There are a number of popular programming languages that are widely used in web developement, especially Java Code and php. My language of choice is php however I do need to use snippets of Java when trying to make a page more interactive for the visitors to the site.
When programming it helps to become a member of a community for developers, this way if you need assistance or feel like sharing your ideas you can do so with like minded members. One such site is Dream.In.Code which has over 40,000 members!
The site has an impressive group of moderators that not only keep the forums clean, but also like to help out the members as they all have extensive programming knowledge.