Constant learning is essential for developers. In our crazy, fast-paced world, your career will quickly come to a standstill if you're sitting on your butt and don’t prioritize learning. But we know you, we know that you are motivated. How do you push yourself far forward at the concert of your choice (Jay-Z right?) to be spotted by the singer, or in your case by the company? Keeping track of all the sought-after skills of the tech industry that has been steadily evolving over the last few years is tough. Luckily, we are here to bring light into the dark. To show you what knowledge and skills you should have in 2019 to not only keep up but to be top of the top.
In our last article, we have already explained to you how minor the importance of a college degree has become. The focus is on the actual skills you bring with you and the projects you've gained hands-on experience with. With an ever-changing working world, the hiring process changes as well.
Programming Languages
Most of the 70,000 developers interviewed by HackerRank in their study have experience with the JavaScript language, which replaced Java in 2018 and 2019. One of the languages you want to learn is TypeScript (#4), which is probably caused by the usage of TypeScript in JavaScript Frameworks. However, the first places in the popularity list are Go (#1), Python (#2) and Kotlin (#3).
But what do companies want? Most of all, they want you to master the latest version of the programming languages. The three main languages that employers require from the developer are JavaScript and Java, but also Python. Unfortunately, you can not impress with old languages like CSS or HTML that you probably learned during your college program. Future languages which could quickly dominate the tech industry are for example ELM, Rust and Kotlin - so keep an eye on them!
Frameworks
To "only" learn new programming languages is not going the whole way. To really impress employers, you should also have the latest frameworks mastered. The #1 Framework 2019 most developers know about is AngularJS, just like in the years before. But React is the framework that should be at the top of your "learning list". React is more flexible and easier than AngularJS, which is why we expect a new #1 with React in 2019.
Image Credit: research.hackerrank.com
Tech Trends
If you think that's it, you thought wrong - sorry! Internet of Things (IoT) is, predictably, the most widely used new technology in the next two years. With its application in the connectivity of cars, houses and even cities, it could already emerge more by 2020. Another trend is the so-called deep learning, which is mainly used in the automotive industry and the health sector. Blockchain, on the other hand, is an unsure matter. 20% of the developers interviewed by HackerRank consider its actual application in the next two years overhyped.
Image Credit: research.hackerrank.com
Cybersecurity
As great as the technical progress is, there are always threats to cybersecurity, be it attacks on applications, automated attacks or data breaches. Every company that collects sensitive customer information or possess sensitive data should have cybersecurity specialists on board. Disasters like big companies had in 2018, including the giants LinkedIn, Adobe and Instagram, can be prevented by you - yes you!
Image Credit: neural-entropy.tumblr.com
Machine Learning + Artificial Intelligence
Take the good old social media as an example. With ML you can increase the success of a company by matching ads to the right user based on the user's web search. ML is also used in the field of text, facial or speech recognition. In particular, mathematical knowledge in linear algebra, probability, statistics and in numerical methods is necessary.
Soft Skills
No, it is not just these. You should keep an eye on the technical side of your abilities but also your soft skills. The skill to solve complex problems is even more important to employers than programming languages. On the other hand, this is a bit different for smaller companies. These put great importance on framework abilities as they need to get code moving quickly. It is also important to understand: What does the user/customer need or expect? What are the trends in the market that the company moves in? Knowing that you have a solid foundation on which to build.
Image Credit: espeo.eu
These were the key skills required by developers in 2019.
We hope we helped you with this article a little further.
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