What is a good programming language to learn as hobby and possible career change?

Question

I took basic and turbo pascal in highschool. Then Ada in college. (old, I know...don't laugh)
I would like do some at home self-study on programming to see if it is something that would interest me as possbily going back to school for. I currently work for an insurance company. I'm curious what kind of programming languages our IT department uses. I might do a job shadow.
But beyond my current employer, what is a good entry-level yet in demand language to start with?

Answer 1

C/C++

Answer 2

OMG I was right there when I was 20, too! Looking back, here's the advice I would give myself: It's perfectly normal to not have any idea what you want to do. Yea, even expected, with your background. Listen, you won't be this young forever. You must either work or play--doing nothing is not an option! Trust me, you've got plenty of time to decide your future career. But you need some inspiration if you're ever going to get there. If you choose option A (work), then I strongly suggest getting an Associates of Arts Degree in a subject that you enjoy, like English or History, or heck even Liberal Arts. You'll learn lots, meet some new people, and it'll be fun! (Not to mention it'll look great on a resume later)! If you choose option B (play), then I suggest you go snag a job that is appealing to you, shack up with some roommates and have the time of your life! When you feel sufficiently inspired, you may return to school and pursue the career you feel fits you better. And if you want to combine options A and B, well that's fine too, but remember school always comes first.

Answer 3

The C-based languages are always good, but I'd shy away from anything that is unique to one operating system (C#, for example, is only available for windows). Other languages fill certain various needs. Perl, for example, is a great scripting language for manipulating data. If you were really going to make a career out of it, you'd probably want to learn multiple languages. Remember, the language is just what you use to communicate with the computer; it's the logic behind it that you need to cultivate.

In the end, I'd say C++ is your best bet, because it's like a more simple and efficient version of some of the other languages, so once you learn it, it's easier to see where you'd like to go, and it provides a good frame of reference.

Java is a good one as well, and javascript (there is a difference) is another option, but C++ is probably better in the long run (I've heard it's much easier to learn C++ first, and then java, if the need should ever arise).

Best of luck!

Answer 4

If you want to write high-level programs then you need a
high-level language like C++/C#. If you want to just do it as a hobby then learn HTML. Its easy to learn, but you can also challenge yourself to make it do things that take some creative ideas to accomplish.

I will warn you though that HTML might not be as much fun after a while because it is very limited, but I guess that's when you can start learning javaScript.


-BoneSaw

Answer 5

There are so many different programming languages to choose from these days. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, C++ is best suited for game and application development due to the speed advantages. For web development, you should focus on Java. Between these 2, stick with Java since it is easier to learn and more elegant.

Answer 6

Take C++. It's fairly easy to learn and is used in many companies. Or you could also try Visual Basic .net. It's a litttle more geared toeards databases and games, but is an excellent way to do programs.

Answer 7

there r many programming language like c,c++,java,.net etc
but
in which programming language u have interest
according to me
u must have to learn c++ first
it is the base of any programming language
after that
u can easily learn any other luanguage

wish u all the best

Answer 8

I think C#.net or JAVA.

1. object-oriented programming language.
2. latest language.(simple grammar)
3. developer software is free.
4. C base language.(=popular language)

Answer 9

Markatger,

I would highly recommend learning C then C++. To get
you started you can go here to download a C/C++ compiler
called Dev-C++ (can compile C and C++ code).
(This link goes directly to the download)
http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=dev-cpp&filename=devcpp-4.9.9.2_setup.exe&use_mirror=internap


For your C tutorials you can get started here:
http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial/c/lesson1.html


That website also has tutorials for C++.

Good luck to you and if you run into any problems or
if you have any questions please feel free to E-Mail me
at [e-mail]

Enjoy,
- Void

Answer 10

You can try C# . NET or maybe Visual .NET those are quite easy, you can download an express edition of Visual Studio here http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/default.aspx

If you are interested in web development you can try php, is freeware and embeded in html so it's really easy or ASP .NET, which allows you to do more things than php but is not freeware.

For php you can download it here www.easyphp.org it comes with MySQL databases I worked with it and is really easy to understand.

Good Luck

Answer 11

I don't know much but I think C++ and Java are useful nowadays, I'm not quite sure how much, but I know at least that java is becoming more and more used. I hope this helps