Loukides said interest in learning programming languages appears to be waning, with Rust being a notable exception. If that’s happening because users expect AI to handle language details, that could be “a career mistake,” he said.
But Kian Katanforoosh, CEO Workera, an AI-driven talent management and skills assessment provider, said people aren’t less interested in learning programming languages — Python recently surpassed JavaScript as the most popular language. Instead, there’s been a decline in learning the specific syntax details of these languages, he said.
“What most people should focus on is understanding what a programming language enables them to do and how it works at a high level, rather than memorizing syntax…,” Katanforoosh said. “The mindset of programming remains crucial — it fosters problem-solving skills that are widely applicable.”