With new programming languages being written, frameworks being created, the world of programming is full of action. There are some lists that suggest that there are close to 300 different programming languages one can learn. As the technology world continues to grow especially with the oncoming deluge of Internet of Things (IoT), the need for programmers and other affiliated coding skills continue to rise. However, given the fact that there are close to 300 different programming languages one can learn, pursuing the right programming language from a career perspective can be a big challenge. To help you solve this dilemma, codingdojo.com has compiled a list of the nine most in-demand programming languages of 2017.

  1. SQL Compared to last year, the number of job descriptions that included SQL (Structured Query Language) increased by nearly 50,000 this year, giving SQL a huge lead over the other languages. SQL is a special-purpose language designed for managing data held in a relational database management system (RDBMS), or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system (RDSMS). It is also very common, with many variations like MySQL and Microsoft SQL. Last year, Microsoft released SQL Server 2016, which introduced several new features to make the language more open-source like integration with R, the popular data analysis programming language, and a Linux version, making it an extremely well-known language.
  2. Java Probably due to the continuous growth of Android, the number of Java positions available on Indeed went up by almost 30,000 in 2017, as compared to 2016. Java is one of the most popular, most adopted and general purpose programming language used by millions of developers and billions of devices around the world. It is a class-based, object-oriented language and designed to be portable, which means that you can find it on all platforms, operating systems, and devices. It is used to develop all kinds of Android apps, desktop apps, and video games. It is also commonly used as a server-side language for enterprise-level backend development. This programming language has long-term compatibility and developers are comfortable with Java. Users are pretty excited about the upcoming Java 9 launch in July 2017, even though Java Enterprise Edition experienced a decline in popularity in 2016.
  3. Python Python moved up two places in codingdojo.com rankings to be the third-most in-demand language by job posting due to its constant growth in popularity in 2016. Python is a widely used high-level programming language used for general-purpose programming, as it is simple and readable. Python is the easiest coding language to learn for the first time learners. In order to become a seasoned professional, every beginner should at least know this language. Several libraries have been created for Python related to mathematics, physics and natural processing due to its use in the educational field. Tech giants like Google and Yahoo along with NASA, PBS, and Reddit use Python for their websites. Microsoft launched the beta version 2.0 of its Cognitive Toolkit open source deep-learning framework in October 2016, which includes support for Python.
  4. JavaScript Although JavaScript (not to be confused with Java) slipped down one place in codingdojo.com’s ranking as compared to 2016, the number of job postings stayed almost the same. JavaScript is a popular, powerful, dynamic, scripting language that is used to create cool websites and games for the web. It derives much of its syntax from The C Language. JavaScript is compatible across all browsers, and is used in over 90 percent of all web pages. In recent years, JavaScript has also gained use as the foundation of Node.js, a server technology that among other things enables real-time communication. In 2016, compatibility and adoption of JavaScript 6 continued to grow and Progressive Web Apps became more usable, allowing offline-first functionality for web apps.
  5. C++ C++ saw an increase of almost 20,000 job postings over 2016 that has helped it to take fifth place in the rankings. C++ is a general-purpose programming language based on C language. It has imperative, object-oriented and generic programming features. C++ is a powerful, high-performance language used to build system software, games engines and desktop and web apps.
  6. C# (C Sharp) “C Sharp” saw a small increase in popularity in 2017, but not enough to keep it from falling behind C++. C Sharp is a simple, modern, general-purpose, type-safe, object-oriented programming language, which is developed by Microsoft. The language is intended for use in developing software components suitable for deployment in distributed environments. It is used in a number of applications such as .NET. Since the release of the .NET Core open-source development platform in June 2016, it can now be used on non-Windows machines. Several features in C# 7.0 were released last year, including language support for Tuples, pattern matching, local functions, and more.
  7. Perl Thanks to its popularity, Perl has climbed up the ladder to secure the seventh place in the rankings leaving iOS, PHP and Ruby behind. Perl, or “the duct tape that holds the Internet together,” as it’s been named, is actually two languages now; Perl 5 and Perl 6, which launched in Dec. 2015. Both of them are general-purpose dynamic programming languages that see a lot of use in CGI, graphics, network, and finance programming. Some think the growth of DevOps led to the increase in its popularity because Perl is versatile and works well with other languages, making it a good DevOps tool.
  8. iOS Family Many of the developers writing for the iOS operating system use Objective-C, C, or Apple’s new Swift programming language. Apple Inc. introduced Swift, a new programming language for all iOS and OS X applications. In fact, Swift is displacing Objective C as the de facto language for iOS development a lot faster than anyone expected due to its scalability, speed, ease of use and strong demand from the mobile app marketplace. In September 2016, Apple released Swift 3.0 with new features including better translation of Objective-C APIs, modernizations of debugging identifiers and a new model for collections and indices. Apple plans to release Swift 3.1 and Swift 4 in 2017.
  9. PHP PHP (Hypertext Pre-Processor) is a server-side programming language, which can be used to create web pages written in HTML. It is used on more than 80 percent of websites today including Facebook, Wikipedia, Tumblr and WordPress. PHP is not only a popular language among new programmers due to its easy-to use techniques; it also does offer tons of advanced features for more experienced programmers. In recent years, PHP has grown enormously in popularity. Its web-facing features make it a highly-demanded skill, especially when paired with Javascript and SQL.17.