Once, only a few people were considered computer programmers with cutting-edge coding skills. Now, many IT jobs require a solid grasp of the top programming languages — yes, more than one.
And If you’re new to the field of software development, the toughest part of learning programming is deciding where to begin. There are hundreds of programming languages in widespread use, each with its own complexities and idiosyncrasies.
Several considerations come into play when making your decision, like the difficulty level you’re willing to learn, the knowledge you already possess(for one already in the field) that aligns with your existing coding skills, or your reasons for learning a top programming language.
Whether you want to develop a mobile application, get certification for programming knowledge, or learn new skills, you need to learn the right programming language. Below you’ll learn about 10 popular programming languages that will be in demand among employers in 2021. You’ll find about each language, its complexity, and how it is used.
1. Javascript
JavaScript is the most popular language, according to Stackoverflow’s 2020 Developer Survey. The same survey showed that 66% of respondents like to work with JS. 17.8% of respondents want to master JS.
Along with HTML and CSS, JavaScript is essential to front-end web development. A majority of the web’s most popular sites, from Facebook and Twitter to Gmail and YouTube, rely on JavaScript to create interactive web pages and dynamically display content to users. Companies using JavaScript include Google, PayPal, Microsoft, Groupon, and many more.
And why not..!!? It offers some amazing advantages as follows.
- Runs instantly inside the web browser
- No compilation requirement
- Offers a very responsive interface to a website
- Highly multipurpose languages
- Simplistic implementation
It can also be used to create animations and control the web interface. Another benefit is its support for all modern browsers. JavaScript can also be used for backend development with the help of Node.js.
2. Python
Python is trending nowadays like never before..!! It is the biggest competitor to Javascript. Especially because of the rising trend of AI..!!
Most often, Python is used in Data Science, Machine Learning, Web Development, Computer Science Education, Computer Vision, and Image Processing, Game Development.
Besides, it is considered one of the easiest software languages to learn and master. Also, Python is undoubtedly the best starting language for beginners. Often named one of the world’s most popular programming languages, Python powers the backend stacks of many startups and is essential in the growing fields of data science and AI
According to Google trends and several reports and ratings, Python is rapidly gaining popularity and has every chance of moving JavaScript from the first place. Many biggies are using python for example Spotify, Facebook, Amazon, and Instagram.
Advantages:
- Very easy to use and learn
- Emphases on code readability
- Wide-ranging library support
- Open-source programming language
- Have a good community support
- Can scale complex applications
- Build a prototype
3. TypeScript
Typescript is a well-known name. Since its release in 2014, it is growing rapidly and maintaining its place in the list of top 10 striking programming languages 2021.
It is developed by Microsoft. Well, it has emerged in response to growing dissatisfaction with JavaScript. Soon after its arrival, It impressed the Google team so much that they began working on developing TypeScript, instead of developing a new language.
The reason behind its popularity is, it is easy for developers to write and maintain codes. Furthermore, it offers a complete description of each component of the code and can be used for developing large applications with a strict syntax and fewer errors.
Companies are diverting towards typescript. Some of the companies that are using typescript include Slack, Vox Media, Medium, ViaVarejo.
Advantages:
- Class and Module Support.
- Static Type-checking.
- ES6 Feature Support.
- Clear Library API Definition.
- Build-in Support for JavaScript Packaging.
- Syntax Similarity to Backend Languages (Java, Scala, .Net)
4. Rust
Rust is a multi-paradigm programming language designed for performance and safety, especially safe concurrency. While Rust is syntactically similar to C++, one thing that it can guarantee is memory safety by using a borrow checker to validate references.
Stack Overflow’s 2020 Developer Survey found that Rust was the most loved programming language among developers for the fifth year in a row, with 86.1 percent of Rust developers saying that they want to continue working with it.
Besides, Rust allows you to store data on the stack or on the heap and determines at compile time when memory is no longer needed and can be cleaned up. This allows efficient usage of memory as well as more performant memory access.
The advantages of Rust mean that other big tech companies, such as Dropbox, Figma, Discord and Coursera, are already starting to use it internally. While it may be a bit more difficult to master than other beginner languages, Rust programming skills are likely to pay off handsomely, as the language’s popularity will only continue to rise in the near future.
Advantages:
- Better memory safety due to the compiler
- Easier concurrency due to the data ownership model that prevents data races
- Zero-cost abstractions
5. Kotlin
Kotlin is a general-purpose programming language originally developed and unveiled as Project Kotlin by JetBrains in 2011. The first version was officially released in 2016. It is interoperable with Java and supports functional programming languages.
Kotlin is used extensively for Android apps, web applications, desktop applications, and server-side application development. Kotlin was built to be better than Java, Many experts claim that the goal has been achieved. Most of the Google applications are based on Kotlin. Some companies using Kotlin as their programming language include Uber, Coursera, Pinterest, PostMates among many others.
Advantage:
- A good compiler
- An Efficient programming language
- Provides an improved run-time performance
- Absence of raw types.
- Less code-heavy than Java and other languages
In addition, the number of Kotlin users in the Github community is growing incredibly fast. According to a report from Octoverse, Kotlin ranks 4th among fast-growing programming languages.
6. Java
Java is one of the most common, in-demand computer programming languages used today.
