If you are new to programming or want to take it up, you may be trying to figure out which programming language to learn. Although you will probably learn a High Level language, you should know that there are other options.
Machine level language is the language that your computer really understands. This language is made up of bits and bytes and is represented in 0’s and 1’s. It is extremely difficult to write code in this language because it is a tedious process. This is why other, more human friendly, languages came up. However, code written in this language is the most efficient that you will see.
Assembly level language is a little better than machine level language. But it is still a difficult language to learn. A program called the Assembler translates the assembly code into machine level language so that it can be executed.
High level language encompasses all the languages above Assembly level language. Languages like Basic, Pascal, C, Visual Basic etc fall into this category. These languages are easier (relatively) to understand for humans. The syntax and semantics are more in line with the human thought process, so it is easier to learn and remember. However, the code is not even as efficient as Assembly code. But with the advances in processor and memory technology, this has become negligible.
Programming has now moved into another level, where it does not require the programmer to know even half things you need to know in high level programming. While this may speed things up in one way, it does produce a lot of overheads and inefficient code as a byproduct.