Which Programming Language should you choose in 2021
By: Rishav Ghosh
Tags: Best, Learning To Code, Top 10, Jobs, Programming

A DEFINITIVE GUIDE

Check out the languages you should learn to get a job in 2021!!

Photo by Florian Olivo on Unsplash

As we enter 2021, it is time to check out the top languages that are still going strong or are going to make it big in a few years. So to help you guys and also myself, I researched on what are the best languages that one can learn in 2021.

This article is for all those people who want to learn a new language to change their domain, or maybe get a raise, build a trendy project or as simple as passing time.

This ranking is based on my own research by taking into account their future prospect, and can thus differ from other official rankings like Google Trends.

So I have a few languages lined up but before that, I would like to tell you the factors I took into consideration before ranking them:

How long to learn Job market Overall Salary

Note: The salaries mentioned are for Indians - beginner devs with no industry experience, and based on the city of Bangalore one of the best places for SWEs in India. (Highlight this line if you want US and UK salaries too!)

The Languages for 2021

I guess the top positions never change

Python is one of the most versatile and easy to understand languages in the world. With its easy learning curve (2 – 3 months) and a community of 9 million developers, it easily makes number one on the list. Python is used in a variety of domains: Cloud, Machine Learning, Client and Server Side applications… the list is endless. With mastery of this language, you will be able to easily shift to different domains without having to learn any new language.

Python is an interpreted language that is praised from its simplicity but it comes with its limitations in the form of slower speed compared to compiled languages like Java or C++ and its inefficient handling of memory. Thus just don't depend on pure python try to learn its frameworks like :- Django, Flask and libraries like :- PyTorch and Tensorflow

Uses:- Web Dev, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Web Scraping, NLP…

Average Salary:- ₹600k — ₹800k

Python-Dev Avg. Pay By City, Source: payscale.com

2) JavaScript

I guess it will be a shock to many that I have ranked Javascript at number two. But let me explain as even the PYPL (PopularitY of Programming Language) Index agrees with me. Javascript is an incredible language with its simple syntax and a community of 11 million developers. If you want to develop anything related to web development you will probably have to learn javascript or one of its frameworks which are several in number. With all this javascript should rightfully take its position at the top but it as not as versatile as python thus I placed it at number 2.

JavaScript as well is not as amazing without its amazing frameworks like:- React JS, Angular JS, Vue JS, Node JS and many more. Try to learn at least one client-side and one server-side framework in Javascript if you do end up choosing this one.

Uses:- Anything related to Web Dev, Game Development

Average Salary:- ₹400k — ₹850k(The salary hugely depends on the frameworks you have learnt, as just pure JS is seldom used for industrial applications).

3) Java

With its steep learning curve ( 3–6 months) Java comes in third. Its adherence to OOPs principles and a huge community (almost 9 million developers) still makes it a superb language to learn. With it, you can write really clean code and create resilient client and server integrated applications.

Java is used by both service-based as well as product-based companies and thus Java devs are never out of jobs. Although just learning java is not enough! Try to learn some of its amazing frameworks Spring and Apache Spark.

Uses:- Android Apps, Games, Web Apps, Big Data Apps

Average Salary:- ₹800k — 900k

After the big 3!!

4) C#

C# is pretty much one of the widest used languages even though it is not the most sought out which shows how important and resilient it is. It is a very elegant language that is close to low-level programming languages (C, C++) as well as higher programming languages like Javascript.

C# is currently very active with its latest version 9.0 which is soon going to be released. Moreover, C# frameworks like .NET Core (for backend ) and Xamarin(for frontend and cross mobile) are steadily getting popularity. Finally with the latest version of .NET which will integrate the three:- Xamarin, .NET framework and .NET Core, the future of C# is very bright. So you can definitely give this one a try.

Learning Curve: 3–6 months

Uses:- Games(using the famous Unity Engine), Console and Desktop applications, Native Mobile Applications, Web Development.

Average Salary:- ₹900k — ₹1m

5) Go

In only 6 years since its release Go by Google has managed to be in the top 15 most popular languages in the world according to the PYPL index.

Go is frankly amazing with its runtime efficiency that is comparable to C++ and had the readability and simplicity of high-level languages like Javascript and Python making this a really unique language.

Companies like Netflix, Twitch, Uber, and Dropbox already use it thus you can be sure that the requirement for GO developers is only going to increase and the pay is already pretty good!

Uses:- Microservices, DevOps, Backend Development, System Engineering

Average Pay: ₹600k — ₹800k

6) Dart

A general-purpose programming language recently released by Google that has been steadily rising in popularity over the few years it has been released. One of its most popular frameworks Flutter a cross-platform framework used to build mobile apps supported by several platforms including iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux. So if you want to get into the cross-platform application you should check out Dart.

The biggest issue with Dart is its still nascent community making development that much of a challenge. But if you are looking for a stable and great language that will continuously challenge you Dart is perfect for you.

Learning curve: 3 - 4 months(steep learning curve due to it still being new compared to the old ones).

Uses:- Cross-Platform Development(using the Flutter framework)

Average Salary:- ₹300k — ₹400k

Resources: