To master in multiple programming languages you need to learn to code. Why?

Today, computers are an inescapable part of our work and personal lives. As technology develops, computers are increasingly more integral to our lives, and the more we understand them and how they work, the better we're able to use them.

Learning to code is not only necessary if you're looking to start a lucrative career as a computer programmer, but it's also an incredibly useful skill that will help you develop in-demand job skills. Employers are looking to hire people who are skilled in software proficiency, technical knowledge, and the ability to obtain and process information and analyze data, and being fluent in a programming language proves to those employers that you have those skills.

Learning programming isn't always about creating a finished product, whether you're building software, apps, or websites. Understanding how programming works teaches computational thinking, logic, and problem-solving skills, which can be applied in any field.

It's not difficult to teach yourself programming with all the free resources available online today, but getting started is impossible if you don't know which programming language you should learn. And the choice isn't easy: thousands of computer programming languages exist, and dozens more are being created every year. Even if you narrow down your choices to only the most popular ones, there is still a lot to choose from.

It can be hard to know which language is best when you're not a programmer yet, but you don't have to understand everything about each programming language to choose the one that's right for you. Each language has its own particular uses, as well as pros and cons. If you have a clear idea of your reasons for learning to program and know exactly what you want to accomplish with your new coding skills, then you'll be able to make the right choice by comparing the options below.

Learn the Language: <What Code Should You Learn?>

There are many languages to code in, so many, in fact, the beginner can easily be overwhelmed. Learn about the top choices so you can be successful and raise your earning potential.

Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)

This is a server-side interpreted, non-compiled, scripting language. It can be written within HTML. Because the code is executed by the server, the result is displayed to the user as plain HTML.

PHP's development started in 1994, created by Rasmus Lerdorf.

Code was released to the public in 1995
2.0: 1996
3.0: 1997/1998
4.0: 1999/2000
5.0: July 2004

PHP files can support:

Text
HTML
CSS
JavaScript
PHP code

PHP can:

Generate dynamic page content
Create, open, read, write, and close files on the server
Collect form data
Send and receive cookies
Add, delete, modify data in your database
Restrict users to access some pages on your website
Encrypt data

Output:

PHP files end in the .php extension
HTML
Images
PDF files
Flash movies
Any text, such as XHTML and XML

Why use PHP?

Runs on various platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OS X, etc)
Compatible with almost all servers used today (Apache, IIS, etc)
Supports a wide range of databases
Free, and open source so many hosting providers run it on their servers.
Easy to learn
Runs efficiently

PHP Jobs

Average Salary: $80,000

Job Count: 20,308

Top Cities:

New York
San Francisco
Chicago
Top Employers:
CyberCoders
IBM
Robert Half Technology

PHP is used on 65.45% of the top 1 million websites.

The most popular content management system (CMS), WordPress uses PHP
WordPress runs on 19% of websites on the Internet

PHP powers more than 20 million websites, including Facebook and Wikipedia

JavaScript

This is a client-side scripting language. It is the only language embedded in all web browsers. Developed in 1995 by Netscape. Used on website: advertising, analytics, widgets

JQuery is the most detected JavaScript library in use on the web, used for 22.9% of the top million websites on the Internet. It provides features and functions to make:

JavaScript browser-agnostic
An easier development process

JavaScript Jobs

Average Salary: $88,000
Job Count: 43,189

Top Cities:

New York
San Francisco
Washington D.C.
Top Employers:
Amazon
Microsoft
IBM
Tidbits of Wisdom

You can use JavaScript to:

Check username availability as the user enters it, preventing the need to reload the page
Build an autocomplete function on your website
Fix layout issues
Enhance HTML text boxes so users have a combination of presets and the ability to enter their own text.

Structured Query Language (SQL)

This is not a programming language or a markup language. It is the standard way to interact with databases, moving information in and out of them. MySQL is the most common way to interact with databases and is a good start for a web developer.

