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Kireeti K
9,675 PointsWhich Technology should i choose to make a career in WebDev. PHP vs Python vs Ruby on Rails
Hello Responder, I want to make a career in WebDevelopment. I am Very much passionate to join a company that creates large scale applications like Linkedin, Facebook, For that example Treehouse and similar highend web apps. Which Technology should I choose PHP or Ruby or Python keeping a 20Years career ahead. I am also willing to learn all the three but would like to know which language should i start with in my career to make a nice start. And can you also suggest which languages should I learn along with (PHP/Ruby/Python) and What SQL language would you recommend me to learn at the begining of my career.
Thanks a TON.
5 Answers
Jacob Mishkin
23,117 PointsGenerally it's about what projects you are making, will determine what languages you are using. A safe bet is if you are just starting out, learning the basics is critical. HTML CSS/Sass is a must. I would do some research on the types of tech these company's use and then learn them. Also A very good understanding of JavaScript never hurts, as more and more people are using it.
Kevin Korte
28,148 PointsThe answer largely depends on where you're going to work. Now, large scale apps have grown significantly in their complexity, but if you wanted to work for Facebook, you would kneed to know PHP, Twitter would be Ruby based, and Youtube, well it was written Python. Treehouse is a Rails app. As you can see, there is no right answer.
Yes, a start to the basics, even on front end is crucial. Learning Javascript is great because it's quite versatile, and can be used on the client, or on the server via node.js. What's probably more important is to learn the concepts and principals behind programming, which will make learning a new language should you need to, becomes much easier.
Jacob Mishkin
23,117 Points"What's probably more important is to learn the concepts and principals behind programming, which will make learning a new language should you need to, becomes much easier."
Agreed!
Kireeti K
9,675 PointsThanks Jacob and Kevin for all the inputs. I am really scared that the trend is shifting away from PHP and was thinking should I stick to the widely used language(PHP) or New Hero(Ruby on Rails). Your anwers really helps.
Thanks!
Jacob Mishkin
23,117 Points25% of the internet is run using WordPress, and it's growing. Its platform is PHP based. Honestly its not about the languages, Its about knowing the logic that is used in the languages. Languages are syntax, thats easy to learn, the hard part is the logic. I strongly suggest not to worry about which language at first, but rather the concepts and logic that is applied.
Kevin Korte
28,148 PointsPeople have been saying everything is shifting away from PHP for years, the truth is that isn't really happening. PHP is alive and well, and it's continued to grow and iterate. It may not be as popular as it use to be for new websites and applications, but there are a ton of sites that run on, and will continue to run on php, and those sites will need php developers.
Or Ruby developers,
Or Python developers,
Or Node developers,
Or Go developers,
Or...
Our world moves fast. It moves very very fast. One think I've learned in the approx five years I've been plugged into web development, is it moves so fast that one single trend doesn't stick around long enough to kill any other trend. Jacob is right, it's less about the language, and more about the principals of development.
A language is like a brand of skill saw. Learn how to properly use a skill saw. It won't really matter if you're using a Dewalt, or makita skill saw, you'll figure out either brand pretty quickly.
Jacob Mishkin
23,117 PointsI agree with Kevin Korte, and if you are just starting out, as a suggestion instead or maybe while learning a programming language, you should learn Sass. Sass is a great way to go from HTML/CSS to getting your feet wet with programming concepts, using the command line, and integrating your code with JavaScript task runners like Gulp. It's a great way to transition into concepts that you will use, and grow from.
Kireeti K
9,675 PointsThanks for tons of information Jacob & Kevin. I really appreciate it.
Is there any course that teach Sass Jacob? I have been working on Wordpress from quite sometime now but started to learn the framework lately. I understand PHP. Learning Frontend languages like JS, Jquery, Ajax etc along with HTML/CSS will help in getting a Job? Also I am thinking to take the techdegree in a couple of months. As you understand my situation pretty well what degree would you suggest me.
Thanks a Ton both
Jacob Mishkin
23,117 PointsYes there is, here on Treehouse there are several courses on Sass, and I think there is a workshop on gulp here as well, if not there are several good tutorials on youtube. Which framework of WordPress are you working with? Yes, if you can put together a portfolio site, and several examples of work that you've done, you can get a job, it might not be at Facebook first, but you can get a job. Also a good resource is going to meetups in your area, getting to know people is important. I've haven't checked out the techdegree program here, but I'm sure it's well tailored to fit peoples needs. Personally, I studied here, and still do, also by going to MIT open courseware, they have some great lectures on logic and math for programmers. Very helpful.
Kireeti K
9,675 PointsThanks Jacob, Can I also join MIT Courseware?
Jacob Mishkin
23,117 Pointsyes you can and its free: