Go, Why It’s Worth Your Time
Hey folks, If you’re curious about learning a new programming language, Go—also known as Golang—is definitely one to consider. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced developer exploring new tools, Go offers a refreshing combination of speed, simplicity, and power.
In this post, I’ll walk you through why Go is unique, what makes it special, and how you can get started step-by-step.
Why Learn Go?
There are a lot of languages out there—Python, JavaScript, C++, Rust—the list goes on. So why Go?
1. It’s Fast
Go is a compiled language, meaning your code is turned into machine-level instructions before it runs. Unlike interpreted languages (like Python, PHP), compiled languages don’t waste time translating code while the program is running. That makes Go programs blazing fast.
2- Automatic Memory Management
One thing developers hate? Memory leaks. Go comes with built-in garbage collection, just like Python or Java, but with the performance of C-style languages. That means you don’t have to worry about manually allocating or deallocating memory, it’s done for you.
3- Simple but Powerful
Go isn’t trying to be flashy. In fact, it intentionally avoids some “fancy” features like inheritance or generics (although newer versions are introducing more generics support). That simplicity makes it easy to learn and use.
4- Built-in Concurrency
Want to write programs that do multiple things at once? Go’s concurrency model (with goroutines and channels) is one of its best features. It makes writing multi-threaded programs safe and intuitive.
How to Set Up Go on Your Machine
Let’s get you coding. Setting up Go is straightforward.
- Visit go.dev
Click the “Download” button. Choose the installer that matches your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
- Install the Tools
Run the installer. You’ll be guided through a simple setup wizard—just follow the steps and keep the defaults unless you have specific needs.
Congrats! You’re done!
But wait! we still have a long way to go!
- Set Up Your Workspace
Although it’s not forced but it’s better to follow some structures on your go projects, Go expects your files to be organized in a specific way:
├── bin ## your Go source code
├── pkg ## compiled executable files
└── src ## compiled packages (dependencies)
Go uses an environment variable called GOPATH to locate your workspace. Usually, it’s set automatically during installation, but you can customize it if needed.
Writing Your First Go Program
Once Go is installed, let’s write a simple program.
You can simply open your code editor (I’m using vscode you can use any other editor) and create a file called main.go with the following content:
package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
fmt.Println("Hello, World!")
}
and run it with go run main.go it’s super simple, but let’s do it more pro:
- Create a folder
mkdir go-starter
cd go-starter
- Starts a new Go module
go mod init
A Go module is basically your project and its dependency system — like: package.json in Node.js
- Prepare your workspace:
mkdir src bin pkg
- Now write the print code in
src/main.goand run it:
Well done! You’ve just written your first Go program.
Understanding Packages and Code Organization
In Go, code is organized into packages. Every Go file starts with a package declaration. The main package is special, it’s where the program starts executing.
You also use the import keyword to include code from other packages. Go comes with a standard library (like fmt for formatting and printing) and you can also import third-party packages.
When working with bigger projects, organizing your code into packages helps keep things modular and reusable. It also makes it easier to collaborate with others.
Object-Oriented (Sort of)
Go doesn’t use classes or inheritance like traditional object-oriented languages. Instead, it uses structs (data containers) and methods to organize code. This gives you many benefits of OOP—like encapsulation—without the complexity.
You can attach methods to your structs, allowing you to define custom behaviors without bloated syntax.
Built-in Concurrency
Concurrency is where Go really shines.
With keywords like go (for starting goroutines) and chan (for communicating between tasks), Go makes writing concurrent code intuitive and safe. If you’re building web servers, real-time systems, or anything that needs to handle multiple tasks at once, this feature alone is worth learning Go.
Final Thoughts
Go is fast, efficient, easy to learn, and made for teamwork. Whether you’re building microservices, web apps, or CLIs, Go gives you the tools to build clean, scalable, and high-performing software.
If you’re just getting started, take your time. Follow my tutorials, play with small projects, and most importantly—enjoy the journey.
Happy coding! 🧑💻
