If you are a Java programmer and are thinking of learning some more programming languages to expand your knowledge and skills, but not sure which languages to choose, then you have come to the right place. In this article, I’ll share and why you should learn them. Being a Polyglot developer is a good quality and often valued highly in interviews. 3 JVM languages Java programmers can learn in 2018 It also expands your thinking because different have different features that make certain things really easy. programming languages Learning new language gives you the experience and knowledge to compare pros and cons of two programming languages, which essentially enables you to write better code. Most of the languages I suggest Java developers learn are -based because they are easier to learn for Java programmers. They are related to Java in one way or another, and that’s why they help expand the mind of any Java developer. JVM 3 JVM Languages Java Programmers Should Learn in 2018 Here is my list of three programming languages Java developer should learn in 2018. Why I have included only 3 languages, why not 10 or 5? Well, learning a new language is not that easy — it takes time and effort to learn a new programming language, and even if you can learn just one, that would be more than enough. 1. Scala Scala has been around for quite some time now, and when it first came out, it was touted as the best language to replace Java. Well, that didn’t happen, especially after some functional programming features were introduced in Java 8, e.g. and , but Scala is still the language to learn for Java developers. lambdas stream Scala has grown in the past couple of years, and more companies and startups have started using it, e.g. Uber, Sony, Amazon, Autodesk, etc, which makes it one of the most sought-after skills. Popular Scala frameworks like Play, Akka, and Spark are also helping companies adopt Scala for web development and Big Data solutions. It’s no surprise that Scala developers are paid more than 120K USD on average. If you are looking for some exciting work and to learn a functional programming language, then Scala should be your first choice. And if you decide to learn Scala, then the course on Udemy is perfect, to begin with. Rock the JVM! Scala and Functional Programming for Beginners If you like books, then from Cay S. Horstman is my recommended book. I like his style and have read many of his books, e.g. Java SE 8 for the Impatient, Core Java 1 and 2 etc. Like the others, this book also covers key concepts of Scala and helps you quickly get going. Scala for the Impatient 2. Kotlin Kotlin was introduced in 2011 by JetBrains (maker of IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and many other top IDEs) but not many programmers paid attention until Google announced it as the official language for Android Development on 2017 Google IO. Like and , Kotlin also runs on the JVM and compiles down to Java bytecode; you can start tinkering with Kotlin in an existing Java or Android project, and everything will work just fine. Groovy Scala So, if you are interested in learning Android development, want to make your app safe from NullPointerException, want to give your function some purity, write some higher-order functions, or some functional programming, then you should learn Kotlin in 2018. To start with, is a decent course. It covers essential concepts with simple language and provides real-world examples to help you understand them. Kotlin for Java Developers If you like books, then is something you can read. It’s both easy to read and comprehensive enough to cover essential details. Kotilin in Action You will also find all the exercises and solutions for this book on Kotlin’s official website, which also has an online editor to practice Kotlin programs. 3. Groovy I explored the landscape in 2017, and from that experience, I can say that every Java developer should learn Groovy. Groovy It really complements Java with its concise syntax and powerful programming features, e.g. collection literals, def to define anything, and multi-line strings. After learning Groovy, I realized that what I can do in 50 lines of code. It seriously reduced the code required to do something when you compare it with Java, and the best part of Groovy is that it Java. is One reason for me learning Groovy was the Spock framework, a descriptive and specification-based unit testing framework. It makes unit testing in Java much easier and also extends what JUnit offers. If you decide to learn Groovy then on Udemy is a good place to start. This course explains essential Groovy features in simple language. The Complete Apache Groovy Developer Course And if you still prefer books, then is the book I recommend. It helped me write Groovy scripts in just a few hours. Making Java Groovy This was the book I read when I started with Groovy, followed by , but if you need more choices, you can refer this . Groovy in Action list of best Groovy books That’s all about . If you want to move to the functional programming side, then Scala is the best choice. 3 programming languages Java developers can learn in 2018 If you are interested in developing mobile games and apps, then will help you, and if you want to do scripting, then Groovy is a great language. It helps a lot in unit testing and build automation stuff. Since compiles to Java, it effectively complements the Java programming language. Kotlin Groovy Other you may like Programming Articles 10 Things Java Developers Should Learn in 2018 20 Essential libraries for Java Developers 5 Free Courses to Learn Spring and Spring Boot Online 10 Frameworks for Java and Web Developers Python or Java? Which language is better to start with? Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these programming languages and see the value of learning them then please share this article with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.