There are many IT jobs out there that demand a prerequisite from the candidates to know specific programming languages. Pursuing a career in the software development sector is highly demanding as of 2024, and so is the craze of potential candidates toward learning more and more programming languages.
So, if you are among the individuals who want to pursue a career in software development, and want to be versatile with skills in various programming languages, then here are thirty options for you, ranked in descending order from easiest to hardest of them all. Read along till the end.
30 Best Easy-to-Hard Programming Languages
So, let’s begin with the thirty best easy-to-hard programming languages of 2024 that you should consider for pursuing a career as a developer:
1. Python
Python is one of the most widely known programming languages every aspiring developer intends to learn. The variety of use cases it has motivates people to take on Python as their core development skill. This language is used for developing web applications and AI applications.
2. R
R is a fairly difficult programming language, ideally preferable for statistical analysis and computation. The researchers or statisticians use this programming language to analyze the datasets. If data analysis is something that interests you, then this programming language should be on your list for sure.
3. Ruby
Ruby is a dynamically typed, OOP, and interpreted language designed from inspiration from several other languages. Some of the languages that inspired Ruby are Ada, Perl, and Lisp. This language is generally used for web applications and scripting needs. The basics are easy to master over Ruby, but for good career growth in development, you need to master the core fundamentals of it.
4. Julia
Julia is a niche-specific development language used mostly for analytics and data science applications. It has a good demand in the business world. The ease of learning is moderate for this programming language, as its syntax is descendent of C. The development pace is rapid, and the syntax is pretty simple for you to understand.
5. HTML
HTML is one of the very common programming languages meant for creating web apps and pages. If you tend to master it, you can use HTML to add links, images, and other forms of content to the web page. It is a simple programming language with wider applications for creating complex web pages. Therefore, to excel in developing web applications or pages, you need to go deeper into HTML.
6. CSS
CSS or Cascading Style Sheets is known as the style sheet language. It describes how a page made over markup language is presented. A style sheet is specified as rules that are meant for web browsers. It serves the purpose of controlling XML or HTML.
7. Go
Go is not among the most popular programming languages, but it is still one-of-a-kind. Even though it’s new, it has a nearly similar syntax to that of Java and C. Learning this language will help you adapt to cross-platform compatibility and extend modern processor support.
8. SQL
SQL is a database query language for accessing or manipulating data across databases. It is a declarative language used for specifying the desired results but not the necessary steps for achieving them. The learning ease is at a moderate to difficult level for SQL, as it is a powerful tool used widely as the query language.
9. NoSQL
It is a database system that doesn’t work with any usual traditional model. Its specialty is used over big data applications that need high-speed scaling. You need to invest a lot of time and effort to master the fundamentals of NoSQL. Databases made out of NoSQL are destined to offer high performance. The need for NoSQL developers is increasing gradually in the market today.
10. C & C++
C is considered one of the most popular yet oldest programming languages. It is the base or foundation of most other programming languages, such as Java, C++, and JavaScript. On the other hand, C++ is just the enhanced version of C. Both of these languages are equally weighted across programming and computer science applications. They are highly preferable for applications that require critical performance. C and C++ developers earn a hefty annual salary, as the market demands.
11. Java
Just like C#, Java has high popularity among developers. You can expect a hefty salary as a Java developer in various organizational setups. The ease of learning proficiency ranges from moderate to difficult, depending on your prior coding knowledge. It is recommended for the development of mobile apps, embedded systems, and web applications.
12. C#
If you talk about the high popularity of programming languages, then C# will be among the top names. The ease of learning is moderate for this language, but the applications are quite diverse. You can use it for creating web applications, microservices, and local applications. It is a compiled and OOP language, which compiles into the .NET language.
13. Bash
Bash , short for “Bourne-Again Shell,” is a widely used Unix-based command-line scripting language. It provides a powerful interface for interacting with the operating system and automating tasks. Bash scripts are text files containing commands and logic, making it essential for system administrators and developers to manage and automate tasks on Linux and Unix systems.
14. Dart
Dart is another popular niche-specific programming language designed for developing mobile and web applications. It has moderate learning ease but is optimal for people with theoretical knowledge of app development and who want to impose practical learnings. It is an object-oriented and statically-typed programming language.
15. Lua
Lua is used for general programming. The design of this language was meant to be portable and to offer easy accessibility to programmers for learning the language. It is a popular language among beginner-level game developers. Even if you are from a non-technical background but want to get into the software development arena, then start with Lua.
