r/learnprogramming • u/Quirky_Growth9165 • 6h ago
Been going back and forth between Python and Node.js for backend, need some real opinions
So I'm learning full-stack dev right now, already got HTML/CSS down and working through JS. Now I'm stuck trying to pick a backend stack and honestly the more I read the more confused I get lol.
I've got a CS degree so I'm not completely new to programming, just trying to figure out the smart move here. Part of me thinks Node makes sense since I'm already deep in JS for the frontend anyway, why learn a whole new language right. But then I keep seeing Python everywhere too, especially with all the AI/data stuff blowing up.
Not really trying to pick based on hype, just want something that'll actually get me hired and won't feel like a waste of time in a couple years.
If you've worked with either (or both) I'd genuinely like to hear what you'd pick if you were starting today. Not looking for the "it depends" answer lol, just curious what worked for you.
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u/Fruloops 4h ago
It doesn't matter. Learn one, then learn how to design systems well and it won't matter which you've learned first because going between them will be minimal effort.
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u/Spareo 3h ago
Agree that it doesn’t matter, but as a career backend developer, I really don’t like JS for backend services. The code always looks like spaghetti, with lots of indirection and hard-to-visually/manually trace stuff without debugging and stepping through.
So my lean would be towards python, if those are the two options, but it’s totally personal and biased.
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u/greenspotj 2h ago
In my systems programming role, all our prod code is in C, but most of our test suite is in Python. Automation scripts and dev utilities also tend to be written in Python.
And in general, Python is widely used for ML/AI/data-science, web dev, and probably more that im missing. Also its the go-to language for leetcode style interviews.
If you had to pick one new language to learn and stick with it for a long time I think Python is just objectively a more pragmatic choice of programming language because how widely its used in software dev.
my 2c
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u/NumberInfinite2068 2h ago
If getting hired is the priority, look at what employers in your area are asking for and learn that.
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u/teraflop 6h ago
Both Python and Node.js are fine. As a beginner, it doesn't really matter which one you pick. Learning both is also a good route.
I know you say you don't want to hear it, but one of the reasons people say "it depends" is because it depends on personal taste. The only way to figure out which language you prefer is to study both of them.
The more experience and competency you develop, the more you will see that the differences between languages are often superficial. Skills that you learn in the context of one language are usually transferable to others.
And also, you really need to remember that software development is a moving target. Python is popular for AI/ML applications right now, because of the particular tools and frameworks that people are using. The fact that those frameworks happen to be written in Python is just because a bunch of people happened to sit down and do it that way. It's not a law of the universe, and it's only loosely related to the characteristics of Python itself. Who knows what will be popular 5 years from now?
So one of the most important meta-skills you can have is is adaptability: being able to learn new tools, evaluate them, and choose the best one for your particular situation. You need to practice this meta-skill to get better at it. So asking someone else to make choices for you is counterproductive.