Why JavaScript is the Only Choice for Learning Programming Now
Table of Contents
- Target Audience
- Why You Should Learn Programming "Now"
- Hesitating on Language Choice is a Waste of Time
- The De Facto Standard of Web Technology: The Overwhelming Dominance of JavaScript
- The Power of "End-to-End" Coverage from Frontend to Backend
- The Protagonists of Modern Development: React and Next.js
- The Language that Maximizes the Benefits of the AI Era
- High Market Value and Unit Price as a "Job"
- [Important Supplement] Transition from JavaScript to TypeScript
- Conclusion: The First Step You Should Take Today
1. Target Audience
Those who want to become IT engineers, those who aim to be indie developers, beginner to intermediate indie developers.
2. Why You Should Learn Programming "Now"
If your goal in learning programming is "indie development", you are in the golden age. Because the environment is ready for you to turn your ideas into reality and publish them immediately without asking anyone for permission.
Indie development is not just a hobby; it has the potential to become a side job or even a major source of income. Monetization options are diverse, including ads, paid plans, and affiliates.
Gaining the freedom to turn the "it would be nice to have" ideas in your head into reality. This is likely the biggest reason for you to learn programming now.
3. Hesitating on Language Choice is a Waste of Time
"Should I use Python, Ruby, or maybe Go..." Many beginners waste time here, but in indie development, the most important thing is "output", and language is just a "tool".
Choosing one language and starting to build quickly is the only way to succeed in indie development. If you are hesitating, it is most rational to choose the de facto standard that is so solid that there is no need to hesitate.
That de facto standard is JavaScript, which I will explain from now on. If you have time to hesitate, start writing code right away.
4. The De Facto Standard of Web Technology: The Overwhelming Dominance of JavaScript
JavaScript is the only programming language that runs in web browsers. All the movements and interactions on this screen you are looking at right now are controlled by JavaScript.
This means that as long as you want to create web services or web applications, the option of "not knowing JavaScript" is impossible. It is the foundation of all web development and an essential skill for web service developers.
JavaScript has established an overwhelming position that cannot be avoided, regardless of learning cost or difficulty.
5. The Power of "End-to-End" Coverage from Frontend to Backend
JavaScript used to be a language exclusively for browsers (frontend), but the situation changed completely with the advent of Node.js.
Node.js is an environment that allows JavaScript to run on the server side (backend). This made it possible to describe database access, API construction, and server processing all in the same JavaScript.
There is no longer a need to learn different languages for frontend and backend, dramatically improving learning costs and development efficiency. This point of being able to do full-stack development "end-to-end" is the biggest weapon for indie developers with limited resources.
6. The Protagonists of Modern Development: React and Next.js
For UI development of modern web applications today, React, a library developed by Facebook, has become the de facto standard. Many large-scale services such as Twitter (X), Netflix, and Airbnb have adopted React.
And what indie developers should pay most attention to is Next.js, a framework for React.
Next.js packs all the best practices necessary for modern development, such as routing, API construction, server rendering (SSR), and static site generation (SSG). With Next.js, you can launch high-quality products that are fast, SEO-friendly, and easy to maintain in a surprisingly short period of time.
In other words, developing the modern web apps you most want to create with "JavaScript/TypeScript + Next.js (React)" is the strongest option.
7. The Language that Maximizes the Benefits of the AI Era
Now that AI support for code generation and debugging is becoming common, JavaScript/TypeScript is advantageous to maximize its benefits.
This is because it is the language most actively used by developers around the world, and has the most code assets (GitHub, Stack Overflow, various documents) accumulated on the internet.
Since AI models learn from this huge dataset, they tend to provide the most accurate and efficient answers for JavaScript/TypeScript code and error patterns. Choosing a language with a large amount of information is a wise strategy to utilize AI as a reliable partner.
8. High Market Value and Unit Price as a "Job"
Even if you consider working as a contract developer or freelancer after honing your skills in indie development, the JavaScript/TypeScript stack is advantageous.
Projects for modern web application development in the market have a high probability of having React/Next.js/Node.js as technical requirements.
There are projects for Python and Ruby as well, but full-stack engineers who can handle everything from frontend to backend consistently are in particularly high demand, resulting in more project offers and a tendency to maintain high unit prices. Your development skills are highly likely to lead directly to high income.
9. [Important Supplement] Transition from JavaScript to TypeScript
I have been recommending JavaScript so far, but strictly speaking, I strongly recommend developing with "TypeScript".
TypeScript is a superset language (language extension) that introduces the concept of "Type" to JavaScript. By clarifying the types of variables, bugs are prevented in advance, and code readability and maintainability are improved.
While JS is fine while the scale of indie development is small, TypeScript is essential knowledge if the scale becomes even slightly larger or if you experience team development in the future. If you are going to learn anyway, getting used to TypeScript grammar from the beginning is the shortest path.
10. Conclusion: The First Step You Should Take Today
The overwhelming dominance in web development, an environment that enables full-stack development, the existence of modern frameworks, and high market value. Considering these comprehensively, I believe that JavaScript (TypeScript) is the "only choice" for indie developers who are about to learn programming.
Throw away your hesitation and start learning JavaScript/TypeScript right now. The first step is to set up the Node.js environment and experience a simple Next.js tutorial. Using programming learning services such as CodeLesson and Progate is also recommended. If you use MENTA, you can get direct advice from experts. If you learn programming, you can differentiate yourself greatly from the vibecoders (people who code only by atmosphere) who will be born in large numbers from now on. The best time to start is now! Please start today.
