Below is a simple guide to get you started in a career as a developer. This is perfect for those that aren’t exactly sure where to begin.
Developers are consistently in demand and always seem to have a huge talent shortage. This has continuously increased salaries, especially in the past several years. Yet it’s important to know that being a developer means needing to adapt because of how dynamic the field is. For example, there are always newly created programming languages coming along. Or different types of technologies or frameworks to consider.
With that said, there’s still going to be a consistent need for developers, and we’ll show you how to get in at the ground level as your first or next career move.
How come there’s always such a need for developers?
This comes from the fact that practically every company these days needs some technical foundation. Those that don’t typically transform the digital sense to keep them relevant with their competitors.
For those wondering about the titles of jobs always needed, we’re looking at mobile app developer, DevOps Engineer, programmer analyst and software developer. This is as of 2021 from CIO magazine
From 2019 through 2029, BLS (Bureau of Labor and Statistics) has forecasted an increase in the profession of software developers by 22%.
Even when the pandemic occurred and the demand slowed down for jobs in technology, there was still a demand for web developers, specifically for e-commerce sites, that grew, based on data gathered by Dice. Web developers also saw nearly a 5% increase in salary growth ($77,753, moving to $81,550) compared to a salary increase of almost 2% for software developers. ($109,198 going up to $111,297)
A deeper dive into the roles of developers themselves
There isn’t a set path for those that are considering becoming a developer.
- Front-end developer: These are the developers that typically build what you can see. They build websites and help connect the data points to a visual representation. They typically code in JavaScript, CSS and HTML5.
- Back-end developer: These types of developers help build the ‘engine’ of the system. They focus on functionality and creating databases for information storage. Typical languages are Java, PHP, Ruby, or Python.
- Full stack developer: A rigorous career path where the developer learns both the front and back-end aspects of development. They also go a step further and look at how to set up networks and host environments. They are also excellent at the logic behind database construction and working with middleware such as APIs.
- Mobile developer: these developers bring the whole application into a mobile format. They typically focus on mobile devices that are powered by either Android or iOS. Common languages are Swift, Objective-C and Java as well.
What do many consider the best programming language to learn out there?
This is an ongoing discussion, and really it’s what is currently the most popular and used commonly.
Java: this consistently takes the lead as one of the most popular languages. Millions of developers program on it, and there’s a good chance some of the apps you’re using are powered by Java. In addition, 90% of the companies on the Fortune 500 list use Java as their back-end programming language, based on information from Coding Dojo.
JavaScript: This is where many begin their programming journey, as it’s easier to get into and makes it the most popular language on the planet. It’s also always in demand, as over 60% of recruiters are looking for Javascript. Java comes in just under 60%, with Python just under 50%. Some of the newer frameworks are critical for IoT (Internet of Things) software development and devices.
Python: This language is growing rapidly in popularity as it’s the foundation for big data and machine learning and even touches upon AI features. Based on the Index by TIOBE, it’s ranked at #3. Many who code in it also love it, based on a survey from Hired. For those interested, there’s a course here to get them started.
Going back to rankings from TIOBE, we also had C at the top and Java at a close second in 2021. After Python, the rankings go with C++, C#, Visual Basic, JavaScript, PHP, and SQL.
Stack Overflow saw Rust as its most popular language in 2020, with Typescript in second place, so one can see how the opinions sway.
Of course, we also want to see what’s at the bottom of the list, and that could help many figure out which programming languages to avoid. There are actually some languages that are still quite popular, according to Stack Overflow, but the developers themselves have stated that “they hate them and don’t want to pursue them further.” These programming languages are Pearl, Objective C and VBA.
When it comes to what’s in demand by actual jobs, then Dice did an analysis back in 2021 in which SQL, Java, and Python were the top three. After that, we see JavaScript at #4 and C# down at #5.
A look at salaries
For those wondering what the highest salaries based on programming language are, you may be surprised that they aren’t always the most popular. Based on a survey done by Stack Overflow, for the United States, it’s Scala at just over $140K a year, Clojure a close second at just under $140K a year and Go in third place at $136K per year. Globally we have Clojure on top at $90K, F# and Go tied at $80K.