Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links; I may receive compensation if you purchase products or services from the different links provided in this article.
Hello guys, If you are wondering about which programming languages you can learn to get a job at Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon or in a startup or maybe for doing some freelance work online as a developer, then you have come to the right place.
In this article, I am going to list down some of the best programming languages to Get a Job at Google, Facebook, Microsoft. These are also the top programming for freelancers and programmers looking to get a Software developer job in startups like Uber, Airbnb, or NetFlix.
I have compiled this list by my years of experience and talking with programmers who have worked both at tech giants like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc and as a freelancer.
These are also some of the best programming languages to get a job in startups where a quick turnaround is expected, and eventually on companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.
If you follow me, then you will be surprised to see that Java is not present in this list. Being a die-hard Java fan and having done more than 10 years of programming in Java, it was hard, but the ugly truth is that Java is not for freelancers and startups.
There is a slight chance to get a job as Java Developer in Google but that's very rare unless you are like Josh Bloch (author of Effective Java) or Doug Lea (co-author of Java Concurrency in Practice). You will have a much better chance if you know Python, JavaScript or Ruby.
Java is actually the best programming language to learn if you want to get a job in big organizations like wall street banks - Barclays, Citi, JPMorgan, etc. and insurance companies like AIG, but it's not suitable for startups and freelancers, where a quick turn around is needed.
Instead, languages like PHP, Ruby, and Python are more suitable for startups and freelancing gigs, and eventually working for product-based companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.
I might get a lot of flake by including PHP in this list as it's not become a trend to bash PHP, but you will be surprised to know that more than 50% of websites on the internet runs on PHP.
Most of the freelance development jobs are for developing websites, managing websites that are using Wordpress, developing mobile applications, and then building utilities for different needs. For most of these, a good knowledge of PHP is required, and that's why PHP is included in this list.
Similarly, in startups, you will be asked to develop a website or mobile apps overnight or on the weekend. Programming languages like Python and Swift are suitable for such needs instead of Java.
So, if you want to get a job in startups and eventually big product companies like Google and Facebook, learn languages like Python, Ruby, and Swift.
5 Best Programming Languages Get a Job at Google, Facebook, Microsoft
Without wasting any more of your time, here is my list of best programming languages for freelancers and people looking to get a job in startups.
1. Python
Python is the king of a programming language at this moment. There is nothing you cannot do using Python. You can write web apps, create machine learning models, automate the tedious task, and can even scrap the web using Python.
The biggest strength of Python is the several modules or packages which are freely available. You don't need to write a lot of code, just search for the right package or library and include them in your project.
When it comes to web development, Python has two remarkable frameworks, Django and Flask. Django is an extensive, full-featured framework, whereas Flask is more minimalistic. It gives you what you need, but you make the rest of the decisions.
Similarly, you have fantastic libraries like Pandas, SciKit-learn, and TensorFlow for machine learning, and the best thing you can write a lot of scripts using Python, which is great for freelancers.
For example, you can write a Python script that can scrap all freelance websites and email you all the gigs you are interested in based upon your preferences.
In short, you should absolutely learn Python, if you want to do freelancing or interested in getting a job at Google, Microsoft, Facebook or any startup, and if you need a resource to learn Python from scratch, check out The Complete Python bootcamp course on Udemy, my favorite class to learn Python online.
2. PHP
A lot of people bash PHP, and it's very unfortunate because of it a great language, and almost half of the web is powered by PHP. It's simple, and you can quickly deploy PHP scripts just about anywhere. Many freelancing jobs are about creating websites using Wordpress, which is built using PHP.
If you know PHP, you can do all those gigs. PHP is seriously great for freelancers that need to get things quickly. It may not be the best choice for a large organization, but if you're freelancing and building personal projects or looking to get a job in startups, PHP can be a great choice.
If you want to learn PHP from scratch and looking for some excellent resources, I suggest to check out this PHP for Beginners - Become a PHP Master course on Udemy. This course will teach you everything you need to become a professional PHP developer with quizzes, projects, and practical exercises.
