I often receive questions like which is the first programming language to learn first, Is Java the right programming language to start in 2020, how good Java is as a first programming language, which is the best programming language for beginners, or shall I start with Java or Python. Well, the answer to all these questions is, Java is one of the most popular programming languages, and there are a lot of reasons to learn Java, starting with Job opportunities to leverage community support. In the context of beginning programming or choosing Java as the first language, my most significant reason is that it's simpler to learn.
The last generation of programmers started learning to program using languages like BASIC and then grew up learning C and C++ with Java as their second or third programming language.
One reason for this could be that C and C++ were more prevalent in those days than Java, the other most curriculum was designed to teach C and C++, and there was no Python those days, at least not in our college.
This is true, often we don't make a choice, and we learn as part of our programming curriculum at school and colleges. In my time, C was the first programming language in our engineering college, and then we learned C++, VB, VC++, and finally Java.
Now I am saying Java is more straightforward and easy to learn, but I still remember saying it was more complicated than C++ because I had to type System.out.println() instead of simpler cout to print something on the screen, but that was just a momentary feeling.
When I started writing and maintaining more significant programs, I found Java much more readable, and you can think about what code is doing. Debugging and finding a problem was also much more comfortable in Java than compared to C++ or C.
By the way, I learn professional programming, or you say real coding only on my first job, and that was when I seriously started learning Java.
Here are a couple of reasons, why I think Java is the right programming language to start learning to code:
1) Java is Simpler, the syntax is much more readable than C, C++, or any other language.
2) Java is good to learn Object-Oriented programming, but not so good for procedural one, prefer C there. The OOP or Object Oriented programming is a useful skill because it handles the complexity of a real-world application quite well. It's easier to think in terms of class and objects.
3) Java has a rich API, and you can do a lot more with Java, including graphics, sound, and, most likely, writing small games like Tic Tac Toe, Tetris, etc.
Not that you cannot do that with other languages, you often need to download and install different modules and libraries, which is a tough job for a starter. When you install Java, most of these feature comes as part of the installation only.
4) Java has strong community support, no matter what kind of questions, doubts, or issue you have, Google can find answers for you. If not Google, then StackOverflow, Java forums, and a lot of other communities are there to help you out.
This is really the single biggest reason I suggest beginners learn to code using Java because when you are starting to learn to program, you will face many different kinds of issues to understand for both programming fundamentals and Java.
Because there are millions of Java developers around and a big community is there to support, most likely, you will find answers quickly without getting frustrated and disappointed.
5) Java is a strongly typed language, which catches many newbie mistakes. Also valid, to a lesser extent, for static typing. This is another reason I suggest beginners learn Java first then Python because Python is a dynamic typing language; you don't need to define types, which makes learning confusing a bit.
6) Java comes with an inbuilt Garbage collection, which is a big plus for a complete beginner. Dealing with memory management is a big thing at the start of learning programming.
These are some of the reasons why I think beginners should learn Java first than any other language. I may be biased because I am a Java programmer, but I also know Python, and I have also done professional programming in C and C++. From that experience, I can say that Java is undoubtedly one of the best programming languages for beginners.
If you have already made up your mind to learn Java, then you can join The Complete Java Masterclass to start your journey into the beautiful world of Java. This is one of the best courses to learn Java for beginners. It's comprehensive but, at the same time, hands-on and suitable for beginners.
Once you are comfortable with Java, you can move to other useful programming languages like Scala, JavaScript, or also go towards scripting languages, like Python, which doesn't need to be compiled.
To be successful in a programming career, you need to keep learning and evolving, that's the biggest challenge of this field. If you happen to love programming and learn new technologies and languages, then this is the right field for you.
Another important thing for a successful programmer is to develop debugging skills, which is a reasoning-based skill. If you want to become a better Java developer, you can also see my recent post about 10 tips to become a better Java developer
If you are good with reasoning and can make a conclusion based upon limited available information, then it will be easy for you to troubleshoot issues and find problems.
