Is it better to master Javascript or PHP

AlexHarris Level 1

May 15, 2017, 9:49 pm

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Is it better to master Javascript or PHP

I was consulting my friend's father that does web designing for a living, and he told me that it would be better to stick to either front end web designing or back end. I wanted a second opinion on whether I should try to master one thing or be a jack of all trades. I find Javascript more intriguing but I also want my website to function which is essential. Leave your opinion on the matter.

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Tronia

Tronia

A bit hard to compare the two. They both have their positive and negatives sides and it essentially comes down to what you want to do with them.

Javascript is client side and PHP is server side scripting.

WordPress and sites like that are built on PHP (since you mentioned you want your website). PHP is also used for servers like Sybase, MySQL and so on.

Javascript is useful for SPAs or server-side technologies - MongoDB, Express.js and so on.

For me personally, PHP is the better language because you can do more with it but some might disagree. You could always learn both.

8 years ago

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AlexHarris

AlexHarris

Thank you for your opinion. I guess functionality should probably be prioritized over appearance. Which is more important to learn first? Also, should I learn all there is to know about one language then move on to learning the next or just stick with learning the bare minimum needed to integrate the two? Your feedback is much appreciated.

8 years ago

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MendasDigital

MendasDigital

My opinion bears no weight, as I'm just a hobbyist, but I wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

In general I think that Javascript is the more important of the 2 to learn, because it's more widely used, even simple websites often make use of it. Javascript is also widely used outside of webdesign (eg: cellphone apps). Honestly, I prefer PHP though.

As to which you should learn, and whether to focus on front-end or back-end development, or if you should be a jack of all trades, I guess that depends on the types of jobs you want. Since you seem to like Javascript better, focusing on that makes sense to me.

8 years ago

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AlexHarris

AlexHarris

Oh alright. Which branch of Javascript is used for phone apps? At the moment I am learning Jquery to make my website have a bit more pizazz. I'm seeing now that I have my work cut out for me with the jquery UI. Does anyone have a place they go to effectively learn Jquery or do you have to teach yourself?

8 years ago

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Harrysung

Harrysung

Learn both! its undeniable that PHP is more powerful than JavaScript in today's websites. I don't see Javascript been much useful in the future. But's not enough reason not to have a knowledge of Javascript.

8 years ago

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overcast

overcast

I think the times are changing and depending on single programming language for life is not a good idea. You can see that most of the web is PHP based. And there are some of the other high end websites and the apps are on other languages. And java-script is changing the way web is being used. And this needs to be understood. People have to consider that java-script complete stack may replace the PHP eventually. So the thing is that PHP now has a competition.

So if you want to be future proof with your career. Then go ahead and learn whatever it takes to get career on much higher ground. And that should be more than enough to manage the php and javascript projects that may come to you in future.

7 years ago

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