3. Ruby
This is another excellent programming language for people doing freelancing or doing startups for the same reason as PHP, it helps you to get stuff done quickly. If you know Ruby on Rails, you can whip up a full-featured website with a database in just a day or two, which would have taken a week or so in Java.
Ruby is also prevalent in startups. In fact, many successful startups are built using Ruby and Rails like Twitter, Shopify, Github, Groupon, and your own Airbnb.
That's why if you are working on your own startups or looking to get a job on startup, it makes a lot of sense to learn Ruby, and if you need a resource, this Ruby on Rails MasterClass by Rob Percival and Mashrur Hossain is probably the best place to start with.
4. Swift
Today's world is the world of smartphones, and if you are not on your customer's phone, you are losing a lot of money, and that's why every company, both big and small are investing in their mobile apps.
All the startups need their mobile apps at the time of their website launch, and if you are interested in getting a job as a mobile developer in startups, Swift can be a great choice. Swift is the apple programming language for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
You can build iPhone and iPad apps using Swift. It's both safe by design and robust. It can also help you in your freelancing gig as there are a lot of jobs for developing and enhancing iOS apps on freelancing websites like Fiverr and Upwork.
All the big companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook also have a lot of mobile application and they are always in look for competent programmers to maintain them and develop new applications.
And the last thing, iOS developers make a lot more money than Android developers. If you want to learn Swift and need a resource, I suggest you check out this iOS 13 and Swift 5 Masterclass course by Angela Yu, one of the best instructors to learn Swift online.
5. JavaScript
I started this article with the king of programming language and finishing it with the queen of the web, yes, I am talking about JavaScript. The last decade was a decade of JavaScript, and it became the first programming language to develop full-stack web applications.
When you do freelancing, you don't have the luxury to get different people for developing frontend and backend; instead, you need to do all, and that's where JavaScript can help. The same is true with startups and tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft where you need to shoulder most of the responsibility of your product.
JavaScript allowed you to create both frontends and backend of your application, and that can be a tremendous differentiating factor while developing your project or hiring for startups. If you want to learn JavaScript and need an excellent resource, I suggest you join The Complete JavaScript Course: Build Real Projects by Jonas Schmedtmann on Udemy.
It's my favorite course and offers project-based learning where you learn by developing a project of your own, the best way to learn.
That's all about the best programming languages Get a Job at Google, Facebook, Microsoft etc. These are also great languages for freelancing, getting a job at startups like Uber, NetFlix, or Airbnb, and building personal projects.
As I have said before, not every programming language is suitable for everything. Sometimes, its OK to accept that Java is not the right choice for writing a simple web application and choose PHP instead.
If you are looking to get a job at Google, Facebook, Microsoft, or looking to work in a startup, or thinking of doing paid gigs as a freelancer, learning these five programming languages can be a game-changer.
Other Programming and Tech Articles You may like:
The Complete Frontend and Backend Developer RoadMap
11 Essential Skills for a Software Developers
The Complete DevOps Engineer RoadMap
10 Frameworks Java and Web Developer should learn
The Complete Java Developer RoadMap
10 Things Every Java Programmer Should Learn
Top 5 Java Frameworks You can Learn
10 Reasons to Learn Python Programming
Top 5 Courses to learn HTML 5 and CSS in depth
10 JavaScript Frameworks and Libraries for Web Developers
Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like this article and find these programming languages useful for freelancing and getting a job in a startup, then please share it with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.
Top comments (22)
That proposition seems absurd to me.
Google has 100.000+ emploees and Java is in fact a major language at Google.
Do a LinkedIn search for people working at Google and who have Java in their skillsets and you will find lots of them.
More generally, in my opinion, if you have mastery in any programming language and you want to apply at Google, Facebook and the others, just do it, apply.
They are desesparate for candidates.
