So, settle an argument between me and my dad. My mom wants to start programming, and me and my father can't seem to agree which language would be easier to learn first, where there's no shortage for jobs. My father says Visual Basic or C#, while I say PHP or Java. What would you recommend?

Your father sounds like a smart man 😉

Python?

I agree with you. I'd always recommend an open source and cross platform language :)

Brainfuck.

Nah but seriously, just scan over a few job sites for your city or where you want to work, and see what's in demand.

I did that for the two cities im considering, and found out one has a pretty high demand for security, so that's where I'm looking to go.

I'd say:
1. Python
2. Java
3. PHP

You can definitely start with anything, but some are easier and will help one understand the logic behind programming.

Forget Visual Basic. It's dead, and you don't learn programming with Basic. Also, no jobs for VB, and even if there were jobs for VB, you'd RUN from them.

Pascal is still a good learning language if you want to learn properly. It teaches you about data types. Otherwise, Java isn't bad. C# is similar to Java because it was intended as MS' Java rip-off.

I's suggest to stay away from dynamically typed languages for beginning, or else you'll really struggle to understand that stuff later.

Java, c# OR python

fetlang

If she wants to LEARN than java. If she needs to do something involving programming, then python or js.

Go with java. Its easy so no memory management headaches and it has a lot of cool libraries. Shed start off with a strong base in OOP

Uhm. JavaScript?

From there C# would be a good addition, but you should remember that shes starting from zero.

@Jilano Python on 1? Based on what? The 'Python hype'? Or because Python sounds cool? I get new contract jobs offered daily and Python is absolutely not that mucb in demand.

C# or Java! There is an enormous demand for C# and Java devs. Both languages are syntactically a lot alike so she can probably learn these 2 languages easily.

@beggarboy Starting from zero you're better off learning a strongly typed language. JS is very easy to start with but it is also very easy to do things wrong.

1. C
Learn the basics first!
2. C++
Use your knowledge of the C-Core to get easily into OOP.
3. Whatever is more likely to help.
So stick to C++ or go over to Java or C#.

It is unwise to let an absolute beginner to try on OOP directly.
Those often become devs who throw ridiculously huge constructs on tiny problems.

@CodeMasterAlex I put Python there more for the "first language to pick". And while I do agree that the demand might be lower, Python is excellent for quick prototype which then, help you in the long run.

@CodeMasterAlex That is very true. Good insight.

@Jilano Cool. And Python does teach you to properly indent your code :)

Fuck no to PHP what a dumpster fire of a language. Java or C# are probably about equal but I would stick with C# as it’s the better version of Java that left all the cruft and boilerplate behind. Nobody should be learning Visual Basic today considering C# exists.

Career: Java
Just to learn something:
Python: just to learn simple stuff
C#: if you want a GUI eventually; I think WPF still wine impress ur running Linux

At the interductory level C# vs Java is 6 of one, half a dozen of the other

Racket or Haskell

python or java or c#, or anything that doesn't suck to learn for a first timer.

As someone who learned Java and then C#, I found C# VERY easy to pick up....so my advice would be to pick up Java because you hit two with one stone.