Skip to main content

The Best Programming Languages To Learn in 2026 (And Why They Matter)

 Whether you’re a brand new developer or shifting careers, choosing the right programming language to learn in 2025 isn’t just about popularity. It’s also about positioning yourself as someone with the right set of skills for potential future employers. Over time we have witnessed various technological improvements that have lead programming as we once knew it to change vastly.

For this article, I looked at a few different sources to figure out which languages are actually in demand right now. One interesting source I discovered is called SkillQuery (this isn’t sponsored, I just thought it was neat). This is a small project created by a PhD student to show which skills are actually in demand for certain industries.

1. Python

This one is a dead giveaway. 

As a statistics undergrad, the need to learn Python has been absolutely drilled into my head (although I prefer working with R a lot more). But I have to admit, this is for good reason. Most sources I checked listed Python as the most in demand technological skill wanted by employers. At the time of writing this article, there are currently 71,000+ jobs listed on Indeed for python programmers. SkillQuery lists Python as most in demand for both data science and machine learning jobs in the US. It’s no secret that there has been a huge increase in data science and machine learning jobs, and with this comes an increase in demand for Python. The way I see it, Python will not be going away for a long, long time. 

Python is also another straightforward and easy to learn programming language. Many developers praise Python for its accessibility, as well as it’s vast array of libraries and frameworks that make Python incredibly adaptable. Python overall offers numerous opportunities that make it no surprise why it appears on everyone’s “top programming languages” lists.

2. SQL

Again, as a statistics major, I have a major love-hate relationship with SQL.

SQL is a simple, yet incredibly powerful, data driven language that is an important skill to have for anyone interested in data science (especially data analysts). With over 58,000 results on Indeed, learning SQL offers vast opportunities from the tech and data industries to even financial sectors. It also beats out Python on SkillQuery in the US Data Analyst category.

One reason I do enjoy SQL is it incredibly easy to read and understand. I appreciate languages like SQL because you are able to focus on the task on hand rather than decode 400 lines to figure out what’s even happening.

3. C#

This one may be more of a slightly controversial take. 

Often C# is lumped in with .NET, and with a strange, growing consensus that .NET is dying, people may raise an eyebrow when they see this. But honestly, C# has many applications with good future potential, including cloud computing and large enterprise applications. My personal favorite application is game development. C# is the standard language used for the very popular development software Unity, and is one of the first programming languages I ever started learning. I was able to pick it up pretty quickly as a teenager.

While I wouldn’t necessarily rely just on C# (or any singular programming language for that matter) to land you a job, it can make a great addition to a full stack developers’ skillset. C# developers do however tend to be very well compensated, primarily due to its complexity and the need to learn other related technologies and frameworks.

4. JavaScript

While Python continues to gain increased popularity, JavaScript still dominates the web development sphere. I have always liked JavaScript for a number of reasons, and often recommend it to my tutoring students who are interested in learning programming. It’s a very easy language to pickup and can be used in combination with a number of other technologies to produce a wide array of applications. A lot of people agree that JavaScript is crucial to learn if you want to pursue front end development, but with frameworks like Node.js, you can even use it for backend development.

Because JavaScript is so easy to learn, it can also give you a good foundation to learn other languages from. JavaScript was actually my first introduction to functions, and made it really easy to apply an already simple concept to other languages. 

5. Java

Java can be considered an alternative C# in the sense that they are both object-oriented, high level programming languages that are widely used in areas like enterprise applications. Java is also heavily inspired by C-programming just like C#, so syntax is similar. Java is also incredibly useful in the way it can be combined with various other technologies and frameworks. 

I was also not surprised to see Indeed had over 36,000 listings for Java developers, and SkillQuery listed it high amongst its own categories. With Android’s heavy reliance on Java alone, it keeps it consistently relevant in modern day programming. This is another great language for any front end developer to learn thanks to it’s huge list of applications.

Final thoughts — Which one should you choose?


Well… it depends on your goals.

  • Want to get into data science or machine learning? Start with Python.
  • Building games or enterprise apps? Go for C#.
  • Interested in building websites or full-stack apps? You’ll want JavaScript.
  • Looking for job security in big tech or Android development? Java is still rock solid.
  • Working with data in any capacity? You need SQL.

Truth be told, there is no one “best programming language”. The beautiful thing about learning to program is that programming will be a forever changing topic. The ability to adapt to new skillsets will always more potential than becoming an expert in 1–2 languages.


This article was written by Haley Marie Salgado (find me on X)

Subscribe for more tech related thoughts.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Was "Vibe Coding" Before It Was Even A Thing - How It Led Me To Burn Out Doing My Passion

Photo by Gustavo Zambelli on Unsplash (This article was originally posted for paid members on Medium. ) When I was 15, I discovered coding.  I was placed into a generic “Programming 1010” class in high school, and learned Scratch. Before this, I never really knew what I wanted to do as an adult. Often, people would ask me the dreaded “So, what do you wanna do when you grow up?” and I would answer with something just to please them. Oh, something with art maybe? I don’t know. Maybe a nurse. A teacher? Nothing ever stuck with me.  I was always a B average student in school. I did fine getting by, but I just didn’t have interests in the way that other people did. I grew up dealing with a pretty rough childhood, so I didn’t have time to discover what I really liked until I got older. My only hobbies at that point were listening to music and watching horror movies like the hormonal emo teenager I was (and playing Skyrim for 8 hours straight, of course). But something clicked in my...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is HTML Worth Learning in 2025?

If you are new to the world of coding and computers, chances are you have asked yourself this question a multitude of times for various programming languages. And although it’s not a “programming language” in the traditional sense, HTML is no different. As the tech world rapidly evolves and new and improved tools with shiny, already built-in AI features become readily available to users, it almost seems like languages such as HTML are becoming less important. However, I would argue that this isn’t actually true. While learning just HTML on it’s own won’t land you a job in tech, it can certainly strengthen your skills and provide a solid base to expand on. In this article, I will give you 4 reasons why HTML is still worth learning in 2025. 1. HTML is the foundation for the internet Nearly every website you visit relies on some form of HTML. It’s essentially the skeleton of the internet. CSS just makes it pretty, and JavaScript makes it do things. HTML is the part that gives everything a...
Post a Comment
Read more