Many people think that they want to "learn how to code", but they don't stop to consider what they want to make.<ul><li>JavaScript is unavoidable if you want to get into front-end development, but many people jump into it without considering what they're trying to do.</li><li>Many computer science programs start with Python, perhaps because it has a simple syntax and robust documentation.</li></ul>If you want to be a developer, start with the end in mind: What do you want to make?

Which programming language to learn first

SQL is not really a "programming" language. You won't be making entire Apps with it. But you'll use it to communicate with or get information from databases.&nbsp; SQL is essential if you want to work with data science. But if you've never written a single line of code in your life, you probably shouldn't start with SQL.&nbsp;

Java used to be one of the most commonly taught languages in computer science programs, but Python and Ruby are easier to learn. If you want to be an Android developer, start with Java. But if not, Python may give you more versatility.&nbsp;

Java (not JavaScript)

Python is a versatile general-purpose language. You can use it for almost anything, from web development to games. If you're just interested in coding, you can start with Python. If you want to get a job as a data scientist, you can start with Python. Python is ideal for making it easy to work with huge amounts of data. It has robust documentation.&nbsp;

Python

HTML is used to put text, images, and other elements on a website - for example, headers, footers, line breaks, links, italicized text, etc. CSS is used to change how these elements work. CSS lets you customize the look of each element on your page, such as borders, font sizes and grids. Learn Flexbox and Grid to make pages responsive and see how far you can push CSS. Explore Bootstrap, an open-source front-end framework.

HTML and CSS are essential for front-end development

If you want to be an iOS developer, it’s fine to start with Swift. Swift is a relatively new language and easy to learn. Swift can be your first language to learn if your goal is to be an iOS developer.

Swift

Ruby on Rails is not a language. Ruby is the language. Rails is the framework.&nbsp; Most experienced developers agree that Ruby is fun to use, but it’s pretty intolerant of errors. Ruby is a high-level language that can accomplish quite a bit with just a few lines of code. But it’s not a language that coding academies or computer science programs teach first.

Ruby is a back-end language

Once you've learned HTML, CSS, Flexbox and Grid, you'll find that your programming journey has led to Java Script. JavaScript is used to make websites interactive and web elements functional. You can add a button to your Website with HTML, style it with CSS, and give it functionality with Javascript. JavaScript can be used to design browser-based games. You can use even use Javascript for Back-End work using Node.Js.

JavaScript

A game developer uses Unity. With Unity, you can build amazing games, even as a beginner. With Unity, you'll probably use C#.&nbsp;C #is a great language to learn first if your goal is to be a game developer or if you want to build Microsoft applications.

Figure out what you want to do before you choose a programming language. If you're starting out, select a language that aligns well with your short and long-term goals instead of choosing something random. What are some of the things you want to make? &nbsp;<ul><li>websites&nbsp;</li><li>computer games&nbsp;</li><li>mobile apps (iOS? Android?)&nbsp;</li></ul>What are some of the things you can do?<ul><li>data science</li><li>artificial intelligence</li><li>machine learning</li><li>cyber security</li><li>technical writing</li><li>database administration</li></ul>

Begin with the end

This is the most common question I’ve received since publishing What I Wish I Knew Before I Learned To Code. Most people assume there’s an obvious choice, but the answer is not always so clear. Many…