If you’re a software developer or engineer, you’re no doubt interested in which programming languages translate into the highest salaries. And in that case, we have good news for you: Knowing some of the world’s most common programming languages will elevate your chances of landing a position that pays six figures per year.

But there’s a bit of a caveat here: jobs utilizing the various programming languages aren’t estimated to grow at the same rate in the years ahead. In fact, usage may shrink depending on the demands of the overall tech industry. So it pays (literally) to keep an eye on the overall adoption and usage of certain languages.

To delve into all of these issues, we turned to Burning Glass, which collects and analyzes millions of job postings from across the country. Specifically, we wanted to find out the median salary for each language; the languages’ respective 10-year growth; and the percentage of software developer/engineer jobs requesting each language. Here’s what the database returned:

Before we go further, there are some helpful things to point out. First, the Burning Glass database didn’t present useful data on certain well-established and up-and-coming languages, such as C# and Kotlin. Nonetheless, we feel that the 12 languages here are a very broad cross-section of the languages commonly in use (for context, check out the programming-language rankings offered by RedMonk and TIOBE, which shows how they rank within the programming-language ecosystem).  

Second, although the Burning Glass database produces median salaries for various skills, very few technologist jobs focus exclusively on one language; for example, a job advertised as “Python developer” might also ask applicants for Java and JavaScript knowledge, depending on the employer’s ultimate mission and projects. That’s why so many of the languages listed above are present in a mind-boggling 30 percent of job postings; employers often ask for candidates to possess knowledge of multiple languages (oftentimes, that’s an attempt to draw in as many qualified applicants as possible, honestly).

What can we conclude? If you want to specialize in languages that pay quite a bit and have a great estimated growth trajectory over the next decade, choose Python, Swift, and/or Go. Meanwhile, Objective-C and Visual Basic seem to be on a pretty steep descent (in Objective-C’s case, that’s totally understandable, as Apple really wants developers using Swift instead).

If you want to learn Python (and master it to the point where you can land a six-figure developer job), head over to Python.org, which offers a handy beginner’s guide. As you begin your learning journey, you might also consider Microsoft’s video series, “Python for Beginners,” with dozens of lessons (most under five minutes in length; none longer than 13 minutes). There’s also a variety of Python tutorials and books (some of which will cost a monthly fee) that will teach you the nuances of the language.

There’s also a ton of documentation about Swift, particularly at Swift.org. If you need a refresher, Dice also has short tutorials on functions, loops, sets, arrays, and strings.

Go’s fans, meanwhile, boast that it has the runtime efficiency of C++ and the readability of Python or JavaScript. It also topped HackerRank’s 2020 Developer Skills Report as the language that developers most want to learn next. For documentation and learning, visit Golang.org first. While Go isn’t as prevalent as Python or Swift, Burning Glass’s data clearly suggests it’s on a pathway to solid growth over the next decade—which is more than you can say for some other languages.