What is programming? Why learn programming?…
The demand for programmers is increasing day by day. Programmers get exclusive benefits along with excellent remuneration. So keeping these things in mind you can decide to take programming as your career.
What is programming?
Before learning programming let’s know a little about what programming is. Programming is basically telling the computer how to do something. Computers cannot think for themselves, they can only act by following commands. That is, exactly as the computer is told, the computer will work. A computer can understand binary language and write code in binary if it wants to. But writing code in binary is very difficult and takes a lot of time.
Programming languages facilitate communication between computers and humans. A programming language allows us to write programs or instructions in a way that we can easily understand and then a computer can understand.
Level of programming language
Hundreds of programming languages have been discovered since 1945. All these languages can be divided into five generations according to their characteristics. Namely:
- First Generation Programming Language: Machine Language (1945)
- Second Generation Programming Language: Assembly Language (1950)
- Third-Generation Programming Languages: High-Level Languages (1960s)
- Fourth Generation Programming Languages: Very High-Level Languages (1970s)
- Fifth Generation Programming Languages: Natural Language (1980)
Why learn to program?
Nowadays, programming is a highly sought-after skill, as a result of which programming can earn huge sums of money. Once you learn to program, you can use this skill to earn money and do a lot of amazing things. Besides working in various organizations, programming is a very demanding skill in freelancing platforms.
In addition to these, many computer tasks can be done very quickly if you know to program. This tremendous benefit can be achieved through programming. If you know to program, you can create a solution to any problem yourself. No need to scour the app store to find apps for a specific task. You can solve your problems yourself using your skills. That is, you will get opportunities in both financial and personal fields if you know to program. With this skill, you can also start your own technology-based business.
The kind of work that programmers do
A programmer writes code for various programs and apps. It sounds quite simple but actually, the scope of this work is huge. Learning coding or programming can be a daunting task for many.
From banking apps to streaming apps, various software for daily use is created by programmers. Every industry needs programmers, which means you will have no shortage of jobs as a programmer. Examples of tasks that a programmer does are:
- Writing and testing code for new software
- Updating existing programs
- Solving problems in the program
- Testing the security of the software
- Maintaining existing software
How to learn to program?
Programming is a very interesting subject. This skill opens up one’s creativity as well as offers various career options. If you want to learn to program, then follow the below-mentioned step-by-step.
The first step in learning programming is to select a specific programming language. This programming language is at the core of programming. In essence, programming is about creating commands that the computer can understand. There are many types of programming languages, so you can select your preferred programming language. If you don’t like a language, you can leave it and learn a new language, no problem.
C++
Beginning with C, and C++. Try learning programming languages like C# etc. Many popular computer software and games are developed using these languages. C and C++ are not easy to learn even for beginners. However, if you can learn these two programming languages, you will gain a lot of necessary knowledge, because most of the other programming languages are basically just different models of these languages. C and C++ are quite popular and used programming languages, but C# is slowly gaining popularity.
Java
After learning the mentioned language or languages you can learn Java and JavaScript. JavaScript creates web plugins, and Java creates mobile apps. Nowadays these two languages are in high demand, so learning these two languages can be useful. But don’t think that these two are similar because of the similar name, JavaScript and Java are two completely different languages.
Python
After learning the mentioned languages, you can learn Python. Many people recommend learning programming by learning Python first. Python is relatively easier to learn than the other languages mentioned. For those who are just starting out, this popular language can be good to learn. You can learn any programming language on YouTube, various blogs, and online course websites.
You can also learn PHP, which is basically a web programming language. Due to its popularity, tutorials related to this language are readily available on the internet.
You are proficient in programming languages beyond the ones mentioned. If you want, you can take your skills to an extreme level by learning different programming languages beyond the ones mentioned. The more you know, the easier it will be for you to take up programming as a career.
However, it is possible to work by learning only certain languages without learning all the mentioned languages. For example, if you just want to develop a WordPress website, knowing PHP and JavaScript will help you a lot. If you want to make a web app again, you can start with JavaScript. If you follow the mentioned process step by step, you can learn programming completely. In the next section, you will get a general idea about this. A famous free computer programming course is Harvard University’s CS50.
Where is a programming language useful?
Let’s quickly find out which programming language is used more in which field.
- Swift – iOS App Development
- Java, Kotlin – Android App Development
- JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP – Web Development
- Python, R, Matlab – Data, Engineering, and Science Research
- C++, C# – Game Development
We have only tried to give you a simple idea about programming and its usage. Before starting to learn a programming language, make sure to consider whether the language is compatible with your goals.