Owned by Oracle Corporation, this general-purpose programming language with its object-oriented structure has become a standard for applications that can be used regardless of platform (e.g., Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, etc.) because of its Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA) capabilities. As a result, Java is recognized for its portability across platforms, from mainframe data centers to smartphones. Today there are more than 3 billion devices running applications built with Java.
Java is widely used in web and application development as well as big data. Java is also used on the backend of several popular websites, including Google, Amazon, Twitter, and YouTube. It is also extensively used in hundreds of applications. New Java frameworks like Spring, Struts, and Hibernate are also very popular. With millions of Java developers worldwide, there are hundreds of ways to learn Java. Also, Java programmers have an extensive online community and support each other to solve problems.
Advantage:
- Regarded as a good start for learning to think like a programmer and gain coding skills
- You’ll be able to access/manipulate the most important computer functions, like the file system, graphics, and sound for any fairly sophisticated and modern program that can run on any operating system.
7. Swift
Swift is a general-purpose, multi-paradigm, compiled programming language developed by Apple Inc. and the open-source community, first released in 2014
If you’re interested in Apple products and mobile app development, Swift is a good place to start. Swift is a relatively new programming language used to develop iOS and macOS applications.
Swift has been optimized for performance and built from the ground up to match the realities of modern iOS development. Not only does iOS run on every iPhone and iPad, but it’s also the basis for other operating systems such as watchOS (for Apple Watches) and tvOS (for Apple TVs). In addition, Apple isn’t going anywhere as a tech industry leader, and iOS apps continue to be the most profitable in the mobile app marketplace. Companies using Swift include Slack, Uber, Artsy, and Lyft.
It offers some amazing advantages as follows:
- Rapid Development Process
- Easy to Read and Write
- Requires a lot less code
- Improved Performance and Safety
- Easy to Integrate with Objective-C
8. Go
Go was developed by Google in 2007 for APIs and web applications. Go has recently become one of the fastest-growing programming languages due to its simplicity, as well as its ability to handle multicore and networked systems and massive codebases.
One of the core languages favored by Google, Go also known as Golang, as a low-level language is ideal for engineers who want to enter the field of systems programming. It encompasses much of the same functionality of C and C++ without the difficult syntax and steep learning curve. It’s the perfect language for building web servers, data pipelines, and even machine-learning packages.
Go is Ideal for minimal web applications, APIs, and web servers. Besides, it includes some features like C-like semantics, memory management, high performance, and modern data structure support. You can use it for system and network programming, big data, machine learning, audio, and video editing, and more.
Companies that use Go include: Facebook, Apple, Docker, The New York Times, BBC
Advantages:
- Widely considered a “minimalist” language
- Easy to learn
- Transparent code
- Compatible
- Fast
9. C\#
Like C++, C# (pronounced C Sharp) is a general-purpose, object-oriented language built on the foundations of C. It was originally designed by Microsoft as part of its .NET framework for building Windows applications.
C# uses a syntax that’s similar to other C-derived languages such as C++, so it’s easy to pick up if you’re coming from another language in the C family. C# is not only the go-to for Microsoft app development, but it’s also the language mobile developers use to build cross-platform apps on the Xamarin platform.
C++/C# are equally often used for game development and as we know, the gaming industry is very huge and is gaining more and more momentum every year. Besides, Demand for the quality of games is growing, therefore, qualified developers are always needed. As per the report, about 50% of the world’s population spends time to video games every day.
Additionally, anyone who is interested in VR development should consider learning C#. C# is the recommended language for building 3D and 2D video games using the popular Unity game engine, which produces one-third of the top games on the market.
10. Dart
Dart is a client-optimized programming language for apps on multiple platforms. It is developed by Google and is used to build mobile, desktop, server, and web applications. Dart is an object-oriented, class-based, garbage-collected language with C-style syntax. Dart can compile to either native code or JavaScript.
Before Google announced Flutter, Dart was nowhere to be found. However, since the announcement of Flutter in Google I/O, Dart has got drastic attention among mobile developers as an alternative to React Native. The developers who didn’t like JavaScript as the programming language found Dart as an alternative option. As big companies like Useinsider Google, Alibaba, etc adopted Flutter, the popularity of Dart raised considerably.
Advantages:
- It is open-source.
- Dart is really flexible
- Easy to learn
- It has great tooling support.
- It ensures productivity
- Dart can be compiled both AOT and JIT.
Besides, Almost every major Text Editor and IDE has great support for the Dart language. You can use heavy IDEs like Webstorm, IntelliJ IDEA, and Android Studio, or use simple editors like VS Code, Sublime Text, Vim, Emacs, Atom, etc. So you are free to choose whatever editor you are comfortable with.
Conclusion
When deciding which programming language to learn, it’s important not to get caught up in flashy trends and popularity contests. The best programming languages to learn in 2021 are likely the same ones that were best to learn in 2017 and 2018, and that will continue to be true for the next several years as well.
Although the field of computer programming changes rapidly, the languages that we’ve discussed above have a great deal of staying power. By learning one or more of these languages, you’ll be in an excellent position not only for this year but in the years to come.
No matter what language you’re thinking of learning, keep one thing in mind: Employers will want to see examples of your coding proficiency. It’s always a good idea to maintain a portfolio of projects and code samples so that a hiring manager can learn what you’re capable of doing. Even a simple website or game can make all the difference as you’re trying to make yourself stand out in the applicant pool.
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