What programming language should I start learning to code with? This is a canonical question that has been a difficult dilemma for future coders for a long time. That is, from about the 90s of the last century “there” (in the West) and from the middle to the end of the two thousandth “here” (in domestic open spaces). In a word, since programming began to go to the masses, this profession began to gain popularity. Even a superficial study of the topic is enough to find out that now the two most popular programming languages for web development are Java and Python. Both of them are very powerful languages with an extensive arsenal of features tailored to solve different problems. Keep in mind that Java and Python are different and have their own strengths and weaknesses. However, it probably does not make sense to maintain a false intrigue, so immediately a bold spoiler: in our opinion, Java is the best option for learning as a first programming language. And now we can talk in more detail about why this is so, since there are enough reasons.
1. Java is the most popular programming language in every way
In terms of popularity and ubiquity, Java will easily overtake everyone else, even the C language, which is almost 50 years old. After all, Java is now used everywhere: on desktops, on mobile platforms, in smart machines, smart homes, and even in teapots and irons, which have also become thoroughly smart along with other household appliances. Today, there are almost 8 million Java programmers around the world. It is because of such a large workforce base that many organizations opt to use this language for new developments. Despite the fact that there are other languages in demand in programming, Java remains the recognized leader by all and is not going to give up its positions yet. According to the TIOBE Index, Java is the world's most popular programming language at 16%, ahead of C and Python.
2. Knowledge of Java provides a lot of job opportunities
For the same reason, Java outperforms everyone else in terms of the number of employment options, and this is critical especially for beginners, because it allows you to find a job after mastering the basic features of the language and progress further in Java, already receiving a stable salary for your work. At the same time, the widespread use of Java also provides Java developers with a lot of opportunities for career growth and transition to higher managerial positions. By the way, it is interesting to note that, despite the abundance of such opportunities, most professional Java coders are not ready to trade this profession for any other. According to researchpopular job search engine Indeed, Java developers demonstrated the lowest probability of changing a profession in the world - only 8%. This suggests that Java is an excellent foundation for a long and financially stable career. But that's not all. The popularity of Java, and most importantly, the number of vacancies for specialists in this language, is only growing. According to the statistics of Collabera, one of the leading IT recruiting agencies, from the beginning of 2017 to the end of 2018, the number of vacancies related to Java increased by 80% at once - from 3.5 thousand to 6.2 thousand. An excellent indicator for language, which is already 25 years old.
3. Learning Java is easy (well, relatively)
Easy in comparison with some programming languages (for example, C ++), and, of course, more difficult with others. But even a basic level of knowledge of Java allows you to create simple but functional elements, while mistakes made in the code are easy to recognize and correct. This is a big plus for Java compared to C or C++, where finding and recognizing bugs in code often becomes a difficult, confusing, and sometimes frankly frustrating process. Java also uses a simple and clear syntax with a minimum of special characters, which makes the code easier to read and easier to learn. And in general, having passed the first stages of mastering the language and overcoming the initial difficulties, writing programs in Java becomes quite simple. And sometimes it's nice too.
4. Developed community and a lot of educational materials in the public domain
The massive and ever-growing community around the world is undoubtedly one of the strengths of Java as a programming language and platform. The community plays a huge role in the life of any language, supporting newcomers, helping to solve problems and simply spreading the latest information. There are hundreds of active forums and social media groups devoted to Java, not to mention organizations that develop their Java open source products and share their work with third-party users. One of the advantages of the Java community is that not only beginners in this field can find help and support, but also experienced professionals, and even Java experts often turn to the community for assistance and help. At the same time, active participation in the community with discussions and mutual assistance is promoted and popularized among Java coders. Thanks to this, any newcomer to Java knows that he will not be left without support and a friendly kick in the ass when necessary. Considering that learning any programming language from scratch is still not an easy task, the assurance that you do not have to go it alone is well worth it.
5. Huge collection of open libraries
It is largely due to the presence of open source libraries that Java is so popular among developers around the world. Apache, Google, and a host of other companies and nonprofits have made libraries available to the public that make Java development easier, faster, and more efficient. This is why experienced Java coders often advise beginners to simply Google the functionality they need before writing their own code. It is very likely that the required function already exists within the open library, has been tested and is available for use by everyone. That is, all the work has already been done for you. Is this not a dream?
Experts: Java is growing and developing, it is used by 90% of Fortune 500 companies, and there will be no less work for Java coders in the near future
Professional developers and experts in the coding industry most often agree with the opinion that it makes sense to start learning with Java, and the language itself is still trendy and popular. “Java is one of the best programming languages ever created, and I'm not saying this just because I'm a passionate Java developer myself. Java has been proving its status for the past 20 years. Two decades is a huge amount of time for any programming language, and Java is only gaining popularity day by day. Yes, there have been periods in the past when activity in the field of Java development has declined, not to mention the traditional rumors about the transition to new modern languages, which have appeared with enviable regularity for many years. Java continues to keep up with the times, changing, improving and staying at the forefront of progress,” —thinksJavin Paul is an experienced Java developer and owner of several Java language blogs. “Maybe now Java is a little lost in “trend”, but it is still the most popular programming language in literally all respects. Java developers continue to add new features and make it less resource intensive, faster, and more flexible, thus better suited for large-scale development. Java continues to evolve as a tool for developing large traditional applications, which is, in fact, a showcase of the kind of coding that most businesses require today - 90% of Fortune 500 companies use it! It doesn't matter how we look at it - a huge base of Java applications and code, as well as a large number of positions for Java developers,says John Mueller, IT expert and author of numerous programming books.
