Worried About These 5 Programming Languages Dying? Here’s What You Should Learn to Stay Ahead
The popularity and demand for certain programming languages is always changing. If you want to stay competitive in the IT world, you need to stay up-to-date on the latest programming languages so your skills don’t fall out of favor and eventually leave you out of job options. According to Dice, these five languages are fading from popularity and their demand is rapidly sinking.
Five Dying Programming Languages
1. Objective-C: The iOS family is still in demand but Swift is quickly usurping this aging language. Plenty of developers have embraced Swift quickly and companies are starting to prioritize hiring technologists who know Swift, not just Objective-C.
2. Perl: Though some developers still find this language efficient and portable, it’s not without its annoyances. Dice argues that the popularity of Perl is fading fast and the demand for this technology may die out, though Coding Dojo has it ranked as the #7 most in demand technology.
3. Visual Basic.Net: The PC dominated the tech industry for so long, but it’s quickly falling out of favor thanks to smartphones and tablets. Plus, C# has been giving this technology a run for its money for years! Visual Basic.Net is dying because of these two attention shifts.
4. LISP: This technology has a stronghold in the A.I. community but it’s rarely seen or used anywhere else. If the artificial intelligence community were to move onto other languages or platforms, it could easily fall out of favor completely.
5. COBOL: As companies update their legacy systems, COBOL is fading out of favor fast. Beyond maintaining legacy systems, this language has little to no use.
If one of the aforementioned technologies is your strong suit or if you simply want to expand your technical repertoire, you may be interested to know that, according to Coding Dojo, these are the 5 most in-demand programming languages of 2017.
Five Popular Programming Languages
1. SQL: This language is extremely common and more in demand than ever thanks partially to its equally popular variations like MySQL and Microsoft SQL. Plus, Microsoft released SQL Server 2016 last year and it quickly became popular thanks to its fantastic new features.
2. Java: Thanks to Android growth, Java’s popularity is booming! This simple, readable programming language is used on billions of devices worldwide and, according to Coding Dojo, “90% of Fortune 500 companies use Java as a server-side language for backend development.”
3. Python: This programming language’s popularity has continued to grow for several years in a row. Thanks to its versatility and its ability to increase developer productivity, this language has staying power, which will ensure that it’s in-demand for many years to come.
4. JavaScript: Because JavaScript is compatible across all browsers and used in over 90% of all web pages, this popular language is as in-demand as ever!
5. C++: Build on C, which is widely regarded as the grandfather of all programming languages, C++ is powerful and popular. Though this language is slightly more difficult to learn than other in-demand technologies like Python and JavaScript, it’s well worth the effort.
Staying ahead of changing IT industry demands is essential for anyone who wants a thriving career as a technical professional. Now that you know which 5 languages are dying out and which 5 languages are incredibly in-demand, you can decide where to sharpen your skills, what to learn, and where your current abilities stand in respect to the rest of the job market in 2017.