Top 7 Programming Languages to Learn in 2022

Software development industry is evolving rapidly with continuous technological advancements. According to a report by Statista, “Revenue in the Software market is projected to reach US$593.40bn in 2022.” Top companies such as Google, Amazon, Apple, IBM, Github, Oracle, and more, are actively hiring for software development roles. If this excites you and you want to start your development career, this blog is right for you. 

In this blog, we will discuss the seven best programming languages to learn in 2022 and the scope of job opportunities in different sectors.

Top 7 programming languages in 2022

1. Python 

Created by Guido van Rossum, Python is a general-purpose language released in 1991. It has English-like syntax, making it a preferred language among new programming enthusiasts. It is a versatile language as you can use it for simple and complex tasks.

According to Stack Overflow, Python is the fastest-growing programming language, and there is a high demand for Python developers. It is an excellent choice for developers who want to step into the world of data science. Python boasts hundreds of libraries that help avoid repetitive tasks. Python is used across sectors, including finance, trading, web development, and computer graphics. 

Applications of Python

1. The popular OTT platform, Netflix, uses Python for data analysis, web development, machine learning, and DevOps.
2. Dropbox, a cloud-based platform, uses Python to power its back-end and client-side applications due to its quick development cycle, cross-platform support, ease of learning, and readability.

2. Java

James Gosling is the creator of Java. It is one of the most popular programming languages, and most developers begin programming using Java. It is an open-source programming language and offers various libraries to make the development easier.

Like Python, it is also a universal programming language to develop web, desktop, and mobile applications. It has a large community of users ready to help each other. Java is used for AI, cloud computing, machine learning, and big data projects.

One of the most significant advantages of learning Java is countless job opportunities. This programming language is used almost everywhere, and if you master it, you will never have to worry about being unemployed.

Applications of Java

1. Airbnb uses Java for the backend-server and Android development.
2. Google uses Java to develop Google Docs applications.

3. R

Developed in 1995 by Robert Gentleman and Ross Ihaka, R is the most popular programming language in the world of data science. It is used for analyzing structured and unstructured data. Some reasons to learn R-

1) Open source – you can use it for developing your projects for free.

2) Robust visualization libraries –  R’s libraries like ggplot2, plotly offer aesthetic graphics to its users.

3) Great for developing web applications – because of its libraries and R shiny package, you can develop interactive dashboards and embed visualizations.  

4) Excellent choice for statistics and data science – developed by statisticians, R is suitable for implementing complex statistics operations because of in-built packages that help with data wrangling.

Applications of R

1. Facebook uses the R programming language to update status, predict colleague interactions, and create social network graphs.
2. Google uses R as its primary statistics language for large-scale structured data analysis, parallel statistical forecasting, and studying the effectiveness of search advertising,
   

4. Go

Google designed and developed Golang or Go programming language in 2007. Similar to the programming language C, Go was developed to replace C++. It is easy to learn with a small syntax and agile as you can run multiple processes simultaneously. It is an open-source and statically compiled programming language.

With Go, you can develop software at a faster rate. It doesn’t require an interpreter, making it a step ahead of other programming languages, like Java. Go is widely used in networking, system programming, big data, ML, audio, and video editing applications.

Applications of Go

1. BBC, a worldwide broadcaster, used Golang for the back-end development of their website and internal analytic services.
2. Uber used R to build a microservice for geofence lookups due to its high performance, reliability, and developer productivity.

5. Rust

Graydon Hoare created the Rust programming language. It was developed for low-level memory management but offered high-level features such as functional programming.  Rust is one of the fastest-growing programming languages, as per Stack overflow.

It also provides high performance while ensuring code safety. Developers use Rust in Operating systems and microcontroller applications.

Applications of Rust

1. Figma, a web-based design tool, used Rust to update its multiplayer synchronization engine to enhance its performance.
2. Discord, an instant messaging social platform, is written in Rust.

6. JavaScript

Brendan Eich created JavaScript in 1995. It is one of the chief programming languages used in web development. Programmers use JavaScript to create dynamic and interactive web content and applications.

It is a simple language that gives the leverage to create rich interfaces. It is used throughout web development, including services, applications, and web and mobile apps. JavaScript also offers various frameworks, libraries, and tools such as React, Angular, Node.js, Vue.js, etc., to make web development easier.

Applications of JavaScript

1. eBay, the popular e-commerce company, uses Javascript for both front-end and back-end development.
2. Paypal, an online payment platform, uses JavaScript for building its client-facing applications.

7. SQL

SQL was developed by IBM corporation. SQL is one of the popular programming languages used to work with relational databases. SQL is used to fetch data from large databases. You don’t require any coding skills to learn SQL. It is portable, and users can run queries to access databases using SQL. 

It is widely used to extract meaningful information from large datasets. Professionals such as data analysts, data engineers, full-stack developers, product managers, data scientists, etc., can learn SQL to succeed in their careers. 

Applications of SQL

1. Accenture uses SQL for data management and analysis.
2. Cognizant, Facebook, and LinkedIn all use it for the same purpose.

Conclusion

We have discussed the top seven programming languages that software development enthusiasts can learn in 2022. Even after years of their inception, Python and Java remain the top programming languages to learn in 2022. Now is a great time to start if you want to kickstart your software development career. Good luck!