How To Find The Right Programming Language For You

As a newbie in tech, one of the biggest dilemmas is "There are so many cool technologies coming out every day, which one do I learn?". The world of programming is vast and exciting and it can be overwhelming to find what fits you.

When I started out, I was a total mess when it came to learning to code. I was learning python, javascript, and sometimes C all at the same time. I wasn't even sure what these languages were used for or why I was learning them. I was just excited to learn to code. Well as you guessed it, I made no real progress and I could not boast of a single project I could build in any of these languages for a long time. Well, luckily I found my way and eventually began to make real progress as a developer.

In this post, I'll be sharing my tips on how to pick the right programming languages or frameworks for your developer journey. Also, before we start, I would like to say these tips are solely my opinion so they may not be valid for everyone. Don't take them as facts but just little guiding steps to help you find the right tools for you. Let's get into it.

1. Why Did You Come To Tech In The First Place?

One quick way to find your way in tech is to identify what brought you into tech in the first place. Everyone has different agendas for coming into this field.

• If you're coming for the money (nothing wrong with that), find out which technologies are in high demand today and how the trend looks like in the coming years. Definitely, you should go for technologies that are high up the pay chart and are quite popular too.

• Maybe you like building beautiful websites and apps( called front-end development ). Definitely check out the tools people are using today to do that and start digging into it.

• You may have seen some cool AI technology ( especially with all these new robots doing cool, amazing things), then you might want to check out machine learning and AI. Find out what are the big technologies used and start learning them.

2. What Are The Most Popular Technologies?

I have met a few people who are not actually sure why they got into tech. They just like the idea of programming and somehow they found themselves trying to figure out where they fit in. If you fall in that category, just know there is nothing wrong with experimenting until you find what fits you. I did a little bit of experimenting myself when I started out. Now a good way to find tech to experiment with is to go straight for the most popular tools in the industry now.

For example, it's no secret JavaScript and Python are the most talked-about languages on the internet, especially on Twitter. If you don't know where you fit in, definitely jump on the hype, try JavaScript, learn more about it, build something cool, do you like what you've built? is the entire process worth it? There you go, JavaScript might just be your thing. If not, you can repeat this cycle for a few more technologies. Chances are by your third cycle, you'll either love it or make come back to one of the first two.

3. What Technologies Are Used In Your Local Area?

This is more for those actively looking to get a job in tech. A good way is to find out what companies in your area are using to build their software. Where I'm from (Cameroon), Java/Springboot is like the killer combination. You'll see it in school curriculums and definitely in the few tech companies around here. In your area, it might be different. Check out a few companies you're looking to work for, find out what they are using and start learning it.

4. What Can You Learn With Your Friends?

Now, this final tip might be controversial. Follow your friends! Now wait, hear me out. Remember back in school when you would do group studies with your friends? It was more fun studying with them right? Here's what I think, if you're not sure what you want to learn in tech, find and make friends in tech and learn from them. Find out why they are in tech and what motivates them. That might inspire you to find your own path and learn along with them. Having a community to learn along with is one of the most valuable gems you can have as a developer.

That's it, guys. I hope now you can find your way in tech. If you have any more questions or need more guidance, you can always reach out to me on Twitter @timo__tech. I'll try my best to answer all your questions. I'll leave you with this. What is your path in tech at the moment? Leave a comment below. See you guys on the next one!