Python or NodeJS? Or should I learn something else?
So I have been working in web development for almost 4 years now. I'm pretty comfortable with PHP, not that much with Javascript. But I feel a little stuck and don't know how to take the next step.
So here's the thing, I know Javascript is the number one programming language currently and it is the gateway to many job opportunities. So I considered diving into node and maybe after get into the front end and learn react and react native, after all Javascript can do a lot of things when it comes to building SaaSs and projects, and also one of the highest paying programming languages if you can master it. I only knew about these shiny advantages recently, if I knew about it earlier my situation would have probably been different.
On the other hand, I always thought about leaving web development completely, and learn python, not only is it a high demanded language in the market, it can also do a lot of things like mobile development, game development and a lot of other subjects it also dives into "the cool stuff" like AI, Machine learning and all the fancy topics that fascinate me. What stopped me from doing this earlier was that I didn't know how to get into these topics and I was afraid of committing to it and leaving web development because it might not workout after all, and it would be a big waste of time.
I want to get into something that i won't regret, I'm confused and I need your help. Please tell me your opinions on this and if you have any advice/comments, I would really appreciate it.
Thank you very much.
~Joe
I think this really depends on what your long term goals are. If you're looking for the best "bang for your buck" as far as learning one thing (assuming that you're wanting to focus on web development, UI, possibly mobile), JavaScript is a great language to focus on.
JavaScript would be more suited for mobile apps because of React Native and Ionic. Python doesn't really have much to offer for mobile development.
Python is great for data science, ML, and AI, and is great for writing one-off scripts to automate different things (not to say you couldn't do the same with a node script). Django is also a really great framework and is really one of the things that lures me to python. I've not found the same frameworks available for node that can offer fast prototyping like I can get with Django, specifically because of the ORM and admin panel that comes out of the box.
I spend most of my time doing front end development at my day job, so I'm almost always in javascript. The reason I gravitate to other languages is often because I just want to learn them... I usually learn 1 new language every year, and have for the past 5-6 years. Of all of the languages, python is one of my favorites. I would say JavaScript is the most versatile.
Don't bog yourself down too much with this decision. You can really use whatever language and still get the same results, unless you're doing something crazy.
Thank for clarifying this. I would say based on what I want to build and achieve, and based on the comments here Python is probably the smart choice here. Thank you for your time!
doesn't matter.
python is great... for starters. why not do that? and just going?
it's more important that you're working on something that you like... choose the language after you've decided what you want to build... then use the language that you think is going to help you get the job done.
you'll realize that you can probably use both.
:P
it really is.
I usually hear it from people who don't know Python very well and hadn't a chance to dig deeply into this language...
i'm super-pragmatic. i don't really care what the language is at this point in my career.
the thing is that it's never about the language for me... it's always about the project. i'll stick with a strange and new language if the project that i'm interested in working on maintains it's course.
does that make any sense?
What you are saying here doesn't have anything to do with your sentence about Python is for starters.
i agree that python is a good language for beginners to learn. but, i have also taught adults with javascript as well (and using node in the right places). and ruby and obj-c / swift!
my point is that the folks who wanted to build native, mobile apps for their iphones... i taught them obj-c. even though this was a harder place to start in comparison to other languages, many of my students were so motivated that they overcame immense obstacles to do it.
i dunno. i love all languages that get shit done. the language isn’t as important as shipping something meaningful and useful to you and your customers. this is also why i love the nocode stuff... you don’t even need programming skills to build awesome shit!!
so amazing.
Well, I'm not sure teaching object-c as the first programming language is a good idea... but I agree, we use language to get shit done and sometimes it's better to proceed from the requirements, not from how that or this language looks like :)
you should tell that to the hundreds of folks who graduated!!
What's the problem with them? Do you mean they always try to start from something that is easier? It's by nature, nobody wants to spend their efforts just for fun, you know :)
Yes! I just have this fear of missing out on something else if i do so. Thanks for the feedback! Could you possibly give me an idea of what kind of projects would be better built using python rather than node? Thanks again!
It's almost like asking what kind of play would be better written using Spanish rather than Italian. Almost but not quite. Python is very versatile and part of that versatility enables it to be a used for web app backends and beyond. Nodejs is a runtime environment to run javascript so you can now run javascript backend and frontend apps (javascript is one of the three pillar languages of the web). If I was writing a non-web app I would use python (the library base is amazing). If I was writing a web app I would be happy to use either.
This is just the beginning. Nothing is stopping you from learning both.
If you want to get into machine learning, learn machine learning and not Python. Learning to use python will not be a challenge in comparison.
I would suggest you go with JavaScript, or better yet TypeScript. Coming from PHP, python will conceptually be very much the same. JavaScript will allow you to learn new things like asynchronous programming, functional programming, and much more.
Very good point. Thanks!
If I were in your shoes I'd optimize for what I wanted to come next in my life.
If that was Frontend, then React would make the most sense (given the community and job market size). However, if that was the Data Science field, then Python + the necessary surrounding tools.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what tech it is. What really matters is what opportunity it gives me and when I'll be able to leverage it (ideally, asap).
Great Point. Thanks for that, and thanks for the feedback!
My pleasure! Best of luck! ✌️
Both!
My suggestion... Be with PHP... But advance your self with new framework and technology like Laravel, API - Platform , OroCommerce etc
Learn front-end framework like Vue or Angular if required.
What's your goal ?
Jump between the things that looks hot or trending
To be expert at one thing and be known for it
AI is the hottest topic in recent years, but learning python is only the tool of it. You have to have a good math basic (:
From what I understand or to know, Nodejs can also be used in Game development in the backend.
I have no experience to Python, so can't comment on Python about game development and mobile development.
Quite simply “do what you enjoy”. I have been a PHP programmer for +15yrs and I decided to go with Python in the end because 1. Django is easy 2. If everything goes wrong there is always ML & AI. Remember you are going to spend a LONG time with this language (sometimes longer than with things you enjoy). So make sure you like it. Laravel was driving me nuts with its IOC and mocking-when-testing and unhelpful errors. I really like Python because it’s legible, forced indenting, semi-linguistic syntax & low developer cognitive load
Hmm... wouldn't javascript (react native) be better suited for mobile development? I currently don't know about a solution for mobile development with python.
Also python has the django framework, which you can use for web development is well suited for indiehackers.
But... it really doesn't matter. After getting comfortable with a few languages you can easily switch between nearly any language. The specific framework you want to use might take a little bit longer, but a similar concept applies here.
Both knowing python, as well as javascript are useful tools to have under your belt. So you can't really go wrong. Whether one is preferable depends mostly on what you want to achieve.
Oop your actually right I did get this one mixed up, sorry! And yes i would like to learn them both if I could but the one I begin with will definitely effect me in the future. Thanks for the feedback!
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This comment was deleted 6 years ago