16. MATLAB
MATLAB is not specifically categorized as a programming language but is a complex application used for running complex mathematical calculations. It is most likely used in research applications at labs and universities. It has the potential to handle complex mathematical notation and matrix manipulations. All of the functions that are written with C or C# can be called from MATLAB. With MATLAB as one of your skills, you have great career opportunities ahead.
17. TypeScript
TypeScript is gaining momentum among all of the other programming languages. It is a typed JavaScript version, ideally used for bigger codebases. It is supportive for both client and server-side development of the JS projects. Moreover, identifying potential errors and systemic issues is also easy with TypeScript. The learning ease is stated as moderate to difficult for this language.
18. Scala
Scala is a Java VM (Virtual Machine) language that combines with other functional or OOP languages to become one special coding language. It is used mostly for reducing or eradicating bugs from large and complex applications. Thus, it supports both functional as well as object-oriented programming. It is a difficult programming language that even the top companies, such as Twitter and Netflix, use. If you want to pursue a fruitful career in software development, Scala will help you in the quest to achieve it.
19. JavaScript
The most difficult of all, yet the most rewarding programming language, is JavaScript. People aware of a few other relatable programming languages will find it easy to master JavaScript. It is used for developing local and web applications with high functionalities. Learning JS will enable you to be eligible to apply for high-paying development jobs. There are certain advanced coding techniques within JS for you to master on the path to being a successful developer.
20. PHP
PHP is quite easy to learn but has wider functionalities that require time and effort. Therefore, it is listed among the languages that are difficult to master. The primary role of this programming language is to create a server-side scripting system for web applications. It is the base of popular web apps, Joomla and WordPress.
21. Swift
Swift is a well-known programming language that is preferable for developing desktop or mobile applications. Moreover, this language is used for making applications for iOS devices, such as MacBook, iPad, or iPhone. The goal of designing it at first was to support faster debugging than that of Objective C. It has an easier syntax and needs less code for doing complex work.
22. Kotlin
Kotlin is a Java VM language that is used for developing Android applications. The syntax of this language is quite similar to that of Java. Google extends its support to Kotlin to enable it for Android OS development. Thus, the demand for it is substantially higher! So, if you intend to win over a good career as an Android app developer, then Kotlin should be on your bucket list.
23. Prolog
Prolog is a moderately difficult programming language that demands you to be knowledgeable with the coding basics to master it. The specialty of this programming language is used for developing AI applications. It is a declarative programming language based on logical and advanced mathematical theories. It is ideal for use over complex systems and has the potential to process very sophisticated outputs with minimal coding. With this, you will eventually have a good career ahead.
24. PowerShell
PowerShell is a Microsoft scripting and command-line shell language based on the .NET framework. It was designed to manage and automate tasks within Windows environments. It is also ideal for use over other platforms such as macOS or Linux. Learning the ease of this programming language ranges from moderate to difficult.
25. Perl
Perl is a prevalent programming language that is easy to learn. It is ideally used for developing web or local applications. It is a good language to learn at the start of your career, but moving forward, you should upgrade to other high-end programming languages.
26. Visual Basic .NET
Visual Basic .NET is yet another easy programming language by Microsoft. It implements the usual Visual Basic language, which compiles it into the .NET language. Thus, it permits the developers to easily use Visual Basic for writing .NET applications. Therefore, it is one of the most preferred programming languages for beginners.
27. D Lang
D Lang is yet another niche-specific development language. It is as outdated as today but was mostly used for special development projects. It generally combines the overall performance of the compiled languages with the flexibility of all interpreted languages. It supports both object-oriented and imperative programming.
28. Rust
Rust is a niche-driven programming language for systems programming and developing software or application components or frameworks. It is a reasonably difficult programming language in comparison to the ones listed above. It is a very powerful language that ensures reliability, safety, and speed. The learning curve is higher, so you will need more effort to master it.
29. Classic Visual Basic
Visual Basic, by Microsoft, is one of the easiest programming languages that you can seek to learn. It can be used for developing general applications. It is an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and an event-driven programming language, most likely used for making Windows applications.
30. Object Pascal
Object Pascal is another IDE programming language that uses Delphi as its compiler. It is not a programming language for building a career, but it is easy to learn and get hold of the fundamentals of software development.
Conclusion
This article gave insight into the best thirty programming languages in descending order, representing their learning difficulties. There is a high demand for front-end developers, and organizations seek high-end skills from job seekers.
So, you should not just pick the most popular or demanding languages but strengthen your foundations with the easy languages first. Following this, take up the job of meeting the market demands and upskilling yourself with the right programming language to seek a profitable career in the long run.
