Not to be confused with the musical note, C# is an object-oriented, general-purpose language created by Microsoft in 2000 as a means for building apps on their .NET platform. It hasn't been around for that long compared to other languages, but it is now one of the most popular. So much so that in 2012, it was named the programming language of the year by the PopularitY of Programming Language (PYPL) index. And today, it continues to be the stack of choice for enterprises, big or small.
But if you need further proof why C# is the language to learn, let us break it down for you:
No, really. During its early stages, C# was called Cool, which stood for "C-like Object Oriented Language." Okay, that was nerdy, but the pun was staring us in the face. They later had to change it due to trademark reasons, but it's also cool in the sense that you can build a lot of awesome things with it, which leads us to the second reason.
It has an enormous set of use cases.
And a lot of fun ones at that. C# is highly versatile, and can be used to create a ton of projects, including but not limited to mobile apps, cloud-based services, enterprise software, and games. Lots and lots of games.
It's widely used in game development.
Ever heard of Unity? Yeah, the most popular game engine. C# is widely used to develop games with Unity, which means that thousands of games, including popular ones like Rimworld, were scripted using C#. Told you it's cool.
It gives you an excellent programming foundation.
Since it's similar to other C-type languages like C, C++, and Java, being fluent in C# will make learning the others a breeze.
It's easy to learn.
As far as programming languages go, C# is fairly simple to digest. It's a high-level language, and that means it is somewhat similar to English. It's also designed with ease of use as a priority, and it abstracts away most of the complex tasks like memory management and exception handling, enabling coders to learn it without frying their brains.
It opens you to lucrative work opportunities.
Since it's such a robust and well-rounded language, it's no surprise that C# is utilized by thousands of companies. There are 5,000 C# jobs advertised in the US alone (and 10,000 globally), with an average base pay of nearly $80,000. You must admit, that's hardly an amount to ignore.
It's still evolving.
The future is bright for C#. Because it's developed by Microsoft, the tech behemoth will likely make endless iterations and add useful features. And besides, C# is the 5th most popular programming language today, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
So if you want to make a name for yourself in the programming world and make yourself attractive to potential employers, start learning C#. Pick up the Complete C# Coding Bootcamp, which gives you lifetime access to 11 Courses and over 89 hours of training, from beginner lessons to hands-on exercises. It's on sale right now for $41, a sweet 94% discount from the original price of $765.