SQL was first developed in 1979. SQL files have a .sql extension.

SQL can:

Execute queries against a database
Retrieve data from a database
Insert records in a database
Update records in a database
Delete records from a database
Create new databases
Create new tables in a database
Create stored procedures in a database
Create views in a database
Set permissions on tables, procedures, and views

SQL Jobs

Average Salary: $90,000
Job Count: 98,454

Top Cities:

New York
Washington D.C.
San Francisco
Top Employers:
Microsoft
United Health Group
Amazon

There are different developers of SQL, such as:

Oracle
Sybase
Microsoft

Their SQL programs all fundamentally work the same way. MySQL is open-source (free), and popular with developers.

Objective-C

Objective-C is an object-oriented programming language, based on C, used by Apple developers (and others). Objective-C was first developed in the 1990s. Objective-C files have a .m extension.

Objective-C can:

Develop mobile apps for iOS
Develop applications for OS X

Objective-C Jobs

Average Salary: $70,000
Job Count: 18,849

Top Cities:

New York
San Francisco
Chicago
Top Employers:
Regis Corporation
SmartStyle
SmartCuts

Though considered the �??correct�?? language for iOS development, it cannot be scaled for other platforms such as Android.

C++

C++ is an object-oriented programming language used to develop software, video games, and more. C++ was first developed in 1983, as an enhancement to the C programming language. C++ files have a .c++ extension.

C++ can

Develop apps for Windows and Linux
Develop video games
Develop mobile apps

C++ Jobs

Average Salary: $90,000
Job Count: 31,893

Top Cities:

New York
Seattle
San Francisco
Top Employers:
Amazon
CyberCoders
Microsoft
Tidbits of Wisdom

C++ is highly portable across multiple devices.

C++ is supported by Apple, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry.

Java©

This is a server-side interpreted compiled language, using a virtual machine. It is not JavaScript and is not related to it.

Java was developed in 1995 and is one of the oldest programming languages on the web.

Java lets you:

Play online games
Upload photos
Take virtual tours
Use interactive maps

Java Job Information:

Average Salary: $95,000
Job Count: 66,485

Top Cities:

New York
Washington D.C.
San Jose
Top Employers:
Amazon
IBM
eBay
Tidbits of Wisdom

Python�?�

This is a server-side interpreted, open-source, non-compiled, scripting language. It can be used on its own, or as part of another framework, like Django.

Python can:

Build websites
Provide database access
Build desktop graphical user interfaces (GUIs)
Build software and games

Python Job Information

Average Salary: $83,000
Job Count: 19,627
Top Cities:
Mountain View
San Francisco
New York
Top Employers:
Amazon
Intel®
Dell

Ruby

This is a server-side interpreted, non-compiled, scripting language. It is Japanese in origin, with no set of specifications. It was released to the public in 1995. Ruby is gaining popularity because of its use with Rails: Ruby on Rails. Rails is a rapid development framework, like Django for Python.

It is a blend of the following programming languages:

Perl
Smalltalkoo
Ada
Lisp

Ruby can:

Build websites
Build simulations
Build web applications

Ruby Job Information

Average Salary: $90,000
Job Count: 13,805
Top Cities:
San Francisco
New York
Seattle
Top Employers:
CyberCoders
ERC
Amazon

Ruby is highly portable; it works on many types of UNIX, Mac OS X, Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP, DOS, BeOS, OS/2, and more.

Online Programming Courses

These online resources can help you learn to code:

Codecademy: Considered by many as the most renowned source on the web, you can learn many languages with easy, interactive tutorials.

Coursera: Get access to full college courses, even beyond programming, for free, though additional fees may sometimes apply.

OpenCourseWare Consortium: Get access to full college courses from a number of partners, for free. You'll be on your own navigating the material, but it can be a great help.

Code.org: Get free tutorials for a number of languages to teach yourself how to code.

Source: HOB

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