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However, there comes a time in a programmer's life when he or she must step outside the comfort zone and look at other options.

Maybe your boss has fired you, and now you've got to learn a more modern language (sorry, Fortran and Cobol guys ;). Or you'd like to

get bigger paychecks, because the differences can be quite significant! Maybe you simply like new challenges and want to keep your

brain in good shape, who knows?

This article will try to help you pick the best programming language by asking you some relevant questions. And your answers will easily

highlight the ideal language for your particular coding needs and wants.

One work of advice, though: often times, you can solve a problem (read "create an application") by using several, totally different

programming languages. If this is the case, pick the one you're most familiar with, or the one you'd really like to learn. Your

determination should be a key factor when it comes to time and energy consuming tasks, such as programming.

Let's start firing those relevant questions, shall we?

1. Do you have any coding experience?

Because if you don't, it's best to learn an easy to use programming language.

If you're an absolute beginner, JavaScript may be the best language for you. It's got a huge collection of libraries and it doesn't need a

compiler. But don't ever confuse JavaScript with Java! I like them both, but they are totally different programming languages.

PHP may be right for you as well. It powers lots of web applications, including most web servers. It's got a huge community of

passionate developers, so you'll easily find people to help you, in case that you get stuck. Its syntax could be a bit better, but you

can't have them all, right?

Java is another great option. There are thousands of tutorials for beginners on the Internet, and the code is 100% humanly readable ;)

2. Do you want to get hired as a programmer?

Because if you do, you'd better pick a very popular programming language.

Once again, JavaScript, PHP and Java are the top options. C# is also an interesting option. It wasn't built as a web programming

language, but it's got plenty of options and libraries for web developers. And Microsoft is constantly adding powerful features to it.

3. Clients or servers?

If you want to be a front-end programmer, JavaScript is definitely the best option. It's used to code various interfaces and applets for

some of the best websites in the world - Facebook, for example.

Nevertheless, if you want to be a back-end developer, Java is my recommendation. PHP is another popular option. And so is ASP.NET.

Remember that if you go the back-end route, it's wise to learn some SQL as well - it will help you a lot!

4. Do you plan to create desktop applications in the future?

Because if you do, you'd better pick a language that can help you create apps that run on the web AND on regular computers.

Java, C# and Python are a few examples of programming languages that are very versatile, allowing you to create a large array of web-

based and non-web applications.

I hope that I have given you some useful advice. Feel free to ignore it completely, though; in the end, picking the "best" programming

language isn't crucial, especially if you're going to use it for personal projects.

If this is the case, just start with a programming language that looks fun and has a free IDE. Good luck with your projects!