My review on JavaScript, React, CSS, Python and SQL
Tags: javascript, beginners, webdev, react
Published: 2023-11-08 17:50:31

So far in my coding career I have learned 5 different languages.  I am going to break down each language in this post and give my pros and cons that I experienced in each one as well as share which is my favorite.  

## JavaScript
JavaScript is one of the most common programming languages and nearly anyone who knows how to code has learned this language.  It gives great fundamentals to how other coding languages work is generally pretty universal and considered a core technology in this field.  JavaScript has the ability to run functions as well as create an interactive webpage but is mostly used for adding and editing HTML elements to make your webpage more interactive and have better UI.  From my experience you can produce almost anything you need to in JavaScript as its applications are vast but it can be cumbersome with some of the syntax and length of code needed for some more simple tasks.  I would put JavaScript in the middle of the road for me as far as programming languages go due to the fact that REACT is very similar but feels a bit more user friendly to me.

## React
React is very similar to JavaScript but to me it feels a bit more modern. React can be used to build web, mobile, and desktop applications, making it extremely useful in a world where people are using mobile applications more than desktop. It using many of the core coding principles that you find in JavaScript but also has its own nuances.  You can create functions and event listeners similar to JavaScript but you will also need to use state frequently as it is a core principle in React.  I found that the ability to include your HTML code in your react code made for a quicker and more straight forward way to edit the UI and functionality of your app.  Due to the high functionality and user friendly aspects I put React at the top of the programming languages I have learned so far.

## CSS
CSS also known as cascading style sheets is a language that you will use in combination with a JavaScript or React or any other language you are using to build the structure of an app/website.  CSS is used to describe how all of the HTML images are to be displayed on the website from fonts, to images, to transitions.  Picture any of the graphic design aspects on a website and those are likely CSS.  React and JavaScript generally place all of the items but CSS is what customizes them to look incredible and what we expect from a modern website.  There are thousands of unique things you can do with CSS and if you love being creative and graphic design this might become one of your favorite languages.  You will not be writing functions with CSS.  Graphic design is not as rewarding to me as building the functionality and structure of an app so this language rates towards the bottom for me but I would like to spend more time understanding the nuances because I have seen some incredible applications with CSS that make all the difference. 

## Python
Python was a language created to increase readability of code from the developer perspective as well as make it more user friendly to code.  It relies heavily on perfect syntax so if indentation and your code format is not your favorite this may be a challenging language for you.  With that said the syntax will become a habit pretty quicky if you stick with it.  It is also an object oriented language which is a staple for building and interacting with databases.  One of the challenges for python is that you cannot see your code projected onto a website like JavaScript and React so debugging can be a challenge but it does have a great debugging tool that can be used.  I put Python towards the top as far as languages go due to its ease of use.

## SQL
SQL  or Structured Query Language is a domain-specific language used in programming and designing a backend database.  This is the first language I have learned to create databases so it is a bit unique on this list.  The syntax is very different from the other 4 languages when it comes to coding but with that said it is fairly straight forward. The main things you will be doing while writing SQL is adding, editing, deleting and searching your database to send user friendly information to be used by other languages like Python, React and JavaScript. The challenge with SQL is databases again are not shown on a webpage so you will be working behind the scenes a lot in your terminal so it is imperative you are comfortable in a terminal. 


Overall every programming language has its pros and cons and each person has a different experience with which languages they mesh with best.  I would advise to learn new languages whenever you get the chance as learning new languages has not only allowed me to grow my skillset but helps me understand the languages I have already learned better as well.