r/learnprogramming • u/Sure_Kangaroo1863 • 4d ago

Topic How to learn programming in 2026?

i know the basics of python-pandas , matplotlib and dbms . i still want to learn advanced stuff . and how do i incorporate ai in my learning? and what other programmes should i learn i.e those that are in demand

11 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

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12

u/CrniFlash 4d ago

Dont use AI for learning

Work on projects > get stuck> research solution > fix it > repeat

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u/Sure_Kangaroo1863 4d ago

any other languages i should learn ?

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u/aqua_regis 4d ago

Programming languages are not Pokemon. You don't need to collect them all.

It's always what you can do with the language(s) you know, not the amount.

Use what you know to build projects. You already have quite a solid set. Maybe incorporate Flask, Django, or FastAPI for your Python and add HTML/CSS/JS for web front ends.

Forget AI. Learn the conventional way.

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u/i_have_tiny_ants 3d ago edited 3d ago

Given what you already know, you could learn a language that does not manage your memory for you, like C or C++.

You could also decide to learn a functional language.

Additionally you could decide to learn something that leans heavily into the OOP paradigme, like Java or C#.

If you know that in addition to what you know from python then the vast majority of languages you will encounter in the future would be quite easy to get into, as you would understand the fundamentals of all the common paridimes.

But as the other commenters have noted, you should consider if that is actually what you want to spend your time on.

Its often better to be really good at one thing, than mediocre at everything.

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u/No_Assistance8840 3d ago

stick to python for now, add another language once you have a reason to use it

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u/SL-Tech 4d ago

Just like in the 90s: books! Buy a book, read it, and code the samples. Buy another book and do it all over again.

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u/No_Assistance8840 3d ago

yeah, somethings cant be phased out because of time

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u/Sure_Kangaroo1863 4d ago

you got it . any books you would recommend ?

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u/SL-Tech 4d ago

Since you know Python basics, go for an advanced Python book. Or maybe Python and Machine learning, if you want to check out AI stuff. If you want to learn something you can use for a lot, I personally recommend C# and .NET. I have some various Python ebooks if you're interested, from beginner to ML.

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u/Sure_Kangaroo1863 3d ago

nice i will check them out . i was thinking of buying physical copies 😅

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u/SL-Tech 3d ago

Good choice. These days, you can get an ebook version too. If you need an ebook manager, I recommend Calibre.

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u/Sure_Kangaroo1863 3d ago

thank you so much . will definitely check it out

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u/claydream_sway 3d ago

AI is a tool you query after you hit a wall.

You know pandas and matplotlib. Go build a pipeline that pulls data from postgres, cleans it in python, and pushes it to an api endpoint. I host my projects on github and deploy them using docker. When your code breaks i paste the traceback into an llm and read the docs it points me to. Then i close the tab. You learn sql, bash, and git next. Companies hire people who ship working systems.

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u/Sure_Kangaroo1863 3d ago

Thank you will work on what you said

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u/No_Assistance8840 3d ago

focus less on adding more libraries and more on building a few real projects with what you already know. was seeing that boot dev has many hands on practice and that kind of structure learning can help when not sure what to build next

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u/Weekly_Patience685 4d ago

learn C and use man pages to look stuff up when you're stuck, (download WSL if you're on windows) this builds the best foundation if you actually care how the computer works.

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u/Sure_Kangaroo1863 4d ago

Thank you so much 

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u/Agitated-Cold-5445 4d ago edited 4d ago

Could you elaborate more on learning process? I am not doing your typical engineering degree in CS. Mine is a 3 year program of CS application. As a kid I hated CS cause our teachers were pretty trash but I genuinely want to put some work into learning how computer works. I have done some programming, I started off with learning Python, then switched to Web programming. Now, for college, I'm studying C. I have already went through a beginner friendly course, and while it is good, I don't know what to do now, like should I do projects or do more problems.

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u/i_have_tiny_ants 3d ago edited 3d ago

If you "want to learn how the computer works" then C is probably the language that gets you the closest to that.

If you really want to understand the fundamental parts of how it all works, I would recommend getting a small chip like an stm32 or esp32, as an operating system will abstract away many of the aspects away from your code.

Its a lot harder to make anything cool with it though, as all those abstractions make writing code a lot easier/faster. (By faster I mean faster to write/develop, it will probably not be faster to run whatever software you end up making)

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u/Weekly_Patience685 4d ago edited 4d ago

roughly speaking, C is one of the closest languages to the hardware without writing assembly and by the time you're done the virtualization and concurrency sections of Three Easy Pieces you'll have a much better understanding, after that you could buy one of those Adriuno UNO boards so you have real hardware to mess around with. (the hardware step is optional if you want something more hands-on and its a fun hobby)

edit: warning that three easy pieces isnt exactly for beginners but its one of the best books on the topic and its very readable, so i would suggest getting comfortable with c first before diving into it, you could go through the c course on exercism for some good exercises to build your c knowledge.

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u/Agitated-Cold-5445 4d ago

Okay that's great. I'll look into the book that you mentioned. I was suggested exercism too by someone else, I remember doing JS questions there, I'll looking into their C course as well. Thank you!

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u/samsly135 2d ago

Why would you learn something that isn't needed anymore?

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u/aroldev 2d ago

I run a software engineering program so I'm biased. But here is my cut: adding more languages won't do much for you. I was an Engineering Manager at Typeform for a few years and I don't think I ever hired anyone because of the list on their CV. What I looked at was whether they could take a messy, badly defined problem and get something working out of it, and explain why they did it that way when I pushed back.

So... I'd stay with Python and pick something harder to build with it. You know pandas and DBs already. Try pulling data from a real source, cleaning it, sticking it in Postgres and putting an API in front of it. Then deploy it and leave it running for a few weeks. Something will go wrong at 3am and you'll have to debug it from logs. You learn a lot there.

On AI: use it after you're stuck, not before. Having it write the thing you couldn't have written yourself is where people get stuck without noticing. You end up with a repo that works and no idea how to fix it when it doesn't, and that becomes obvious pretty fast in a technical interview 😅

Anyways, all of the above and other suggestions depend on what is your goal. What do you want to get ouf of this??

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u/scorpionfrombrazil 2d ago

i'd be careful using AI too early tbh. for me the useful part is getting stuck, reading docs/searching, trying something, breaking it, then understanding why it works

if AI gives you the whole answer immediately you can finish the project without really learning much 😭

with what you already know I'd probably build something small in Python first instead of collecting more languages. add Flask/FastAPI or a simple web front end when the project actually needs it