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When it comes to the world of IT, Data Science, Machine Learning; the biggest skill you need is diversification. There’s so far you can go with one programming language under your belt. Regardless of what job you may come across, there will always be a time where knowing another language will benefit your task or career.

According to a Deloitte survey, it was stated that one-third of the current skills of staff will not be relevant in the next three years.   

Not only am I speaking from personal experience, but you can see it for yourself. When you job search for tech roles, they typically state that they would prefer if you were proficient in one or more programming languages. It’s not a requirement, but it’s a preference. There’s a reason behind this; your skills will get outskilled if you survive on one programming language for your career. 

Below are reasons to why you need to learn more than one programming language:

You’ll Get Left Behind, Eventually...

Most successful companies, specifically tech companies are built on more than one programming language. You can have Node.js, Ruby, Java, Python, and more programming languages that make up your company. If you only bring one programming language to the table, your skills start to become limited. They are not interchangeable between different projects or aspects of the business; which can cause you to feel phased out.

Learning a programming language is the same concept as learning a foreign language. Once you learn one; the others become easier to learn. There are similarities between the variety of programming languages and you should use this to your advantage. Rather than being left behind or getting phased out because your skills aren’t versatile enough; become a versatile developer. 

More and more organizations are becoming data-centric or data related; therefore the demand for tech experts will continue to grow. It is better to be a part of that movement; then being left behind. 

Take Your Career to the Next Level

Knowing and being proficient in more than one programming language will allow your skills to be transferable. You can deal with more different types of tasks, which will be highly noticed by your seniors. This opens the door for new opportunities as your skills have proven to benefit the company. Companies love when they can use their internal team's skills to achieve tasks without having to look elsewhere. 

The more you know, the more it makes your life easier. You don’t want to be sitting there confused or feeling like you have imposter syndrome; learn more & achieve more!

Flexibility

A major issue that a lot of people face; not only developers are not feeling that their skills can be applied or if they can complete a task. That element of not knowing more is completely down to you and if you’re willing to learn. You may also get very tired of doing the same thing over and over again, becoming tedious. 

When you know more than one programming language, you add versatility and flexibility to your skills allowing you to cover a variety of tasks. You will be seen as a jack of all trades and be more willing to accept new challenges.

More Skills = More Money

More than one programming language equals more money. If you are asked to handle more projects or tasks due to your knowledge of more than one programming language, you will typically be offered a higher salary. If you aren’t, you are more than welcome to request it. Your skills evidently bring value to the company, therefore you should be financially compensated for it. 

Who doesn’t want more money right? & it’s only fair if it’s for the hours you’ve put in to become proficient in more than one programming language. 

Conclusion

So if someone asks, do you need to learn more than one programming language? The answer is yes, yes, yes! There is no use in just knowing one programming language when programming is becoming more and more popular. You should aim to be an expert in the programming game.

 
 
Nisha Arya is a Data Scientist and Freelance Technical Writer. She is particularly interested in providing Data Science career advice or tutorials and theory based knowledge around Data Science. She also wishes to explore the different ways Artificial Intelligence is/can benefit the longevity of human life. A keen learner, seeking to broaden her tech knowledge and writing skills, whilst helping guide others.