Which programming language is the best for beginner programmers?

I hear very often from beginners going for programming a question about which programming language to learn first. So I decided to give an answer to this question in this post and have this question closed.

The best programming language to start with when entering the software development sphere is HTML. I hope you will become a great programmer and I wish you good luck in your learnings!

Alright, alright, that was just a joke, everyone knows that it is not a programming language. Now on a serious note. If you have decided to become a software developer, you probably have a clear goal and not chasing the hype or just need a highly compensated profession. Otherwise, a programmer lifestyle may disappoint you. I will come back to this topic later, but first, let's talk about what we can have on our plate.

What are the niches in software development?

There are a whole bunch of niches in software development like web, mobile, desktop, TV, game development, data science, cybersecurity, the list goes on and on. Most of the niches limit developers to specific programming languages. A developer who wants to create applications for the iOS platform is going to be limited to programming languages like Objective-C or Swift. Same for Android, that's gonna be Java or Kotlin. Game developers mostly use C++ or C#. Python works best for data science.

If your goal is to make only Android apps you probably should consider starting with Kotlin. If you are interested in machine learning, AI and that kind of stuff then why not dive into Python.

Although as a beginner, you may be unsure which way you wanna go. You are good at solving problems, have logical thinking, and just want to become a great professional in software development? Then you need to be able to program in any language (except Assembler or similar low-level languages) and pick up any platform in a short amount of time. You need to have a deep understanding of how things work, understand common concepts and paradigms. You may be wondering reading through this - "Ok, ok, all this is great, but which programming language do I choose to begin with?". I would suggest starting with C++. If you want to know why go on reading.

Less magic

Programming languages like Javascript and PHP allow you to make some cool stuff without understanding a shit in programming. Also, cause a lot of magic which sometimes confuses even experienced developers. To avoid seeing a code as a learn by rote stuff and instead, understanding how it works, I opt out of suggesting them for beginners.

C++ is a very difficult and strict language, but to make some basic stuff, learning syntax, operators, and statements it is a good option. I started making very simple apps with C++ when I was 14 years old. I didn't understand a lot of things but switching to Javascript and PHP was a piece of cake.

Dynamic data typing vs static data typing

Languages like C++, Java, and Go are strictly typed languages. They force you to understand what is a data type and how they differ from each other. C++ also supports objects, so it is possible to create custom types as well.

With dynamic languages, you may even have no idea about the difference between how numbers and texts can be stored in computer memory.

Functional programming vs object-oriented programming

There are two popular programming paradigms: functional programming and OOP (object-oriented programming). The first one compared to the second is pretty clear and straightforward. Many languages support both of them, but Java, C#. In order not to have a headache and even bother with classes and interfaces right from the start I would definitely suggest not having them as a first programming language.

In conclusion

I used to never suggest C++ as a beginner programming language. It is really difficult and it takes years to have some proficiency with it, but it helps you to realize how things work. Don't try to know everything at once, just go step by step, but having a solid base.

All in all, programming is not about copy-pasting some code from the internet. It is about understanding what to copy-paste to make it solve the problem.