Programming Languages part 4
There are many computer programming languages exist today, some are designed to serve a specific purpose or platform while others can be used in almost any application. If you are confused about which language to learn, I would like to give you some recommendations:
As college students, regardless of which field of study that you select, you need to know at least one programming language because sooner or later, you will need it in your job. To start, I recommend that you study Java. This is the most popular language today and being used in every industry around the world. You can also learn Java online, there are several excellent tutorials on YouTube and MOOCs. If you master the Java language, you can learn other languages easily. Java is also being used in many Big Data systems, such as MapR with the OJAI API and JSON.
If you are a Computer Science or Software Engineering students, You may consider learning Python. Currently, in U.S. universities, Python is more popular than Java. It is possible Python could replace Java as the main programming language. Python is being used in many Big data systems, Machine learning, and Artificial Intelligence applications. In addition to Python, you need to learn SQL (Structured Query Language) and NOSQL as well as tools such as PIG, HIVE, Impala, etc. as many Data analyst and Data scientist positions are required these skills.
If you are students in mathematics or statistics but want to work in Big data or Artificial intelligence areas, you may want to learn the R language. R is a statistical computing and graphics programming language specifically designed for statistical computing. You can develop math models and prototypes to prove hypotheses or identify certain patterns or trends from the vast amount of data. R is excellent in helping scientists and mathematicians to explore and understand trends in statistical data.
If you are students in mathematics and want to do research, maybe you want to learn MATLAB. This is a programming language used mostly for numerical computing. MATLAB is similar to Python and C++. If you are good in MATHLAB, it is easy to learn other languages.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
