If you ask a programmer which programming language is the best to learn, they’ll probably answer with another question: Well, what do you want to do or make? That might sound like an annoying non-answer, but there’s a reason why this simple question is so important when you’re first starting out on your coding journey.

There are over 600 different programming languages out there, and they all do vastly different things. While it’s true that certain languages have simpler syntaxes and are better suited for beginners, there’s no one-size-fits-all beginner language because every programmer has their own unique goals.

In the new Codecademy course Choosing a Programming Language, we’ll help you pinpoint the right programming language to learn for you. The free course will walk you through all of the factors you need to consider when choosing a language and introduce you to some go-to first programming languages. You’ll also get a peek at what the code actually looks like, so you can compare and contrast your options.

Whether you’re a hobbyist or aspire to work in tech someday, Choosing a Programming Language will lay the groundwork for you to make a decision about what to learn and why. For example, maybe you want to learn how to build websites so you can customize and manage your professional website on your own. You’d probably want to start with web development languages like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.

Or perhaps you’re a gamer and you’re just curious how your favorite games work behind the scenes. You’d want to stick with the most popular game development languages like C++ and Java, and maybe learn to use a gaming engine, too. Or it could be that you want to switch careers and get a job as a Data Analyst, in which case you’d probably want to start with Python or SQL.

As you can see, the paths you can take to each of these end targets are very different. Throughout the course Choosing a Programming Language, we’ll suggest beginner-friendly coding courses and tutorials for you to start taking right away, and we’ll also recommend additional skills that will round out your knowledge.

And if you’re having trouble even defining what your goal is, don’t stress! There are so many other Codecademy resources that can help you kick off your coding journey.

For instance, if you don’t know anything about coding and need some direction, you might want to take our programming personality quiz to find out which courses, languages, and careers align best with your interests. You can also read these success stories about Codecademy learners who started coding from scratch and got hired in full-time tech jobs. Or get inspired by all of the cool jobs you can get in tech by reading these blog posts about people with unique coding professions. The new free course Choosing a Career in Tech is another great way to familiarize yourself with the types of roles that you can work towards.

Ultimately, choosing a programming language to learn might feel like a huge decision, but you really can’t choose the “wrong” language. Most programmers have to learn several different languages throughout their career, and once you know one language it becomes easier to pick up others.

Go ahead and browse the whole Codecademy course catalog to see the languages and subjects that resonate the most with you. And remember: You’ve got this!