What Should I Learn After PHP? [closed]

Question

I am currently pretty experienced at PHP, and have wrote multiple applications in it. I know HTML, CSS, MySQL, and Javascript along with PHP. What is the next step in programming?

(I know that there are languages like Perl, C, Python, but don't know exactly if they are Web Based, Desktop based, etc)

Updated

My Goals are to learn enough programming that I am able to do program professionally. Let me clear up that I am 15, and have programmed a few complex applications. I have dealt with Object Oriented programming, but have barely touched working with frameworks. Is that something I should go for next?

Answer 1

Why not continue with PHP?

Become an expert and then a guru in it. PHP is a pretty large subject and in several years of development I didn't get to use and know all it's aspects, no matter how many bigger or smaller projects I did. There are also different approaches in PHP coding, nowadays the frameworks emerged and they are a topic by themselves.

And not the last thing, probably because of its popularity, PHP is a living language and continue to evolves. New stuff appears on daily bases, modules, new versions, new applications, new frameworks, new problems to solve with it.

Answer 2

There is no "next step" in programming; PHP, like the other technologies you mention, are tools we use to solve problems.

One useful thing you could do is have a look at how similar problems are solved using other technologies: you seem to be interested in web application development, so similar tools exist like Java/JSP, Ruby/Rails, C#/ASP.NET, and so on. After your edit, this seems to be the most sensible route to take, as platforms like Java and .NET seem to be the way organisations are going, and where skills are used in a lot of jobs in programming.

Having spent some time going down those routes, you might be interested in larger systems that make use of enterprise features. Things like JSF, Struts, or futher - J2EE with EJBs make use of web technologies, but in a more enterprise fashion.

I'd also suggest you have a look at some open-source web applications to see how tools such as those you mention are used in larger applications with more users. Who knows, perhaps you can join in and help out on a widely-used project!