The Best Programming Languages to Learn First as a Beginner

So you want to learn to code, but after 2 minutes of research you realize that there's over 600 different programming languages, runtimes, and frameworks to choose from...

Gah, it's so overwhelming right!?

So, rather than give you a huge list of options, I'm going to make your life easier. There are just TWO programming languages that are perfect for beginners:

• JavaScript, or

• Python

In this guide I'll break down why you should learn either of these options first, as well as share resources for you to get started ASAP.

So let's dive in...

Python and JavaScript are both easy to learn for beginners

When it comes to programming languages, you have two core types:

1. Low-level languages (ex: C or C++), and

2. High-level languages (ex: Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, Rust, etc.)

So what does this mean?

Well, it all comes down to how the code looks on the screen when your using it.

Low-level languages are very similar to machine code, which can be hard to understand at first. It looks kind of like what you might see in the Matrix movies:

It’s not that extreme but you get the idea.

This 'syntax' makes these low-level coding languages more difficult to learn, which is why I don’t recommend learning them as your first language. (The only time I would recommend learning a low-level language first is if there's a specific job or company that you want to work for that uses one of these languages).

Otherwise, I recommend every beginner leans a high level language first instead.

The reason being is that high-level languages are more similar to how we speak or write, so they're easier to understand on the screen:

As you can probably guess, both JavaScript and Python are high-level languages so they're much easier to pick up, and are very beginner friendly.

That's not the only benefit of these though...

Python and JavaScript are both fun to use

This probably didn't even cross your mind, but when you're learning and using a language every day, you want to make sure that it doesn't drive you crazy with how bad it is to use.

Some of the older programming languages are like pulling teeth, but thankfully both Python and JavaScript are pretty enjoyable.

Don't just take my word for it though. According to last year's StackOverflow survey of tens of thousands of developers, both JavaScript and Python are some of the most enjoyable programming languages to use:

It's not the most clear chart to understand, but basically the red number is how much people enjoy using that language, while the blue number is how many of the people surveyed want to use the language.

This means that:

• 56.4% of the people surveyed love using Python, while 39.3% want to learn it

• While 46.8% love using JavaScript and 33.5% want to learn it

So yeah, both are super popular, but even better?

They're both in high demand...

Python and JavaScript are both in high demand and pay well

Because Python and JavaScript have been around for so long, and are such solid programming languages, almost every company in the world is using one or both of these.

In fact, if we go back to that StackOverFlow survey, we can see that JavaScript is the highest used language out of all devs surveyed, while Python comes in 4th place, and will no doubt skyrocket thanks to its use in AI. (It's grown 7% on last year alone).

Why care?

Simply because this demand means that there are a lot of jobs are available with these languages, as companies need to hire developers to help maintain their existing code and help them write new code to create new features and projects. (Even total beginners).

For example

If we take a look over on Indeed for Python and JavaScript jobs, we can see:

• There are 21,000 jobs available in the US right now that require Python as a key skill

• As well as 32,000 jobs that require JavaScript

Not bad right!? And that's just in the US alone.

As for salary?

Well they both pay pretty great right out of the gate:

• $121,932 is the average salary for each of those listed Python jobs

• $106,583 is the average for the JavaScript jobs

Both beginner languages. Both 6 figure average salaries.

But it gets better...

Python and JavaScript are the starting foundation for many different career paths

The really cool thing about JavaScript and Python, is that although they are 'beginner' friendly languages, they open up the path to so many other high paying careers.

What like?

Well let's break a few down...

Web Development

There are 3 main types of Web Developer:

• Front-end devs who build the UI and interface of a website or app. The average salary for this role is around $110,412

• Back-end devs who make everything work under the hood. The average salary for these is around $120,086 per year

• Full-stack devs who work on both frontend and backend tasks. The average salary for these is around $123,262 (with senior roles getting $200,000+)

The thing is, you can use JavaScript to work in any of these 3 roles, so once you have that skill, you're almost ready to get hired right away. (You may just need to add on 1 or 2 other skills).

For example

If you learn JavaScript today, you could get hired as front-end dev almost right away, and then continue to learn additional skills to become a full-stack developer to earn more and get more job opportunities.

Not bad for a beginner language right?

You can technically be a frontend, backend, or full-stack developer using Python as well, it's just not as common. You'll likely just need to learn the Django framework as well.

It's not just websites that you can build with JavaScript either!

Software Development

Want to build software instead of websites and web apps?

Well, you guessed it. Before you do anything in Software Engineering, it's almost guaranteed that you'll need to know either Python or JavaScript to start with.

Sure, you'll have to dive deeper and learn data structure & algorithms as well as a few other more advanced topics to understand the structure but that's easy enough to pick up if you follow a good course on it:

Cybersecurity Specialist

Python is one of the key skills used by cybersecurity specialists, as it's used to help run automation's.

Sure, there are other skills and tools you'll need to know as well like Linux and Bash, and it wouldn't hurt to get a CyberSecurity certification, but Python will be a key tool in your toolkit that gets you started.

Machine Learning and AI

AI and Machine Learning is HUGE right now, and it's almost all powered by Python, which is why Python demand has grown 7% since last year.

This means you can learn Python as a beginner and be set up for some of the most future-proof, and in demand careers of 2026. Sure you might need some other skills like PyTorch or TensorFlow, and you'll also want to make sure you have a good handle on statistics, but all of it stems from Python:

What else?

The reality is that JavaScript and Python open up almost every tech field:

• Want to learn Data Science? You learn Python first, then business data analytics, Time series forecasting, and statistics

• Want to become an AWS Engineer? Learn Python, pass your AWS practitioner, and Cloud Architect certifications, and then learn Terraform

• Want to work on mobile apps and be a Mobile Developer? Learn JavaScript and then learn React Native

And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

There are so many other careers that all build upon these 2 languages.

So should you learn JavaScript or Python as a beginner?

So as you can see, these really are the best languages to learn as a beginner:

• They're easy to learn

• Pay well

• High demand

• Future proof

• And open up a whole heap of other more niche careers that pay more down the road

The trick is just to choose one of them to learn and get started!

Not sure which one is the best for you?

Well,

• If you want to work in data related roles, AI, or Machine Learning then learn Python

• If you want to build software, websites and apps, then learn JavaScript

Both are super easy to learn if you follow either of those courses via those links.

Even better? If you join ZTM as a member, you get access to all the courses in our library (as well as our roadmaps), so you can start one and then jump to the other if its not for you.

Not only that but you get access to our private community where you can chat with your course teachers, as well as other students and working tech professionals:

And if you're not sure which of these careers you might prefer?

Go ahead and take our 2-minute tech career path quiz:

Simply answer a few questions and it'll figure out the best option for you, and then point you to the right resources so you can get started and hired ASAP - even if you have zero experience. (We're not called "Zero To Mastery" for nothing 😉).

We remove all the fluff that you might get elsewhere, and focus on the most important information, skills, and projects you need so that your interviewer says “wow, we have to hire this person!”.