublesome, because every variable become one Cell. All intermediate steps are additional cells, it become a huge clutter very quickly. I've read from many places that Pyhton is a great language to learn, but all the tutorial's I've seen are mainly working with console views. I can't even see the path how things could be visualized, making a user interface (don't have to shine, but doesn't look yuck), so I've been stuck. Any suggestions??

[@mohamedahmedabdoulaye1008]

I have really appreciate this videos

[@JoePianist]

Good video!

[@gammarayghoul]

8:00 checkpoint

[@aayushiverma8278]

Liking for 14:26 hahaha But on a serious note, quite helpful; thanks! :)

[@WolfBetter]

So, in order to get a job in the USA as a programmer, starting form scratch and without a degree in CS (but with a degree in another, unrelated field) I need to master every language in demand and put it on use on some high level projects? Got it. it looks doable.

[@zleepyjan]

What programming language should I learn if I want to make software like for instance make Microsoft Word, Photoshop or simple Notepad? like when they click the icon it opens up

[@bramantawisnu]

htis is GOLD

[@ROBBIEP]

print("this was such a good explainer, so clear and concise ")

[@GurmeetSingh-fr8uo]

Whats the best premium 13-14" 2 in 1 Windows laptop for developers / programmers ?

[@Ember1]

im just 8 so i just think programming is gonna be fun but hard but if i learn it as a kid ill have years to improve and i know that im gonna do game development and just make websites for fun so if i start little i get better and once i reach college ill be getting As a lot cuz i had so much time to study before college

[@tristandar7973]

what prog language should i choose if i wanna work on a anti cybercrime stuff? tyia

[@shubhamballal2662]

I am from India will you tell me which language should I learn as I have just completed diploma in electronics and telecommunication

[@mrpineapplecat]

Hey Seth!

[@misenthropic]

I'm an intermediate Luau scripter (roblox lol) and beginner C++ programmer. Not really struggling to find a language but the video was cool anyway; thanks!

[@hxllfire]

roblox doesn't count, lol.

[@the_god_killah]

@@hxllfire yes it does lol. if u want to make games on roblox, you learn lua. And u can become a successfull dev on roblox.

[@sephiree7317]

min 14:35 It's literally me learning to code

[@Ember1]

so now i think im gonna start python cuz once i learn a bit i can make simple games and show my family or friends

[@lipovgaming7245]

think when you choose to watch the video because it uploaded 3 years ago

[@juancaca1993]

It is difficult to pay attention while there are a bunch of images showing up at the same time O_O

[@sergeyab9468]

cool!

[@keertigulati9423]

Hi. I have a ques that once we know about basic languages like c++, python,java can we apply for bca course in collage? & is it compulsory to have maths as a main subject for that or does it depends on different collages? P.s- currently i'm about to give my 12th boards in few months.

[@solitude66]

BCA doesn't require math or science background.

[@katherinewilson1853]

omg yes, WHY is it good code. No one ever says WHY is it good, not why I am doing it wrong or right. It drives me insane.

[@vishnupilakkal6967]

i will update