Learning to program can open up a wealth of opportunities, whether you’re looking to get hired or want to develop your own websites, mobile apps, or programs. Choosing which language to learn, however, can be a challenge. Although there are plenty of options to choose from, JavaScript stands out as a wise choice both for today and for the future. Here are a few reasons to pick up JavaScript either as your first language or to supplement your programming skills.
Easy to Get Started
When aiming to run most interpreted languages, such as Python or Ruby, you’ll need to install an environment. For a compiled language, such as C or C++, you’ll need to install a compiler and other tools. JavaScript, on the other hand, can run directly in the browser, letting you get up and running with nothing more than a basic text editor. The first few steps of learning to program can feel like the most overwhelming, so getting started with JavaScript is a great way to ease the process and focus on learning and getting work done.
Excellent Performance
Although most interpreted languages are significantly faster than they were in the past, they still come with a considerable performance penalty. JavaScript, in most situations, can’t quite match the performance of compiled languages, but its performance is nevertheless strong. Because JavaScript is the de facto language of the web browser, major companies such as Google and Microsoft have invested a substantial amount of money maximizing its performance as much as possible. Furthermore, most of these efforts are open source, so others can incorporate these improvements into their own interpreters. If performance matters and you’d prefer the simplicity and flexibility of an interpreted language, JavaScript is a great option.
Excellent Portability
People use a wide variety of devices. Instead of writing code specifically for a single platform, developers typically prefer to target as many devices as possible. Due to its widespread use, JavaScript has been ported to nearly every popular platform, making it an excellent choice for cross-platform functionality. Releasing your app on various platforms will require a bit of extra work, but starting out with a widely supported language is a great start.
Full-Stack for Web Development
Web development entails dealing with HTML, CSS, and other technologies, but much of the magic happens through JavaScript in the web browser itself. For more advanced uses, however, using a backend language is needed as well, and JavaScript has become a popular choice for backend programming thanks to Node.js and other frameworks. Instead of having to learn a new language for both frontend and backend development, JavaScript lets you learn a single language you can use for both roles. If you’re interested in getting a job in web development or want to release a sophisticated web app, getting started with JavaScript right away is a great option.
Learn Computer Science Concepts
Many programming languages can help you learn a broad range of computer science concepts, but JavaScript is increasingly being used as a tool for teaching computer science ideas due to its multi-paradigm approach. The language is an excellent option for learning procedural programming, and it provides multiple ways to develop object-oriented programs. What separates JavaScript from some of its competitors, however, is its functional programming capabilities. Because of its versatility, JavaScript lets you explore various programming paradigms with ease, letting you try out new ways to author and optimize programs.
Powerful Ecosystem
No matter which text editor or IDE you prefer, it probably offers a robust and powerful JavaScript interface. Furthermore, its widespread use means you’ll be able to find a broad range of powerful and useful libraries to make getting started on new types of programs far easier. When JavaScript was first developed, few imagined it would be used for more than client-side web functionality. Today, JavaScript is a viable option for uses ranging from data science to game development.
Asynchronous Programming
Asynchronous programming is ideal for a large set of use cases, but it’s often difficult to get going in many programming languages. Thanks to Node.js and other frameworks, however, JavaScript offers excellent support and is easy to use. If you’re a beginning programmer, starting with a language that offers such powerful asynchronous features lets you get started with advanced features early on. If you’re a seasoned programmer, you might find that JavaScript offers the perfect balance of performance, portability, and convenience needed to bring asynchronous functionality to your programs.
Conclusion
JavaScript is a quirky language, and nobody could have predicted how it evolved into the language it is today. However, its powerful capabilities, excellent performance, and ease of use make it an excellent language to learn regardless of where you are in your programming career or hobby. Although it’s not the perfect tool for every task, JavaScript is great to add to your toolkit no matter where you are in your programming journey. New developers can start with the modern JavaScript tutorial.