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People new to programming often wonder which programming language to learn first. The answer largely depends on the type of IT career you desire. For example, you may be looking for a career as an application developer, front-end developer, full-stack developer, or data scientist; each of them requires knowledge of different programming languages.
Both Python and JavaScript have their own areas of expertise which we will discuss in detail later. In short, JavaScript is one of the standard languages of the web, with 98% of WEBSITES using it. Python is a general-purpose programming language that can be used for almost anything and plays a key role in data science and machine learning.
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If you decide to get started with Python, check out our PYTHON BASICS minitrack. It includes three interactive courses with 229 coding challenges covering conditional statements, loops, basic data structures, and more. But while you’re still deciding between Python and JavaScript, let’s take a quick look at how these languages came to be and where they’re used today.
Two popular programming languages of the 1990s
JavaScript and Python both appeared in the 1990s. They are roughly the same age, Python was first released in 1991 and JavaScript in 1995. However, the stories behind these programming languages are very different.
JavaScript was released by Netscape as a scripting language for their Netscape Navigator web browser, which quickly became the most widely used browser at the time. JavaScript became even more popular as a web scripting language when Netscape’s successor Mozilla released the Firefox web browser in 2004 and Google released Chrome with a JavaScript engine in 2008. JavaScript became the Web’s standard scripting language. Additionally, the creation of Node.js (a runtime environment that runs JavaScript outside of a web browser) in 2009 caused a significant increase in other JavaScript usage.
Python was created by Guido van Rossum, a Dutch programmer, in 1991. Unlike JavaScript, which was developed by a large team and backed by companies like Google, Python was started by a single person.
Of course, the Python language we use now has received contributions from thousands of programmers around the world, but it all started with the concept introduced by Guido van Rossum more than 30 years ago. Initially, Python was primarily used as a scripting language, but its growing popularity is largely due to Python’s important role in data science and machine learning.
Now let’s look at the application areas of Python and JavaScript in more detail.
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How and where Python and JavaScript are used
1: Which of the following data types is immutable in Python?
While both are extremely popular among beginners, JavaScript and Python tend to have very different use cases.
JavaScript is mainly used in web development:
- Every modern web browser supports JavaScript, and almost all websites use client-side JavaScript for website operations. Essentially, JavaScript is what makes a website interactive.
- However, there are also server-side JavaScript implementations, of which Node.js is the most popular example.
- Finally, JavaScript is also widely used as a scripting language in Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Before you make your choice, it’s important to understand that although JavaScript is considered a general-purpose programming language, it is related to front-end and web programming. In practice, it’s generally impossible to do non-web related things with JavaScript.
In contract, Python is a general-purpose programming language used in many different applications and industries – you can even CONQUER MARS with Python! It often ranks among the most popular programming languages, largely due to its wide range of applications:
- When released, Python was primarily used as a scripting language to automate processes.
different processes and tasks. Today, we can use Python to automatically rename multiple files, split and merge PDFs, send email reminders, and more. - Python is also actively used for software testing and prototyping. This is one of the best tools for bug tracking and software testing when new products and features are released.
- However, the main fields that have contributed to Python’s popularity over the past decade are data science and artificial intelligence. With a rich library ecosystem for scientific computing, Python is a prominent programming language used by data scientists and machine learning engineers. Python supports data analysis, data visualization, machine learning models, and complex AI models for natural language processing and computer vision.
If you’re not sure which career path to take in programming, Python might be a better choice; This allows for more opportunities. But there are other factors to consider.
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Should you choose Python or JavaScript?
When choosing your first programming language, you need to consider more than just application areas.
The following aspects may influence your choice:
Suitable for beginners
Python and JavaScript can both be suitable for beginners, but from different angles:
JavaScript is easy to use because all you need is a browser. You don’t need a separate compiler or development environment on your computer to start practicing JavaScript. It’s easy to play with code, create something useful, and have something to show off to your friends and family. However, when it comes to code, JavaScript is often considered complex. It does not enforce good coding practices and you can often have programs that work but are difficult to follow due to poorly written code.
On the other hand, Python is famous as a programming language. Guido van Rossum has done a great job creating language that is very clear and easy to use. Python enforces good coding practices (e.g.
consistent indentation) and generally produces well-written, easy-to-follow programs. However, you will need to install the Python interpreter on your computer to start practicing this programming language.
Of course, you can always start with interactive online courses that let you code from the comfort of your web browser.
Learning Resources
Today, we are fortunate to have many online learning resources that allow you to LEARN NEW PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES quickly and effectively. But with many different resources comes another challenge: choosing the best resource.
If you want to get started with Python, I recommend the PYTHON BASICS mini-track. It’s perfect for those who are completely new to it. The course includes three interactive courses that cover the basics of Python syntax
Python Basics Part 1 covers conditional statements, loops, and writing and using functions.
Python Basics part 2 explains how to use lists, dictionaries, and files.
Python Basic part 3 covers more complex data types, such as data sets, date and time data sets.
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When it comes to JavaScript, I recommend looking for interactive courses that cover a lot of coding early on. You can search for such courses on COURSERA, UDEMY and other learning platforms.
Salary Outlook
Salary expectations are also a factor when choosing your first programming language. The 2021 STACK OVERFLOW DEVELOPER SURVEY shows that Python developers are typically paid slightly more than JavaScript developers. Specifically, experienced JavaScript developers earn an average of $56,616 per year, while experienced Python developers earn $61,465 per year.
In the US labor market, wages are generally higher than the global market. According to Glassdoor, Python developers in the United States earn an average of $109,472 per year, while JavaScript developers earn a little more: about $110,718 PER YEAR. These include both base salary and additional payments.
Along with Python and JavaScript, Java is also often considered one of the best choices for a first programming language for beginners.
It is widely used for app and game development; If you’re interested in these career paths, check out our guides comparing Python and Java IN SIMPLICITY, SPEED AND POPULARITY and DATE IN APPLICABLE AREAS, AVAILABLE TOOLKITS AND PROSPECTS WAGE.
Hopefully this article will help you in choosing your first programming language. Thanks for reading and happy learning!
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