Having a good knowledge of IDE like Eclipse, NetBeans, or IntelliJ Idea will also help you with your coding and debugging journey, Java is blessed with a really excellent tool.
That's all on this folks. In my opinion, Java is definitely an excellent language to start programming with, because it's simpler than many others and focuses truly on programming rather than managing systems, like memory management.
If you are convinced to start learning to code with Java, then pick up a copy of Head First Java or join The Complete Java Masterclass and start your journey of programming with one of the best programming languages, Java.
You can definitely choose Java as your first programming language, and once you are comfortable, try to learn a couple of more, like C or Python.
More Resources
Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like this article, then please share it with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.
P. S. - If you like books, you can also check out this list of Must-Read Java Programming books to learn Java in depth.
This is true, often we don't make a choice, and we learn as part of our programming curriculum at school and colleges. In my time, C was the first programming language in our engineering college, and then we learned C++, VB, VC++, and finally Java.
Now I am saying Java is more straightforward and easy to learn, but I still remember saying it was more complicated than C++ because I had to type System.out.println() instead of simpler cout to print something on the screen, but that was just a momentary feeling.
When I started writing and maintaining more significant programs, I found Java much more readable, and you can think about what code is doing. Debugging and finding a problem was also much more comfortable in Java than compared to C++ or C.
By the way, I learn professional programming, or you say real coding only on my first job, and that was when I seriously started learning Java.
Is Java a Good Programming Language for Beginners in 2024?
1) Java is Simpler, the syntax is much more readable than C, C++, or any other language.
2) Java is good to learn Object-Oriented programming, but not so good for procedural one, prefer C there. The OOP or Object Oriented programming is a useful skill because it handles the complexity of a real-world application quite well. It's easier to think in terms of class and objects.
3) Java has a rich API, and you can do a lot more with Java, including graphics, sound, and, most likely, writing small games like Tic Tac Toe, Tetris, etc.
Not that you cannot do that with other languages, you often need to download and install different modules and libraries, which is a tough job for a starter. When you install Java, most of these feature comes as part of the installation only.
4) Java has strong community support, no matter what kind of questions, doubts, or issue you have, Google can find answers for you. If not Google, then StackOverflow, Java forums, and a lot of other communities are there to help you out.
This is really the single biggest reason I suggest beginners learn to code using Java because when you are starting to learn to program, you will face many different kinds of issues to understand for both programming fundamentals and Java.
Because there are millions of Java developers around and a big community is there to support, most likely, you will find answers quickly without getting frustrated and disappointed.
5) Java is a strongly typed language, which catches many newbie mistakes. Also valid, to a lesser extent, for static typing. This is another reason I suggest beginners learn Java first then Python because Python is a dynamic typing language; you don't need to define types, which makes learning confusing a bit.
6) Java comes with an inbuilt Garbage collection, which is a big plus for a complete beginner. Dealing with memory management is a big thing at the start of learning programming.
These are some of the reasons why I think beginners should learn Java first than any other language. I may be biased because I am a Java programmer, but I also know Python, and I have also done professional programming in C and C++. From that experience, I can say that Java is undoubtedly one of the best programming languages for beginners.
If you have already made up your mind to learn Java, then you can join The Complete Java Masterclass to start your journey into the beautiful world of Java. This is one of the best courses to learn Java for beginners. It's comprehensive but, at the same time, hands-on and suitable for beginners.
Is Java Enough to become a Better Programmer?
Now the question is the difference, It's not. As a programmer, you must know a lot of things, like data structures, algorithms, memory management, object-oriented programming, scripting, etc. and different language teaches you a different matter.Once you are comfortable with Java, you can move to other useful programming languages like Scala, JavaScript, or also go towards scripting languages, like Python, which doesn't need to be compiled.
To be successful in a programming career, you need to keep learning and evolving, that's the biggest challenge of this field. If you happen to love programming and learn new technologies and languages, then this is the right field for you.
