So you've decided to dive into the exciting world of tech – congratulations! But with a universe of programming languages spinning before you, and you might be considering learning Python or JavaScript. Both languages have good reasons on why to pursue each. In this blog post we'll aim to give you a balanced view of both, so you can make a decision that best fits your needs.

Is Python or Javascript easier to learn?

Python is often recommended for beginners in the tech industry due to its straightforward and readable syntax. It's designed to be easy to understand and use, which helps beginners grasp programming concepts without getting overwhelmed by complex syntax. The language's structure is intuitive, making it more accessible for those new to coding.

For example, getting your code to output some text is easy in Python: it's simply print("Hello world!") whereas in Javascript it's console.log("Hello world!"). Those might look similar in length, but you can see that Python has a function that's more human readable.

JavaScript can present a steeper learning curve for beginners compared to Python. Its syntax is more complex, and it exhibits some strange behaviors that might be challenging for newcomers. There are more strict rules in Python that can make it easier for beginners to learn, whereas JavaScript is more free about rules. You would think that makes JavaScript easier to learn, but it ends up resulting in a lot of bugs that are hard for beginners to immediately see.

Next, JavaScript also has a few different frameworks, e.g. Angular or React, that are each very different. And, setting up each of these requires a lot of setup that Python doesn't. This can make learning more challenging as well, although it's best to start learning only one framework anyway.

Both JavaScript and Python have extensive and supportive communities. There are countless resources available for learning both, including tutorials, forums, and open-source projects. This community support can be invaluable for beginners who need guidance and help troubleshooting as they learn.

Our view: Python is definitely easier to learn. It's a lot more readable and easier to get started.

Is Python or Javascript more useful?

Python's strengths:

1. Data science and machine learning: If you're trying to get into the AI/data craze right now, Python is by far the best language to learn. You can get started with libraries like NumPy or Pandas, which are great for beginners and experts alike for data analysis. One you learn those, you can then move into TensorFlow, PyTorch, or other new libraries. These are cutting-edge platforms for machine learning and neural network development. You can also view the output of your AI work pretty easily with Jupyter Notebook, without having to spin up whole web applications.
2. Automation and scripting: Although scripting isn't used as much in enterprise-level applications for jobs, there are immediately obvious and satisfying applications in side projects. You can scrape other people's websites (subject to their terms) to learn some cool things (or for data science)! Automation is also super simple: Python's syntax is intuitive, making it easier to write scripts that automate mundane tasks, from file manipulation to data scraping. The ability to quickly and efficiently write scripts that automate complex processes is a significant time-saver for developers and system administrators.
3. Web development: Python can be used for web development. You may have heard of frameworks such as Django and Flask. Django offers a comprehensive package with everything from an ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) to an admin panel. Flask provides flexibility and is suitable for smaller projects that don't require as many built-in features.

JavaScript's strengths:

1. Front-end development: If you want to build a website, JavaScript's role in front-end development is unparalleled. It allows developers to create interactive and dynamic user experiences on web pages. Frameworks like React have revolutionized the way we build user interfaces, offering a component-based architecture that makes code reusable and easy to manage. Angular provides a robust framework for developing scalable web applications, while Vue.js offers a progressive framework that is approachable yet powerful. One of JavaScript's key advantages is its ability to run natively in browsers. It's so satisfying to be able to write some JavaScript code and to be immediately see the change to your website or application reflected in your browser.
2. Back-end development: The introduction of Node.js transformed JavaScript into a full-stack development language. Node.js enables JavaScript to run on the server, providing a unified language for both client and server-side code. This has simplified development processes, as the same language and even some of the same code can now be used across the entire web development stack. It also benefits from the non-blocking, event-driven architecture, making it suitable for building fast, scalable network applications.
3. Rich ecosystem: JavaScript's ecosystem is vast and constantly evolving. The npm (Node Package Manager) repository hosts thousands of open-source libraries and tools, fostering a community that continuously contributes to JavaScript's growth. This rich ecosystem means that developers can find a package or tool for almost any use case, reducing development time and increasing efficiency.

Our view: both are useful, depending on what you want to build. Python is the king of machine learning and data science (although you can still build great web apps on it). JavaScript reigns supreme in anything related to building websites but can't do much in the way of ML natively. However, in 2024, AI models are often accessible via API, so it might not even matter unless you want to build the model from the ground up yourself!

Is Python or Javascript better for a job?

Python: This language is heavily favored in industries like data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and scientific computing. Many tech giants and startups alike are constantly on the lookout for Python-skilled professionals. The demand is particularly high in sectors that rely on data analysis, predictive modeling, and complex algorithm development. For instance, financial services, healthcare, and e-commerce sectors extensively use Python for data analytics and machine learning applications. Python's role in emerging fields like AI and machine learning also means that its demand is likely to keep growing as these technologies become more integral to various industries.

JavaScript: JavaScript is a staple in the web development industry. Any company that deals with web-based products or services heavily relies on JavaScript professionals. This includes not only tech companies but also businesses in retail, media, entertainment, and banking that maintain a significant online presence. The demand for JavaScript skills is especially high for roles in front-end development, but thanks to Node.js, back-end and full-stack developers with JavaScript proficiency are also highly sought after. The evolving nature of web technologies and the continuous need for more interactive and user-friendly web applications ensure a steady demand for JavaScript skills.

In terms of which is more in demand, our coding bootcamp partners suggest that JavaScript has a slight edge in terms of sheer numbers of job openings, particularly because of the ubiquity of web development needs across industries. Python dominates in specific sectors like data science and AI.

However, as of Jan 20, 2024, there were more jobs on Indeed when we searched for "Python" versus "JavaScript." Do the search yourself too to see if you'd prefer Python roles over what shows up if you search JavaScript. Python is used across more than just data science and AI; we see backend engineering roles, test engineering, and integrations engineering roles all requiring Python. On the other hand, JavaScript is mostly used for frontend engineering.

Finally, we also see that most coding bootcamps teach JavaScript so it's possible that the JavaScript market is more saturated with junior developers right now.

Our view: Python is slightly more in demand right now, but both are heavily in demand.

In summary, Python and JavaScript are both solid options to learn, so you can't go wrong here. The important thing is to get started! When you learn one, it's a lot easier to learn the other - it's just important to get coding fundamentals under your belt. If you feel strongly about building websites, pick JavaScript. If you feel strongly about learning machine learning/data scientist or having an easier time learning in general, pick Python.