Developers often dispute the merits of SQL as a legitimate programming language, but this misses the point. SQL is a powerful 4GL for accessing data.

So if you want a lucrative programming career (even the lowest paid SQL developers make upwards of $60,000 a year), it’s imperative that you learn a database programming language like SQL.

SQL has faded in popularity as noted in the TIOBE Index as people working in AI switch to NoSQL databases.

Maybe it's not the sexiest programming language, but SQL continues to be important--at least according to one measurement.