JavaScript

Pick this if you want to make websites, or simply want to see your work in a browser and send friends a link. JavaScript is the language every web browser runs, so you need nothing installed to begin, and it is the layer that makes pages respond to clicks, update and animate on top of HTML and CSS. It is also the most used language overall, at 66% of respondents in Stack Overflow's 2025 survey, which keeps junior web jobs and help forums plentiful. Expect some quirks that trip beginners, such as loose rules about types. The Odin Project's full stack JavaScript path, Mozilla's MDN Learn pages and freeCodeCamp's courses are all good, free routes in.