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Greetings DaniWeb,
I'm a high-school student trying to make his way into programming. That's because I find it cool and interesting and I'll probably choose a related job. And I want what I learn to be useful in the future.
So here is my question: Which programming language do you recommend to a starter like me? I'm eager, but don't have so much time to dedicate to programming. I'm looking for something that will be worth the time.
Thanks in advance.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by nounnylee

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High-school beginners with limited time get the best long-term payoff by focusing on transferable skills: problem decomposition, control flow, functions, basic data structures, and debugging. Those fundamentals move with a programmer from one language or framework to another and are more valuable than chasing the “one true first language.”

As noted, ecosystem and community matter. For quick, useful results with a gentle learning curve, Python and JavaScript are practical starting points: Python is compact and strong for scripting, automation and data work; JavaScript is unavoidable for browser-based projects. If there is a specific target—mobile, games, or systems—pick a language that maps directly to that domain (for example, native mobile stacks for iOS/Android).

A compact learning plan that fits limited time:

  • 20–60 minutes per session, several times a week.
  • Month 1: basics (variables, conditionals, loops, functions, simple I/O).
  • Months 2–3: build a small, meaningful project (a to‑do app, a simple scraper or automation script, or a tiny web page).
  • Learn version control (git), read documentation, and solve short problems to build fluency.

Practical resources: Python official site, freeCodeCamp, and Automate the Boring Stuff.

Echoing : choose something that genuinely interests the learner. Interest sustains practice. Depth in one language plus solid problem-solving beats shallow familiarity with many languages.

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Member Avatar for Ezzaral

Either Java or C# would be a good start. Both are widely in use right now.

Member Avatar for nounnylee

Greetings DaniWeb,
I'm a high-school student trying to make his way into programming. That's because I find it cool and interesting and I'll probably choose a related job. And I want what I learn to be useful in the future.
So here is my question: Which programming language do you recommend to a starter like me? I'm eager, but don't have so much time to dedicate to programming. I'm looking for something that will be worth the time.
Thanks in advance.

howdy!
or before you go for the IT field,you should better find out something you're interested in,something you are good at,and more,see the trend of that to decide it is a long way or not.
be helpful,thank you,good luck to you!

Edited by nounnylee because: n/a
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