Another important thing for a successful programmer is to develop debugging skills, which is a reasoning-based skill. If you want to become a better Java developer, you can also see my recent post about 10 tips to become a better Java developer
If you are good with reasoning and can make a conclusion based upon limited available information, then it will be easy for you to troubleshoot issues and find problems.
Having a good knowledge of IDE like Eclipse, NetBeans, or IntelliJ Idea will also help you with your coding and debugging journey, Java is blessed with a really excellent tool.
That's all on this folks. In my opinion, Java is definitely an excellent language to start programming with, because it's simpler than many others and focuses truly on programming rather than managing systems, like memory management.
If you are convinced to start learning to code with Java, then pick up a copy of Head First Java or join The Complete Java Masterclass and start your journey of programming with one of the best programming languages, Java.
You can definitely choose Java as your first programming language, and once you are comfortable, try to learn a couple of more, like C or Python.
More Resources
- The 2024 Java Developer RoadMap
- 10 Best Java Programming Courses for Beginners
- Top 5 Websites to Learn Java Programming in 2024
- 5 Best Core Java Books for Beginners
- 10 Free Java Courses for Beginners and Intermediate developers
- 10 Things Java Developer should learn in 2024
- 21 Websites to Learn Coding for FREE
P. S. - If you like books, you can also check out this list of Must-Read Java Programming books to learn Java in depth.
Thank you
ReplyDelete1) Java is Simpler, syntax are much more readable than C, C++ or any other language. --- That is so NOT true. There is much more readable and less verbose languages from Java - Ruby and Python for example.
ReplyDeleteI think java is the best programming language to start with as it offers many features like you mentioned in the beginning of this article. Those who did not assimilate with this article can go for a read here ( http://bit.ly/329Mv6h ) to know more about java in 2019.It will help your doubts about java as a cooler language to start with.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking from 25 years in the industry developing in both procedural and OOP (Im currently in a Java development role) across a number of languages, just to be an object-oriented programmer then Java is probably a sufficient starter language. The usual spiel about objects correlating to the real world so a easier learning curve etc, and not needing to concern yourself with the deeper mysteries of how things work.
ReplyDeleteIf you are trying to learn the fundamentals of programming,I would recommend something more procedural like C. Object-oriented or not, if-then-else and boolean operations form a part of most programming languages, and no more apparent is that than in procedural languages upon which a an object-oriented framework can be built. Java and C++ also derive much of their syntax from C, and after learning the fundamentals of C, most people will find it an easy progression to move onto C++, Java and many other programming languages similarly derived from C.
One of the biggest advantage of C is, however, is understanding the connection between software and hardware. C was developed in a time when available memory and processing apeed was at a premium, and clear vision of understanding the mechanics is integral without being too complex (as perhaps C++ is). Java is arguably faster and practical in developing real world applications with automated threadsafe and memory management and cross-platform options, but the level of abstraction is less useful when it comes to LEARNING the fundamentals. Understanding not only the issues that Java has overcome, but also to write better Java code by being able to identify the shortcomings of Java. Outside an academic environment OOP is rarely the best solution for in contexts, or necessary. The best Java programmers I know started as C/C++ coders and still draw on that knowledge.
As for the argument that Java is easier to learn, and a springboard into more advanced topics, then I might suggest Python instead. It offers opportunities in both procedural and object-oriented methodolgies, extremely versatile , has a vast collection of libraries to choose from, it is one of the most popular languages in industry today, and extremely simple to pick up and code fast. To learn a passion for coding more. I can write in a few lines in Python what can take hundreds of lines in Java. But this is another whole story and Ive gone on too long.
Hello Pete,
DeleteThanks for your insightful comment. I have learned programming using C/C++ so I can related to what you said and your comment on Python is also quite valid, especially to do real things, but Java is on another level. I personally found Java much more easier than any other language. It also encourage you to do the coding in right way unlike Python. Ultimately some people will find Python and some will find Java easier to learn, so its really upto learner and his interest.