Learning Programming Languages

A student wrote to me: “I just graduate from high school and will go to college soon. I will study Computer Science and I want to use this summer to learn programming language. I do not know which language would be better. People tell me different things, some say I should learn web programming, other suggested that I learn Java. I do not know which one is easier and where can I learn these languages? My parents are willing to pay for it but my uncle said there are many website tutorials that I can learn without paying anything. He suggested that I look at your website and ask you. Please advice.”

Answer: There are many programming languages, from simple to complex. Today Visual Basic, C++, C# and Java are the most popular languages. Many Computer Science programs are teaching Java and C++ as the key programming languages. Some schools also teach JavaScript, Ruby on Rail, and PERL for web development projects. It is difficult to say which language is easier as everyone has their own opinion. My advice is to select one programming language and learn it well. You must practice by writing code as much as you can until you master it. When you are good with one language, it is easier to learn another. Do not start to learn several languages at the same time, you will be confused. Learning programming language requires patient, commitment, efforts and when you write a lot of code, you will probably realize how easy it is.

Many students like to start with Visual Basic (VB); it is a popular programming language. VB allows you to design graphical elements on screen with a minimum of programming requirements. Java is a very popular programming language due to its platform independence and ease of use. Java is being used in many companies and often the programming language taught in college. C++ is a language for serious programmers and often used in engineering and aerospace industry. C# is similar to Java. It is designed to simplify Web and Internet programming, C# combine the power of C++ with the ease of Visual Basic. PERL is another popular choice for writing Web-based and other types of scripts. JavaScript is similar, but based on Java, whereas Perl is based on C++. There are many websites provide tutorials for people who want to learn programming languages. Most are taught in English but there are other languages websites in Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, and Vietnamese as well.

Visual Basic tutorial websites:

http://www.vb6.us/

http://www.learnvisualstudio.net/

Java tutorial website:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/index-jsp-135888.html

C++ Tutorial website:

http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2FQRpfDizI

C# tutorial websites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_9lfHjYtVg