It’s easy for new students to become overwhelmed with the variety of resources, programming languages, and programming tools available today. Often a question beginners have is, “what programming language should I learn?” This could lead into a discussion about programming goals (games, websites, mobile apps), and sometimes tools (Unity, Cloud 9, App Inventor). For absolute beginners, I recommend putting that question aside and focusing on understanding the fundamental concepts we find in most languages. In my experience, this helps students remain flexible when it comes to languages and tools later on. (Continue reading: Languages, Tools, and Fundamentals)