Ruby on Rails FAQ: Is Ruby an Easy Programming Langauge to Learn?

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: September 26, 2021 References

Learning a programming language is a great way to boost your resumé and open the door for new career opportunities. Since there are so many programming languages to choose from, figuring out the right one to learn can be tough. If you're considering learning Ruby, you're probably wondering if it's easy for beginners. In this article, we’ll answer all of your questions about the Ruby programming language and whether or not you should learn it.

Question 1

Question 1 of 8:
Is it hard to learn Ruby?

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No; in fact, many people say Ruby is incredibly easy to learn. Ruby’s syntax is simple, and it’s often easier to read than other programming languages. Plus, Ruby is very similar to the English language, which makes it easy to learn if you know English already.^{[1]
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- Ruby is an object-oriented programming language, meaning that everything, even individual numbers and letters, can be given properties and actions. This is usually much easier to keep track of, because you can assign a property or action to anything, not just specific words.
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Question 2

Question 2 of 8:
Is Ruby or Python easier to learn?

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Both languages are good for beginners. There’s actually a debate within the programming community about whether Ruby or Python is the easier one to learn. Python also has a simple syntax, and it’s more widely used than Ruby is. However, Ruby’s syntax is even more simple, and learning it is more straightforward than learning Python.^{[2]
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Question 3

Question 3 of 8:
How long does it take to learn Ruby?

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Usually, between 2 and 12 weeks. There are a lot of online bootcamps and classes you can sign up for to learn Ruby in just a few months. Since Ruby is an open-source language, you may have to keep up with small changes here and there even after you learn the basics. But for the most part, even beginners can pick Ruby up in under 3 months.^{[3]
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- If you want to learn Ruby, try signing up for an online class, like Codecademy or Stackify.
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Question 4

Question 4 of 8:
Is Ruby front end or back end?

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Ruby is a back end language. That means it handles the behind-the-scenes processes of a website, like connecting the web to a database, managing user connections, and powering the web application itself. Other common back end languages include Python and PHP.^{[4]
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Question 5

Question 5 of 8:
What is Ruby used for?

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Mostly web development, web applications, and desktop GUIs. If you learn Ruby, you will most likely be working on development projects like web design and desktop graphic user interfaces (GUIs). You can use Ruby to ensure that a website is easy for users to navigate and use, which is why it’s popular with a lot of tech companies and large corporations, like Amazon.^{[5]
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- Ruby was used to build Hulu, Groupon, and Airbnb.
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Question 6

Question 6 of 8:
Is Ruby a dying language?

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No; in fact, the community is growing. On the social coding site Github, Ruby is one of the most popular coding languages. Almost every major city has Ruby meetups where coders and programmers meet to discuss the changes and updates to Ruby. Although it’s not quite as popular as Python or JavaScript yet, it’s certainly not dying out.^{[6]
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Question 7

Question 7 of 8:
Are Ruby developers in demand?

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Demand has declined slightly, but it remains mostly stable. According to a report by the State of Software Engineers in 2020, Ruby is the third most popular programming language that’s in demand right now (Go and Scala are first and second). In general, Ruby is respected, but languages like Python, JavaScript, and Java are flooding the market right now.^{[7]
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Question 8

Question 8 of 8:
How much do Ruby programmers make?

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On average, around $102,000. The top job locations for Ruby programmers are Seattle, New York City, and San Francisco. You may start out making slightly less than 6 figures, but you can work your way up to a great salary in no time.^{[8]
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