Learning Java programming language in 2020
In 2020, Java is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Over the past 25 years, Java, as it should be at such an age, has reached a certain maturity, but has not lost youthful enthusiasm and attractiveness.
And still, it is the most popular language for web development globally. It is used everywhere in the development of various projects, including services for desktop systems, mobile applications, and games, as well as in such fashionable sectors of the IT market as big data and IoT (Internet of Things).
So, in the 25th year of life, our fellow Java, as they say, came to its peak. More than 90% of all Fortune 500 companies use this language.
To the question of whether it makes sense to start learning Java in the 2020th year, a definite answer can be given right away: yes, it is worth it. In this article, we will talk about why there are no doubts about the bright prospects of Java for the near future, whether this language is more popular in its nearly 25 years than ever, and what interesting things are happening in the global Java community today.
Money, money, money
And let us start, perhaps, with the most important, namely, with a conversation about money. So, according to the authoritative resource PayScale, the average annual salary of a Java developer in the world now is about $ 74 thousand. Not bad, right? The average salary ranges from $ 47 thousand to $ 106 thousand per year. And experienced Java coders (Senior positions) are already waiting for an average salary of $ 95 thousand per year (from $ 70 thousand to $ 139 thousand).
At the same time, the number of vacancies for Java developers continues to grow from year to year. According to the statistics of one of the leading agencies in the field of IT recruiting, Collabera, from the beginning of 2017 to the end of 2018, the number of vacancies on this site related to Java grew immediately by 80% – from 3.5 thousand to 6.2 thousand. Most job opportunities for Java coders in the USA and India. According to Indeed.com, in the US the number of Java positions exceeds 31 thousand, and in India – 32 thousand. As for individual companies, the American J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. pays the most for Java coders. On average, about $ 90 thousand per year. Next, come TCS and Infosys ($ 73 thousand per year), Cognizant ($ 69 thousand) and others.
So it is hardly a great exaggeration to say that now Java developers are simply making money hand over glove, taking advantage of the fact that the demand for mobile applications, in the development of which Java is almost always used one way or another, is growing all over the world, due to which it is increasing and need for Java encoders. And it is not too late to jump onto the bandwagon of this train carrying successful Java Pros to a brighter future.
A new look every six months
The Java language itself, as befits successful 25-year-old guys with a great future, also does not stand aside, does not rest on its laurels, follows fashion and strives to follow trends.
So, in 2019, Java switched to a 6-month cycle of releases of new versions. Previously, new versions of Java were released every two to three years, and sometimes the time interval between releases was all six to seven years. This, to a large extent, was liked by many companies, because innovations did not come too quickly. But now, starting with Java 9, fresh releases come out in March and September of each year. And this is good, because the yard is already 2020, and releasing new versions of anything once every 6-7 years is no longer an option.
Java at the center of events: IoT and other trend niches
As befits a successful and attractive 25-year-old handsome, Java is very popular among hot things. What kind of “little things” are we talking about? About those that are already or will become shortly part of the Internet of Things (Internet of Things).
That Java is an indispensable solution when developing solutions in such a “hot” and trending niche as IoT. According to the IoT Developer Survey, solution developers in the IoT process architecture environment call Java the most important programming language for them. All thanks to JVM (Java Virtual Machine), as it allows developers to write code locally, and then transfer it to small devices such as microcircuits.
Java is one of the best solutions for cloud and gateway development in the entire IoT infrastructure. It allows you to use the same ecosystem for measuring, collecting and analyzing data.
Many other popular and trending niches are not without Java. Big data, augmented reality, unmanned vehicles, cloud computing – the development of projects in these and many other niches are inextricably linked with the use of Java.
Verdict
So, meeting its 25th anniversary, Java has every reason to look to the future with optimism and strive for new heights. Industry experts directly say that nobody seriously plans to abandon Java or even think, simply because a lot of effort, time and money were invested in this language and its ecosystem, not to mention the projects themselves where it is used. And Java developers have the opportunity to participate in the development of many different niches and entire industries, where this language is an important part of workflows. So the question “is it worth learning Java in 2020” is a rhetorical one. And most likely, it will remain so for more than one year.