In the modern world, the demand for computer scientists and technology continues to grow. Everything around us is transforming, undergoing a digital makeover. With so many people becoming a part of this field, it comes as no surprise how much technology has expanded and the rate at which it is developing. Computer science itself is divided into various sub-fields, each of which has its own set of specialized workers.
The year 2020 has given a massive boost to digital technologies and spurred the demand for developers and programmers. However, given the dynamic nature of the technology landscape, new technologies emerge each day. While upskilling and learning new programming languages is a definite plus for any developer who wishes to grow in their career, knowing which languages to learn is equally important.
Below is a list of the top 10 programming languages that are predicted to rule 2021 in order of priority. If you’re looking to upskill, this list can be a good reference point.
Python is the fastest growing and one of the most popular programming languages with reliable and well-built frameworks. It is open-source and comprehendible. It is widely used in the industry.
Django framework, which is based on python, is popularly used in web development. Also, Python is the preferred programming language for machine learning and artificial intelligence.
It’s no coincidence that leading companies such as Instagram, Spotify, Amazon, and Facebook use Python to code. Python developers with a few years of experience can command salaries around US$107K and around 8 lakh rupees per annum in India.
The most popular language for web development is none other than JavaScript.
While JavaScript is the go-to language for frontend development, it is also being used for server-side or backend development with the introduction of frameworks like Node.js. JavaScript is also being used for developing games and the internet of things.
Tech giants such as PayPal, Google, Microsoft regularly use JavaScript. JavaScript developers with a few years of experience can earn nearly US$117k per annum and, around 12 lakh rupees per annum in India, as per Glassdoor.
Java is an iconic language created by James Gosling in the year 1991.
Java skills have always been in demand in the industry. Java has a large application base in the industry, from scientific applications, financial and banking services, to web and mobile development and desktop application development.
Several companies, including the likes of IBM, HCL, Infosys etc. use Java extensively. Java developers with a few years of experience earn nearly around US$117k per annum and, around 10 lakh rupees per annum in India.
PHP programming language was primarily created for the purpose of maintaining a personal website. It is used in about 24% of websites globally.
Some popular web frameworks like Laravel are built on PHP. Companies such as Facebook, Yahoo, Mailchimp etc. have been using PHP.
PHP developers with a few years of experience earn nearly around US$101k per annum and, around 7 lakh rupees per annum in India.
Kotlin is a general-purpose programming language originally developed by JetBrains. It is can co-function with Java and also support functional programming languages.
It is used extensively for Android development, web development, desktop application development, and server-side development. A majority of the Google applications are based on Kotlin.
It is used by companies such as Coursera, Pinterest, Post Mates among many others. Kotlin developers with a few years of experience earn nearly around US$140k per annum and, around 8 lakh rupees per annum in India
Developed by Robert Gentleman and Ross Ihaka in 1992, R is a comprehensive and statistical analysis language, which works best on Linux, GNU, and Microsoft Windows.
It is used in the field of Data Science, Statistical Computing, and Machine Learning. Although R is difficult to learn, it is considered to be the future of programming.
Capgemini, Cognizant, Accenture among many others are using this language to code. R developers with a few years of experience earn nearly around US$150k per annum and, around 9 lakh rupees per annum in India.
Swift is a general-purpose, open-source, programming language developed by Apple. Heavily influenced by Python, Swift is majorly used for native iOS and MacOS applications.
More than half of the applications in the Apple App Store are built using the Swift.
Major tech companies using Swift include Apple, Slack, 9GAG, etc. Swift developers with a few years of experience can earn nearly US$107k per annum and, around 11 lakh rupees per annum in India.
Go, also known as Golang, was developed by Google in the year 2007 for APIs and web applications. Owing to the simplicity of the language, modern structure and syntax familiarity, it was created to meet the needs of programmers working on large projects.
Google of course and a few other start-ups such as Uber, Twitch, Dropbox have opted for Go.
While it is much less popular than other languages on this list, Golang developers earn nearly US$75k per annum and 13 lakh rupees per annum in India.
One of the oldest, most efficient, and flexible programming languages, C++ was built to support object-oriented programming and has rich in-built libraries.
It is widely used to create desktop applications, web and mobile solutions, game development, and in embedded systems.
Adobe, Microsoft, Google, and several others use C++. C++ developers with a few years of experience can earn nearly US$100k per annum and, around 12 lakh rupees per annum in India as per Glassdoor.
C Sharp is an object-oriented programming language which is fast and supports a large number of libraries for rich functionality thus, making it the next best choice after C++.
While it is primarily used for developing windows and its applications, it is also used for VR games.
Popular tech firms such as Microsoft, Amazon, Cyber Infrastructures Inc. among others use C sharp for coding. C Sharp developers with a few years of experience can earn approximately US$102k per annum and around 10 lakh rupees per annum in India.
