R programming is the use of the R computer language for statistical analysis and graphic presentation. R is commonly used in business and research computing environments to analyze and visualize data, then create reports that can be used for decision making. R programming is increasingly more important given the expansion of big data for analysis.‎

It's important to learn R programming if you want to be able to build computer programs that wrangle data and convert it into usable information. Organizations often have large amounts of data but are unable to understand what it means. Using programs written by R, you can generate Bayesian statistics and graphic analysis for business analytics, public health, and medical research, among other industries. Learning R is a component of learning data science, so another reason to study R programming is to get some of the fundamentals completed before venturing deeper into computer science studies.‎

Typical careers that use R programming are in business analytics, financial services, and medical research. It is also a skill used in many data science roles. R programming pulls out information from large sets of data, so any field that calls for statistical inference from big data needs competent R programmers to create the analytics and reports needed. Some experience with R programming is useful for people who will be managing programming teams or requesting reports made from programs written in R. As big data analysis becomes more important in more fields, R programming becomes more valuable in the workplace.‎