What Do Programmers Program?
27 million programmers around the world create new lines of code for new applications or improve existing ones every day. Experts from 7N checked what kind of software is written the most today and which technologies should be mastered by people developing a career in IT.
Websites, mobile applications, web applications, cloud computing, IoT (Internet of Things), bots, games, machine learning, AR and VR… Digital technologies long ago became too complex for one person, even a very talented one, to program everything and in every language. So what should people who want to grow in IT do? Which technology should they bet on? Clues can be provided by the popularity of programming languages around the world.
Most Popular Programming Languages
The Stack Overflow 2020 survey, in which 65,000 programmers from around the world took part, shows, among other things, that the most commonly used programming language is JavaScript. As many as 68 percent of respondents work with it. It is considered the best choice for creating web applications, cloud solutions, and IoT applications. Right behind it, with a score of 63 percent, is HTML/CSS, used primarily to create websites. Next is SQL (55 percent), used to create databases and perform operations on them.
The popularity of Big Data is also pushing up the position of Python (44 percent), which is also used in machine learning and IoT applications. The top five programming technologies are closed by Java, a general-purpose language, most often used to create web and mobile applications, cloud solutions, desktop applications, and IoT.
- In addition to the most popular programming languages, respondents also mentioned more than 20 others. No wonder. Many contemporary commercially developed IT systems combine several technologies - notes Paweł Zdziech, Recruitment & Communication Manager at 7N. - The growing popularity of Python, which often supports data science and AI solutions, deserves special mention. Meanwhile, another trend noticeable today - the growing popularity of cloud solutions - can take place using various languages - adds the expert.
Beginner Programmers Face a Difficult Choice
Beginner Programmers Face a Difficult Choice
A clue as to what kind of software is currently in greatest demand can be provided by recruitment portals. The American website Indeed.com currently has about 52,000 job ads for programmers with knowledge of HTML and, respectively, 50,000 for SQL, 49,000 for Python, 45,000 for Java, 37,000 for JavaScript, and many times fewer for other technologies such as PHP or C++.
Should a good programmer therefore aim to learn all the leading languages in order to be able, if needed, to write a mobile application, a bot, and a website? Not exactly. Paweł Zdziech suggests that in the long term, specialization pays off best - mastering one technology well while simultaneously learning others in order to have a broad view of the industry situation.
- In recent years, we have observed growing demand for so-called fullstack developers, meaning those who can program both the backend and frontend layers, or for DevOps experts, combining programming and administrative competencies. The market therefore seems to confirm the validity of the philosophy of versatility. The old concept of “T-shaped skills” works well here, where while being an expert in some area (the vertical line), one also has competencies, not necessarily expert-level, in other areas (the horizontal line) - notes Paweł Zdziech.
Technologies for Professionals
Technologies for Professionals
It is worth noting that both the Stack Overflow report and the review of recruitment websites are a “snapshot,” showing the temporary state of an industry that is dynamic by nature. Over the last decade, there may not have been a revolution in the way programming is done, but significant reshuffling did take place. There is a noticeable gradual decline in the popularity of PHP relative to Python and JavaScript, and in the case of the latter, also of the related libraries Angular and React.js.
- Our Consultants are most often involved in the development of large systems in industries such as finance, insurance, energy, medical and pharmaceutical, or broadly understood IT services delivered to large clients. The most popular technologies and programming languages today (JavaScript, Java, C#) therefore fall within the scope of their skills - notes Paweł Zdziech.
The 7N expert also advises that when forecasting future programming trends, one should observe what large technology players, such as Google or Microsoft, are investing in. From this perspective, the dark horses of future rankings may be the Go language, used to create complex network software, and Dart, used for applications created for several platforms at once.
Summary
The analysis by 7N shows that programmers most often create web applications, websites, and cloud solutions. According to the Stack Overflow 2020 survey, JavaScript is the most popular, followed closely by HTML/CSS and SQL. Python is gaining thanks to the development of Big Data and machine learning, while Java remains a universal language.
Experts recommend specializing in one technology while expanding competencies, in line with the “T-shaped skills” concept. Demand for fullstack developers and DevOps specialists is growing in the market. It is also worth observing the investments of technology giants, because Go and Dart may become future leaders.
