C# is a brainchild of Microsoft, so if you intend to work with Windows in any way this is the language for you. C# is well structured, easy to use, and loved by both developers and enterprises alike – not to mention it’s used by a pretty big chunk of the world’s websites.
So, how difficult is C#?
C# has one major advantage that makes it ideal for beginners: it’s closer to English than many of its compatriots. It also handles most of the complex details for you, so you can focus on programming instead of getting caught up with every last tedious element. It was designed to be simple and easy to use, so it’s certainly a fine choice for a starter language.
That said, it can take time to get an in-depth grasp of C#, especially if you have no prior programming experience. When compared to other languages, it can often take more coding to get to a complete working prototype. Once you become familiar with it however, C# can be one of the most usable languages to have in your arsenal.
C# is statically typed, which means your code is checked for errors before it becomes ‘built-in’. This means it’s more efficient and also a good deal faster than dynamically typed languages. So while it may need a little more legwork in the beginning, it all becomes worthwhile in the end.
What about Community Support?
All programming languages have a developer community that has grown up around them as the language has gained popularity, so there’s always plenty of ways to give and receive advice. The larger a community, the more exciting and interesting ways you’ll see the language being used and developed, so it’s a vital component. C# is no different in this regard; here are just a few stats…
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StackOverflow:
Believe it or not, StackOverflow was actually built with C#! So it shouldn’t be too surprising that the language’s community is one of the largest on the site (the 4th largest to be precise). Many developers claim that C# questions get higher quality answers compared to other languages.
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Meetup:
Meetup provides opportunities to meet and learn from other like-minded people all over the world. The site offers 520 C# groups with a collective 140k members worldwide. It’s the 7th largest Meetup community.
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GitHub:
GitHub is an excellent resource for any programmer, providing solutions and projects for any programming related issue you can think of. No matter what you’re building in C#, GitHub will have it all mapped out for you.
How will C# Benefit my Career?
Learning C# means you’ll find it infinitely easier to pick up other languages, both more or less complex, which means your career prospects will jump up a notch too. The average salary of a C# programmer is around $90k, but can range anywhere from $55k-121k. Since it’s owned by Microsoft, who’s software most big businesses use, any C# developer is sure to have a steady flow of job opportunities.
Where is C# headed?
Microsoft are guaranteed to keep C# relevant and updated, and are emphasizing its use in building apps. It ranks as the 5th most popular language new programmers are interested in learning and interest reportedly grew by 22% in 2015, so new blood (and therefore new areas of development) are all but ensured.
There’s one very interesting future prospect for C# however: Virtual Reality. With the first headsets hitting the market right about now, the language’s already bright future just got even more exciting. Watch this space!
