C# was the first programming language with which I felt comfortable. I absolutely fell in love with the syntax during my first year of university, when I had all my intro programming classes in it. I still find myself returning to C# after 3 years of working with a variety of other programming languages, and I even made a career out of it as a web developer using C# as the language stack.
Why should you get into C# too? Let me tell you all about it.
Get to know the language
C# (pronounced as C Sharp) is an object oriented programming. It is built on the .NET platform, which includes ASP.NET for web development, F# (functional language), and other important Microsoft development languages and frameworks. All of Microsoft’s programming languages and frameworks are open source, which makes it possible to also easily run on every OS.
C# is known for simple and clean syntax, as well as its security and cross-platform capabilities. The language is also popular in the development community, currently ranking 5th place in the TIOBE programming community index.
It’s easy to learn
Although I learned C# in university, there are a lot of developers that learn C# on their own. When it comes to good quality and free resources, Microsoft is the company to be at. Microsoft Learn, the free course platform of Microsoft, has a lot of free video courses on C# and .NET. Aside from that, the Microsoft Docs are the best in the business. If you need anything in addition to that there are also a lot of high-quality courses on Udemy for a low cost.
Another big advantage of starting with C# is that once you're comfortable with it, you can easily transition to other object-oriented coding languages. Although JavaScript and Python are popular, the syntax is very different from most other languages. C# is more similar to other object oriented languages, so adding a new language to your stack, such as another C related language, PHP, and Java, will be easier. C# has a simple enough syntax that it is easy to learn, but it has similar patterns and logic as Java and C, which you will most likely need if you want to work for larger corporations.
Diversity
C# can be used for almost everything you would want to make. With this language you can make mobile apps, Windows apps, desktop apps, minimal APIs, console apps, big enterprise software, and even fully blown out web apps from frontend to backend. Do you need more? You can use C# to create simple to complex games with Unity or you can get into Machine Learning with ML.NET.
The community
If I had to describe the Microsoft community in one word, it would be incredible. It’s not just Microsoft Learn and Microsoft Docs because the sense of community in the Microsoft tech field is strong. Microsoft creates free events on their YouTube channels with demo’s or training about many of their products. They also organise challenges 3 to 4 times a year which will give you a free exam for an associate certificate . If you’re curious, the current challenge that’s going on is the Spring Skill Challenge.
Microsoft has a small group of people in the tech field, known as Microsoft MVPs; these are community leaders who are always open to help you with questions or challenges. They also focus on speaking and blogging about various Microsoft products so you have more access to learn new concepts more easily. So it’s a good idea to follow some of them if you love Microsoft products or want to get started with C#. You can find them, as well as their social media pages, on the Microsoft MVP website.
Conclusion
C#, in my opinion, could be a great career starter for anybody that wants to learn an object oriented programming language. It’s very accessible, there’s a lot of community support, and there are plenty of things you can create with it without ever feeling the need to switch to another language. Even if you decide to transition to another programming language you will already have a solid foundation to work from.
Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Please leave them in the comment section or reach out to me on Twitter.