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1. How to Choose a Programming Language
September 2017
WIFI: The Department Guest
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2. Let's learn about each other!
What's your name?
What's your coding experience?
What brought you here today?
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3. Panelists
Sean Jun
Thinkful Graduate
Software Developer, Intel
Jessica Cottrell
Thinkful Student
Flex Bootcamp
Mitch Cravens
Thinkful Mentor
Front-end Engineer
Shannon Gallagher
Thinkful Community Manager
Moderator
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4. Let's learn about each other!
What's your name?
What's your coding experience?
What brought you here today?
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5. What is programming?
Programming is:
problem-solvingproblem-solving
writing instructions for a computer to execute
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6. Few things to keep in mind...
Objective
Popularity
Job prospects
Longevity
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7. Different types of languages
Front-end
Back-end
Full-stack
Data & Analytics
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8. Front-end, Back-end, and Full-stack
Client (sends requests)
Front-end Developer
Manages what user sees
Server (sends response)
Back-end Developer
Manages what app does
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9. Data/Analytics
Data & Databases,
Database Engineers,
Data Scientists,
Data Analysts
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10. Benefits of Popularity & Accessibility
Has large community of developers, libraries and
frameworks => easier to learn & debug
Syntax is less complicated and more intuitive for first-time
developers
Helps you focus on learning how to code rather than get
distracted by the nuances of the language
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11. Our recommendations
Front-end: JavaScript
Back-end: JavaScript/Python
Full-stack: JavaScript
Analytics: Python
bit.ly/build-own-website
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12. JavaScript
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13. JavaScript history
Written by Brendan Eich in 1995 for Netscape
Initial version written in 10 days
Completely unrelated to Java, but maybe named after it to
draft off its popularity
Over 10 years, became default programming language for
browsers
Continues to evolve under guidance of ECMA
International, with input from top tech companies
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14. Javascript
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15. Why JavaScript?
94% of all websites in the world use Javascript.
Javascript has a monopoly on front-end web
development.
All browsers already have Javascript interpreters
included.
Node.js allows Javascript to be written on the
back-end as well.
Knowing Javascript means you can create full-
stack web applications in minutes.
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16. Python
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17. Python history
First release in 1991
Designed to be simpler and more readable
Named after “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”
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18. Python today
Since 2003, consistently ranked in top 10 most
popular languages.
As of 2017, was fifth most popular language,
currently #3 on Github
Has become standard language in computer
science curriculums (displacing Java)
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19. Python today
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20. Python analytics
Data scientists are increasingly using Python
over R
Python has excellent modules for “big data”
analysis and machine learning (NumPy, Pandas,
sklearn)
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21. JavaScript basics: variables
var cars = 20
Initialize variable
Name of variable
Value of variable
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22. Python basics: variables
cars = 20
Name of variable
Value of variable
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23. JavaScript basics: functions
function greet() {
return "Hello world!";
}
Initialize function Name of function
What the function does
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24. Python basics: functions
def printme():
print "Hello world!"
return
Initialize function Name of function
What the function does
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25. That's it!
Understanding variables and functions means
you already understand the fundamentals of a
programming language!
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26. Pick one thing and master it.
Don’t jump around. It will be surprisingly easy to pick up more
languages once you understand the fundamentals.
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27. How can I learn?
Build stuff + Google
Free online resources (e.g. CodeAcademy)
Flexible coding bootcamps (e.g Thinkful)
Full-time coding bootcamps (e.g. Thinkful)
Full degree programs (Georgia Tech)
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