The world today is changing rapidly - from the nature of learning to the introduction of new technologies. We hope to share some valuable insights we gathered from various sources on how these changes are affecting developer trends.
1. YouTube - the platform for the younger generation of developers to learn programming
Stack Overflow is the most used tool for self-learners across all age groups. This is because developers value the easily digestible and practical advice from peers who encountered and solved similar challenges that they are facing. Whilst most Gen X-ers would look into a programming book to learn coding, Millennials would simply go onto YouTube. This is especially true when learning a new tool. Here are some of our recommended YouTube channels that you can check out: Code Course Java Brains Learncode.academy Google Developers Dev Tips
2. Developers choose to learn languages that are in high-demand
Despite the advent of new languages these days, it’s advised that developers master at least one, if not more, legacy language. It is surveyed that the most in-demand languages by employers today are: Java, JavaScript, Python, and C++. When broken down by industries, Java has been widely used in the financial sector for years. Whereas, JavaScript has been popular in building interactive eCommerce stores that is compatible with a wide range of web browsers. C# is known to be more common among government organizations.
3. More developers are enticed by languages that are hyped-up by tech giants
Gap between what developers don’t know and what they are looking to learn next Image source by HarkerRank There’s an evident trend of developers flocking to languages that are made popular by the tech giants of Silicon Valley - such as Go, Kotlin, Scala, and Swift to name a few. Go Language by Google offers high concurrency where multiple processes are able to run simultaneously and effectively. Google also popularized the use of Kotlin when it adopted Kotlin for their Android framework in their shift away from Java. Twitter spurred the use of scalable Scala when it outgrew Ruby on Rails. Lastly, when Apple made the shift from Objective-C to Swift, developers had to move too in order to not get left behind.
4. The knowledge gap in Javascript frameworks
A number of JavaScript frameworks are seen to be the more in-demand frameworks as it’s the sole language versatile enough to build frontend, backend, mobile and browser extensions. Mostly, employers seek developers who have experience in Node.js,AngularJS, and React. However, these 3 frameworks are experiencing the biggest gap between what employers want vs. what developers know. This is mainly because programming languages aren’t adopted in the industry as fast as they are created. Other than that, the knowledge gap could also be attributed to the fragmented nature of JavaScript.
5. Most employers prioritize problem solving skills
Employers are increasingly placing more importance in a developer’s problem-solving skills more than programming languages proficiency. The ability to break down complex problems or to demonstrate computational thinking is gaining as much value (if not more so) than the technical skills a job demands. This trend is usually more apparent in medium-sized to larger companies. Whereas smaller companies and startups might prefer a candidate who has framework proficiency as this is needed to launch code quickly.
6. Employer value portfolios and personal projects most
If you’re a developer without a GitHub portfolio, then you better start building one. Companies are referring to GitHub and projects on top of resumes to evaluate skills better. To most of the C-level execs, they tend to value GitHub projects more than years of experience - let alone the prestige of a bachelor’s degree. This is the case mainly because C-level execs often have recruiters or other teammates to vet through the candidates based on resumes. When it’s time to sit in an interview with the execs, the skill-based evaluation process would be focused more on the candidate’s projects, previous work, and portfolios.
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