by Brenna Mae

Created on: July 08, 2008

There are so many programming languages out there, most beginners don't know where to start. The most reasonable solution is to start with the easiest, and progress from there. Is there an easy programming language though? Most of them offer different things, and have more focus on different aspects of programming, but none of them are really easier than the another. The trick is to learn important programming concepts first, by learning languages that focus more on those concepts, and build your knowledge from there.

The first thing you should know is that essentially, all the details of every programming language are the same. Programming is a new way of thinking, and among all the programming languages, there are different ways of thinking. This is what programming is really training you in. When it comes down to it though, all languages have data types, classes, and properties.

Start with an Object Oriented Language
This means C, C++, or Java. Understanding what an object is, and then using classes and data types in addition to that will get you in the right mode of thinking. I personally studied Java first, but I have heard that learning C++ or C first is a better choice also. They are very similar however, and stress the mostly the same concepts.

Move onto Scripting Languages
With a good grasp of objects, you can now move onto scripting languages such as PHP, JavaScript, Perl, Python, etc. Most of these languages have objects and classes built in, and the idea is you program with more detail around those classes and objects. Because you have already studied the main concepts behind object oriented programming, you can better understand these languages.

Learn Bits and Pieces of Many Languages
If your profession requires you to learn one language right now, you should still study other languages. All programming is basically the same, only some languages require you to think in a different way than others. You don't need to learn every programming language in detail, but know the basics. You will need to train yourself to think in different ways, because there might be a problem later on and your knowledge of your main programming language might not be enough.

Follow these general rules to get started programming, but be sure to explore a lot of different options so you can find the language that suits what you want to do with it best. The thing to remember though is persistence! You may feel like you can't learn a new programming language, but you don't need to know every detail. Learn the concepts, the basics, and the way of thinking-there's documentation for all the small things.

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