Best Programming Skills To Learn For Use In Industry

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Are you curious about programming and its industry uses? We often forget just how ubiquitous programming is, but in today’s digital world, computers play a massive part in every industry - and yet, many of the people working with these don’t properly grasp how the code behind everyday programs functions, and as a result, may end up overlooking advantages that they could tap into.

Programming is huge right now, and in this post, we’re going to be looking at its applications and which languages might be the most useful for you to learn about. We’ll check out some top programming language picks, with helpful example scenarios, and also cover one of the less common languages you may not be familiar with. If you’re planning an excursion into the programming space, we have everything you need to get started!

What Are We Doing With Programming Right Now?

It’s hard to condense into a few words just how critical programming has become to everything in our lives - to infrastructure, to leisure, to planning, and to industries of all kinds. Even though many of us are aware of the power of programming, we forget just how intrinsic this has become to the world we live in. Technology is everywhere, in everything.

Small businesses and large businesses alike are dependent on programming, for everything from managing transactions, monitoring stock levels, handling purchasing, creating internal systems, tracking employee hours and productivity, and so much more. There’s barely an industry left on the planet that doesn’t have some use for programming skills.

In spite of that, a huge percentage of workers in businesses today are still lacking in tech skills and feel daunted when confronted with computers. There is an idea that programming should be done by the IT employees only, and nobody else needs to have any insight into how it works.

Even if you’ve got a whole tech department, other employees shouldn’t discount programming as something irrelevant to them. Imagine that you work for a company with a big editing department responsible for proofreading and correcting all customer-facing text - if everyone else in the company decided they didn’t need to know what a comma was because the editors would take care of it, problems would quickly arise. More and more, this analogy helps us realize how critical programming is to us all.

Sure, you shouldn’t be messing around in your company’s code if you’re not authorized for that, but having a grasp of how programming works and what programs do is pretty critical to the functioning of a company - and the more people there are with this skill within the company, the stronger the company is. Let’s stop leaving this up to the tech whizzes and claiming ignorance; anybody today can benefit from understanding a bit about programming.

But there’s a hitch. Have you ever wondered how many programming languages there are? Hint: a lot. Fortunately, only a few have risen to the heights of being commonly used in industries, so you’re not stuck with a mountainous list. But where do you start?

We’re going to cover some of the most important ones today, like:

• Python
• C++
• JavaScript
• SQL
• Haskell

Let’s begin!

Python

With a release date of 1991, this famous language is actually named after Monty Python’s Flying Circus - and if that doesn’t make you want to try it, what will? Python is widely used by businesses because, unlike some other languages, it focuses on user-friendly approaches. That’s good news if you want to learn it!

Want to print the word “hello”? It’s print(“hello”) - that’s it! 

Python is also designed to help avoid some of the common pitfalls that new programmers will run into. Because of this, Python is a great starting place for anyone without prior programming experience, and learning it can give you a headstart on other languages you want to pick up later - since a lot of concepts overlap.

Example Situation:

Python is often used for creating prototypes, mockups, and proof of concepts. This isn’t to say that it’s never used for final drafts either, especially given that a prototype can be polished into the final draft - but it’s often the starting point.

You might see Python in:

• Scientific research
• Backend development
• Prototyping
• Website design
• Gaming

C++

The grandfather of most modern languages, this emerged from the earlier C, which also still gets used today. C++, though, added support for object-oriented programming styles, which are a whole lot more common in today’s industries. As such, this is a much more practical language to learn. C++ can be a bit more daunting, but we’ve covered the structure of C++ programs in more detail here.

One of the big benefits of learning C++ is that so many other languages came out of it, you’ll get a base-level understanding of at least some of these. Even languages that aren’t very closely related still often borrow concepts or stylistic approaches from it!

Example Situation

Because C++ is one of the most common languages, many industries - particularly those that outsource their code requirements - rely on it. Got external programmers? They’ll likely be using C++. If you want a grasp of what they’re doing, you’ll need to have some understanding of C++.

You’ll see this language in most industries, but especially:

• Embedded systems
• Scientific simulations
• Operating systems
• Web browsers
• FinTech

JavaScript

JavaScript can be thought of as the language of the internet (although Python may be a challenger for that title). It is another language that’s good at getting general ideas across and again, it excels when it comes to creating prototypes and getting down a basic concept in a rough form.

Also, if your business uses a website, chances are, it might use JavaScript - if your site does anything more complex than basic HTML will allow, JavaScript is often the go-to solution.

Example Situation

JavaScript is the king of front-end design and visual presentations. It’s the language most often directly manipulating the things you see, rather than the one operating in the background. For example, it makes the ball bounce around the screen, rather than checking your files for viruses.

JavaScript is mostly found in online applications, but especially in:

• Game design
• Animation
• Front-end development

SQL

Contentious for the pronunciation of these critical three letters - is it “ess-cue-ell” or “sequel” - this is another really common language. Unlike the other languages we’ve covered, SQL isn’t designed for general-purpose use. It’s optimized specifically to control databases, retrieving, storing, or manipulating information. While there are other languages that can do this, like SPARQL, most of these are based on SQL, and handle things in similar ways. Learning SQL is, therefore, your obvious starting point either way.

Example Situation

Almost all companies use databases and many don’t worry about how, where, or why - they just leave it to the tech team. That can work, but having a basic understanding of how the software stores and retrieves data could prove critical. This is, after all, the nuts and bolts for many businesses, and you never know when you might need to pull something from the system, whether for business purposes or legal ones.

You might see SQL in a large variety of industries, but particularly those with high data requirements, like:

• Scientific research
• Marketing
• Social media

Haskell

When it comes to well-known programming languages outside of academia, you’re not often going to see Haskell on the list, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore it. First up, let’s acknowledge that this language isn’t great for most beginners; it’s a lot more complicated. 

Haskell is called a lazy language because it only performs an action if that’s necessary to complete the task - whereas languages like Python will run every instruction as programmed. Haskell is more efficient because it skips all unnecessary steps, which is part of the attraction of this language.

It’s also known for being a language that teaches you a certain way of thinking; its purely functional design encourages logical approaches to problem-solving that will carry through to other skills. Tons of companies implement it in certain areas, including ones like Facebook, Bank of America, Microsoft, and more.

Example Situation

Haskell is unlikely to be used for simple, routine, everyday tasks; if your company does have a use for it, it’s probably doing something complex, abstract, and mathematical - but if you need to understand those in-depth processes, a functional grasp of the language is a key starting point. Managers who oversee Haskell systems will benefit from having a decent understanding of it.

Last but not least, you might see Haskell in:

• Aerospace
• Finance
• AI

Conclusion

Getting to grips with programming languages that are being used by your company or industry is pretty crucial nowadays, and while it may feel daunting, it really isn’t as challenging as you might expect - especially if you pick a language like Python to begin with. That’ll give you a starting point to launch into the harder ones.

Some of the ones we’ve looked at today do present a bigger challenge, for sure, but you’re looking at a great way to upskill yourself and make sure you stay relevant in a world that’s got programming as one of its foundation stones. Knowing how to code in a couple of languages, even at a basic level, will potentially serve you very well.

Suggested Reads:

1. Random Number Generator Python Program (16 Ways + Code Examples)
2. Arrays In C | Declare, Initialize, Manipulate & More (+Code Examples)
3. Constant In C | How To Define & Its Types Explained With Examples
4. Multiple Inheritance In C++ & Diamond Problem Resolution (Examples)
5. Convert Int To String In Python | Learn 6 Methods With Examples