The only thing in the way is that their hiring process is highly bureaucratic and absurd, so you should prepare for that.
@jean , this is true that if you are a genius then you can get into Google with any programming language, there is no stopping that. There is also not that they only work with Python, they work with almost every programming language including Haskell. The article is about top programming languages which give you the best chance to get a job on tech giants. So, with Python, you have a lot more opportunities than Java, but yes, you can also get a Job with Java but you need to really good at that and wait your opportunity.
Thanks for clarifying out.
You are 100% right that investing in Python is a great idea, I have no doubt about this.
I guess I was just adding that if you already are skilled, you can also apply to Google immediately. Google has 100.000 employees, and unless you have a very low bar for what it means to be a genius, not all of them are geniuses.
They are good developers and that's enough. So if you are a good developer, you can apply.
@javinpaul , if you want to mention @jmfayard you need to use his tag ;-)
Indeed, I also would like to add that if you look at the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) source code then you can see that all the existing packages (Settings, Launcher, ...) are still written in Java, they haven't transferred to Kotlin.
Java is still a big language in the Android ecosystem, however it is moving to Kotlin with newer projects but still lots of legacy projects or massive projects in Java.
Android is special, Kotlin is especially successful there because Java the Android way is bad.
But Java at Google is a big thing
Java is major language for google Cloud cloud.google.com/java/
Google has arguably the best styleguide for Java
google.github.io/styleguide/javagu...
I'm just scratching the surface there.
And my larger point remains.
If you are very good at whatever programming language, and you want to apply at Google, just do it.
What matter are your programming skills and they are like 90% independant of your language of choice.
Hi @javinpaul , your article has affiliate links and violates article 11.3 of the Terms of Use
This is not the first time a moderator has called you out about affiliate links.
Sorry, I just forgot to put the disclaimer. It's there now.
Agree with your list of languages! Also, The Complete JavaScript Course: Build Real Projects by Jonas Schmedtmann is so great! I recommend anyone who wants to start learning JS to purchase that course. 💯
It is indeed, big thanks to Jonas
Java and C# are still the relevant languages if you want job in big tech.
And they are both great languages looking at their type system, tooling, consistency ...
Java is actually a very good choice for the backend even for new projects today.
We chose TypeScript because we wanted to work in the same language in the frontend and backend.
95% for the time that makes you super productive, while sometimes you notice it is not as beautiful as the widely adopted ones and sometimes you spend days debugging some frickely dev tool written out of direct need by the creator which in the end does a regex replace in js source code :D
true. Banks use C# heavily for creating desktop GUIs.
I think you have underestimated the power of JavaScript.
Completely agree.
No, not really, its actually one of three of Big 3 league of programming languages, which includes Python and Java apart from JavaScript.
Without respect to targeting the companies you mentioned, we see jobs in Minneapolis surprisingly heavy on Java (Best Buy, Wells Fargo and Target) C# is 2nd (many mid sized companies), followed by Python (United Health).
Front End is a mix of Javascript, and Typescript (as it gains popularity)
PHP is here but is dying, just like Cold Fusion did a few years back.
As an Ex-Googler, I can not confirm (for Google).
Java, C++, TypeScript, Python, Go ARE currently the main languages at Google.
The purpose of each language is more or less:
Java -> business logic
C++ -> high performance stuff
TypeScript -> frontend
Python -> Machine Learning, test and build scripts, legacy Youtube code
Go -> infrastructure and build scripts
In the long term...
...they want to move away from Python (to Go) for scripting, because it was hard to maintain on scale
...they want to move away from C++ (probably to Swift or Rust), because it is hard to maintain and they find the community toxic (they did not want to adopt their suggestions)
...they want to move away from Java to Kotlin (because of license fights with Oracle)
They rarely use but love Rust and Dart.
PS: I did leave this August but I had a chance to talk to their Devex lead on an internal event and asked exactly this.
Great share
thanks
Good to share
thanks