The tech industry is booming, and the demand for programmers is increasing every year. There are 26.9 million software developers globally, according to a recent Global Developer Population and Demographic Study. This number is projected to increase to 27.7 million in 2023 and 28.7 million in 2024.
The world is moving fast, and there are many job openings for coders in 2023. There are many reasons why coding powers the world. The main use cases of coding include software development, data analytics, data science, web development, mobile app development and big data.
If you want to get involved in this exciting field, it’s essential that you learn how to code. But with so many different programming languages out there, where should you start? This blog will look at the top five coding languages that are most widely used today and why they’re so important.
Why Coding is Important
If you’re reading this, it’s likely that coding has crossed your mind. Maybe you’ve heard of coding but don’t understand it or how it works. Or maybe you know all about coding but are still wondering if it will be useful in your career path. Whatever the case may be, learning to code is good for almost anyone working in a digital environment today.
Coding skills are needed in almost every industry
With the rise of automation and data analysis, coding skills are becoming more important for all kinds of professionals. But even if you don’t work with technology or data, there are still many reasons to consider picking up some basic coding knowledge.
For example, it can be a valuable career booster for those who want to move into management positions but lack the extensive technical experience. Companies that rely on digital products are looking for managers with technical knowledge to understand how they work and make decisions based on facts rather than gut feelings or buzzwords. Coding is also helpful in developing new products or services as well as improving existing ones—an ability that every manager needs.
Coding skills are good for careers where knowledge of data is important
You’ve probably heard the term “data scientist,” but do you know what it means? A data scientist is a professional who uses statistical methods to analyze large sets of data for use in fields such as healthcare, finance, and government. In order to be effective at this job, it is essential that they have strong coding skills.
The same goes for data management roles: if you want to work in a field where your job involves overseeing databases and managing information, you need coding skills. The same can be said about working with data visualizations—if you want to create graphs or charts based on your company’s collected information and present them effectively by using statistical analysis software like RStudio or Excel (which are both based on code), then having coding skills could help boost your career prospects.
Finally, if you want to pursue a career related to digital security—whether as an auditor or someone who works directly with security systems—you will likely need coding skills too.
Learning to code helps enhance your other skills, like problem-solving, mathematics, communication and project management
Learning to code is a problem-solving activity. It helps you to think logically, understand how computers work and solve problems. Learning how to code will improve your time management skills too as you’ll have to plan out the best way to tackle each coding challenge.
Coding can build on the mathematical and logical thinking skills that many people already have. Coding involves logic, reasoning, analysis and decision-making based on what you’ve learned in school or university mathematics courses.
When writing code for computers, we need specific instructions in order for them to make sense of what we want them to do. So this means learning how computer systems operate will help improve your communication skills because now there’s something concrete (the coded language) that both parties are working from instead of just one person describing vague ideas in words alone.
Top 5 coding languages you should know in 2023
What Programming Language Should I Learn?
With 2023 officially here over the last year, we’ve seen unprecedented change in the industry. There are still jobs to be had, but they’re not all going to be programming in JavaScript and Python. Some of the most popular languages will remain relevant, while others will fade into obscurity as new technologies emerge over time. In order to help prepare yourself for this shifting landscape, here are five languages that you should know if you want a job in 2023.
- HTML
HTML is a markup language used to create webpages and web applications. It’s what you use to construct the skeleton of your website, describing how the content will be displayed in an easy-to-read format. HTML can be written in any text editor, but you’ll probably want to use an app like Dreamweaver or Sublime Text if you’re doing any serious work with it.
HTML isn’t really a programming language; instead, it describes how your site should work by marking up content as headings (H1), paragraphs (P), lists (UL) and so on.
- CSS
CSS is a language for describing the look and formatting of web pages. CSS is used to define the style of HTML elements, including colors, fonts, spacing and other visual characteristics. CSS can also be used to control the layout of content on a web page using a cascading grid system.
Many people use CSS because it makes it easier to change their website’s look without having to change any code in JavaScript or HTML scripts. You can also use some simple functions that allow you to easily customize your websites without learning any programming languages.
- JavaScript
JavaScript is a programming language that was first introduced in 1995. It’s used to make websites interactive by adding dynamic functions, such as moving objects or changing text on the page. JavaScript can be used with HTML and CSS to create complex applications for the front end of your website. You might have seen it when you see something like this: “click here to learn more!”
JavaScript is also used with node.js, which allows you to write server-side code in JavaScript that runs on a server rather than on the browser itself (like if it was written in PHP).
- Python
Python is a high-level programming language that’s used in web development, gaming, data science and many other areas. It’s also the most popular programming language for machine learning. Python is an open-source language created by Guido Van Rossum in 1991. There are multiple implementations of Python, including CPython (the most widely used), Jython, IronPython and PyPy.
The Python interpreter reads source code from its standard input (stdin) and executes it line-by-line as it encounters them. The result of executing any line of source code—the value returned by executing the last statement—is then written back to stdout as output from the program run.
- C++
C++ is a general-purpose programming language with object-oriented features and static typing. It was created by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs in 1979, is natively compiled and can be used to develop software for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, and more. Millions of apps were written using C++, including Microsoft Visual Studio (for Windows applications), Adobe Photoshop (for photo editing), Google Chrome browser and Facebook Messenger app.
In What Order Should I Learn Programming Languages
Computer programming is a lucrative, high-paying profession. To make yourself as competitive in the tech industry as possible, you should learn to code in the most common and versatile coding languages.
Here are three simple ways you can easily pick up a new coding language this new year.
- Learn the basics
It’s important to understand your new language’s syntax and basic commands. Read through some tutorials online, or find a guidebook that comes with examples. If there are any sample applications built in the programming language, play around with them and see what they can do.
Find out what kinds of applications are built in this language. You don’t necessarily want to know how web browsers work, but if you’re learning JavaScript because you want to build interactive websites, understanding some basic browser behaviors will help you use it better.
Find out about the community around this new coding language. There may be an active forum for users and developers where you can ask questions about how things work and get tips on where to go next—and who knows? Maybe someone else has already asked your question before.
Learn about jobs available using this particular coding language: What industries are using it? How much does someone with this skill set make? Which companies employ people who know this skill set?
- Build your library of learning resources
The first thing you need to do is find a variety of learning resources that are appropriate for your level of experience. You don’t want to just rely on one resource and not have the opportunity to learn something new because the material was too advanced for you.
You also want a range of materials, so if one format doesn’t work for you, another one is available. Look for books and videos as well as tutorials online or in person at meetups or workshops.
- Make friends with people who are also learning the same language
Making friends with people who are also learning the same language is one of the best ways to quickly become a master coder. The benefits are obvious: you’ll have a friend who can help you when you get stuck, someone to bounce ideas off of and share progress with, and an accountability partner.
You don’t need to be an expert at coding in order to find other learners in your area. Social media makes it easy for anyone interested in coding or computer science to make connections with others who share their interests. If you don’t have any friends who are learning programming languages (and if not, why not?), look into finding a local meetup group through Meetup or Facebook groups focused on your specific language interest (like Python Developers).
Become a coding pro in 2023
If you’re looking for a career in coding, there’s no better time than now. As technology becomes more important to the world around us and the demand for programmers continues to rise, we think these five languages will be some of the most valuable skills to have on your resume.
To help you get started this new year, why not sign up for our free upcoming workshop to easily learn a popular coding language in 2023.