The Top 10 Best Programming Languages to Learn in 2021

Software engineering is, without a doubt, a hot profession right now. From 2018 to 2028, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 21 percent increase in programming employment that is more than four times the rate for all professions. Furthermore, the median annual salary for a software developer is about $106,000, about three times the national average.

However, not every programming jobs is the same. Knowing and understanding different programming languages is needed for various positions, businesses, and types of software — and knowing multiple languages is also advantageous. Attempting to break into the field of software programming can be a daunting task, particularly for those who have never programmed before. It’s useful to know which languages are in high demand, whether you’re new to programming or looking to brush up on your skills. Based on the number of work openings, the average annual salary for those positions, and factors such as ease of use and growth potential.

Here are 10 of the most common programming languages to learn in 2021.

1. C#

C# is a Microsoft programming language that has gained a lot of traction in the web and game development industries. C# is most commonly used in the Unity game engine, which is one of the most widely used game engines for creating 2D and 3D video games. C# is also widely used in the development of Windows applications, and is thus used in the backend of websites such as Bing, Visual Studio, and others.

2. Golang

Golang, abbreviated as “Go,” is a programming language created by Google. With the popularity of multithreading and distributed systems in recent years, Golang is steadily gaining traction. This is currently one of Silicon Valley’s most used languages. Go was created in such a way that it easily supports multithreading and enables processes to run in parallel, which is why it was used to create projects such as Kubernetes, Docker, and Blockchain.

3. JavaScript

As the standard programming language for the internet, JavaScript is one of the most commonly used languages. It can be found on almost every website you’ve ever visited. JavaScript has a syntax that allows it to work in both the front-end and back-end of websites, demonstrating its versatility and strength. JavaScript, in addition to HTML and CSS, provides a way for users to not only create and design websites, but also to make them more dynamic by adding functionality to the elements on the page. Furthermore, Javascript is the primary language used in web frameworks like React, Vue, and Node, making it the undisputed king of web creation. JavaScript was used to build many of the websites you visit on a daily basis, including Google, YouTube, and Wikipedia.

4. Python

Python is a language that any programmer should be familiar with in 2021, whether they are just starting out with computer science or have any experience with it. This language is popular among beginners and professionals alike because of its intuitive and easy-to-learn syntax. Python has the advantage of being highly flexible, since it can be used almost anywhere. Python is essential for these and many other projects, whether you’re working on a back-end programmer for a website or mobile app, or you’re working on data science. In the fields of machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and other data science fields, Python is the preferred language. These days, data science is the hottest subject, as businesses and companies are gaining insights from data analysis and using those insights to expand their markets. TensorFlow, Keras, Scikit, and other libraries have made the computation needed to run various models extremely cheap and quick to execute. Python’s simplicity and availability of a wide range of libraries has resulted in a massive increase in demand for the language. Python continues to evolve at a breakneck rate.

5. C++

C++ is one of the most powerful programming languages available, with a high degree of functionality. As a result, this language is widely used in low-level systems such as operating systems, embedded systems, kernel creation, and so on. It’s also used as a starting point for the development of new programming languages. C++ is widely used in game creation, computer graphics, virtual reality, and other fields due to its extensive library and secure nature. C++ developers are often sought by companies such as Nvidia, Google, Microsoft, and Apple.

6. Java

Java is yet another extremely common programming language that, despite being one of the oldest, is still in high demand. Large organisations often use Java in their work. Java is also commonly used in Android production, which makes it a highly sought-after ability to have given the popularity of Android applications. Because of Java’s scalability, memory allocation, and consistency, companies like Amazon, Twitter, and Adobe, as well as a million other GitHub repositories, are among the language’s users.

7. R

R is another programming language that has emerged as a hot favorite among consumers, with both Data Science and Machine Learning becoming hugely popular in the industry. R, like Python, comes with a plethora of libraries and frameworks. R is therefore well suited to the development of Machine Learning algorithms as well as the creation of statistical models. Any business that needs a large amount of data to be analysed and visualized will be looking for developers who are familiar with the R programming language.

8. Swift

Swift is an Apple-developed programming language for developing iOS apps. It’s one of the most in-demand languages, thanks to the continued popularity of iOS apps among users and Apple’s continued dominance. While Flutter (Dart) and React Native are also viable options for iOS development, Swift remains the most common.

9. PHP

Despite the enormous popularity of languages like Python and JavaScript in backend growth, PHP is still going strong and is used by major corporations such as Facebook, Yahoo, and Wikipedia. Since many websites (particularly WordPress) use PHP as their foundation, there is still a high demand for PHP developers in the market. As a result, PHP is still a fantastic language to learn in 2021.

10. Kotlin

Kotlin is a language created by JetBrains for the creation of Android apps. This is precisely why Google has designated Kotlin as the official language for Android growth, surpassing Java. And, given that Android is the most common mobile operating system, it’s no surprise that Kotlin is one of the languages to learn in 2021.