What difficulties can arise when learning Java?
So, beginners at this stage should already understand that Java is objectively the best option for learning as a first language, and those of little faith and doubting this fact should be ashamed and repent. Speaking seriously, along with listing all the advantages of choosing Java to start your coding career, you should also talk about what difficulties newcomers will face along the way. Just to make sure the reader doesn't get the wrong impression after this article that learning Java is a piece of cake. Now, it's not like that. Considering all the advantages mentioned, such as a huge number of open libraries and a friendly community, it should be understood that learning anything from scratch is not an easy task (unless you are going to master the profession of an Instagram model). Since Java is not a young language and, let's say, One of the basic questions for any newbie who is considering learning Java is how long will it take? Of course, it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer here due to the influence of a huge number of factors. So let's just give a couple of quotes. “Java can really be learned in 10 months or less. In general, I would say that learning a language is not such a difficult task. Much harder to learn how to program. It is not the same. Don't make this mistake: Learning to program is hard . To do this, you need to develop analytical and logical skills, applying them to solve problems. And what language you will use to create your own software solutions is already secondary, ” saidRichard Kenneth is an experienced developer and former team leader at ATI Technologies. “The time it takes you to learn Java can vary greatly. If we were talking about an experienced developer who has been coding in C++ and C# for at least several years, I would say that a couple of days would be enough. And I would even advise him to send his resume to the vacancies of Java coders without knowing the language at all (you can master it after getting a position). The problem is not in Java as a language, but in the presence of fundamental programming skills. When employers indicate that they need a coder “with 3-5 years of Java experience,” they are really referring to having these very fundamental skills and the ability to find solutions to problems,” said Fred Ross, a developer at Facebook.
Summing up
Does it make sense to start learning programming with Java, or is it better to choose another language for this? Yes. Java is definitely the best place to start, even though it has its pros and cons just like any other. Does it make sense to start learning Java now, planning your future in the long term? And again, the answer is positive - the popularity of Java is only growing so far, and with it the demand for Java programmers is also increasing. And finally, one more question that always worries those who are looking to start learning Java. How much time will it take? There is no definitive answer here, but according to a CodeGym study, learning Java on average takes from 3 months to several years. As for employment after training, on average, it takes from one to three months to find a job. And taking into account the fact that the demand for Java coders is only growing, it is better to hurry up with the start of training.
Even a superficial study of the topic is enough to find out that now the two most popular programming languages for web development are Java and Python. Both of them are very powerful languages with an extensive arsenal of features tailored to solve different problems. Keep in mind that Java and Python are different and have their own strengths and weaknesses. However, it probably does not make sense to maintain a false intrigue, so immediately a bold spoiler: in our opinion, Java is the best option for learning as a first programming language. And now we can talk in more detail about why this is so, since there are enough reasons.
At the same time, the widespread use of Java also provides Java developers with a lot of opportunities for career growth and transition to higher managerial positions. By the way, it is interesting to note that, despite the abundance of such opportunities, most professional Java coders are not ready to trade this profession for any other. According to researchpopular job search engine Indeed, Java developers demonstrated the lowest probability of changing a profession in the world - only 8%. This suggests that Java is an excellent foundation for a long and financially stable career. But that's not all. The popularity of Java, and most importantly, the number of vacancies for specialists in this language, is only growing. According to the statistics of Collabera, one of the leading IT recruiting agencies, from the beginning of 2017 to the end of 2018, the number of vacancies related to Java increased by 80% at once - from 3.5 thousand to 6.2 thousand. An excellent indicator for language, which is already 25 years old.
One of the advantages of the Java community is that not only beginners in this field can find help and support, but also experienced professionals, and even Java experts often turn to the community for assistance and help. At the same time, active participation in the community with discussions and mutual assistance is promoted and popularized among Java coders. Thanks to this, any newcomer to Java knows that he will not be left without support and a friendly kick in the ass when necessary. Considering that learning any programming language from scratch is still not an easy task, the assurance that you do not have to go it alone is well worth it.
One of the basic questions for any newbie who is considering learning Java is how long will it take? Of course, it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer here due to the influence of a huge number of factors. So let's just give a couple of quotes. “Java can really be learned in 10 months or less. In general, I would say that learning a language is not such a difficult task. Much harder to learn how to program. It is not the same. Don't make this mistake: Learning to program is hard . To do this, you need to develop analytical and logical skills, applying them to solve problems. And what language you will use to create your own software solutions is already secondary, ” saidRichard Kenneth is an experienced developer and former team leader at ATI Technologies. “The time it takes you to learn Java can vary greatly. If we were talking about an experienced developer who has been coding in C++ and C# for at least several years, I would say that a couple of days would be enough. And I would even advise him to send his resume to the vacancies of Java coders without knowing the language at all (you can master it after getting a position). The problem is not in Java as a language, but in the presence of fundamental programming skills. When employers indicate that they need a coder “with 3-5 years of Java experience,” they are really referring to having these very fundamental skills and the ability to find solutions to problems,” said Fred Ross, a developer at Facebook.
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