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How does Java manage to top the rankings of programming languages for 20 years? Why are Java developers especially in demand in the banking sector? Understanding the device of a popular developer position in the backend
About the expert: Daniil Pilipenko, Director of the SymbioWay IT Recruitment Center, Program Director of the Faculty of Backend Development in the Programming direction and the author of the Java Developer profession at Skillbox.
Knowledge of the Java programming language opens the door to a huge number of different projects. A developer can try his hand at creating mobile applications, websites, games, as well as working with data and research. The demanded language will not allow a Javist to remain without a job. In addition, Java is an excellent choice as a first programming language, as many of its principles and tools have been adopted by other languages. Even if you have a basic knowledge of Java, it’s much easier to start learning something else.
What you need to know about the Java programming language
Java is a programming language that appeared in 1995 and was developed for customizing consumer electronic devices. Including coffee machines. This is where this exotic name came from, borrowed from the Indonesian coffee brand Java. A well-recognized tongue logo was adorned with a mug of hot freshly brewed drink.
Java is a multifunctional object-oriented programming language. Let’s decode it now. Multifunctionality – the ability to create a wide variety of applications in Java, and object-oriented means that you can create objects and work with them. For example, if we are talking about developing a program for the same coffee machine, you can create a “drink” object and set a set of properties for it: name, recipe, cost. And then work not with individual disparate properties, but with the entire object: save it, transfer it inside the program, and so on. This language is also cross-platform: code written in Java will work equally well on different operating systems, such as Windows, MacOS, Linux and Android.
The most popular Java development environment today is IntelliJ IDEA, a free application to install on a computer in which programmers write code and create Java applications.
Since the launch of Java, a lot has changed in the IT industry: languages that are more “friendly” in syntax or specialized for specific tasks have appeared, along with new products, the scope of programming has grown. But one thing remained unchanged: for more than 20 years, Java has maintained its leadership position in the top 3 of various ratings. For example, in the monthly TIOBE rating, which evaluates the popularity of languages by the number of search queries. Why did it happen?
Daniil Pilipenko, Program Director of the Skillbox Programming Backend Development Department and Director of the SymbioWay IT Recruitment Center:
“The demand for Java is due to a number of factors. Firstly, it is a combination of the relative simplicity of the language and the ability to create software of any complexity. Secondly, the convenience of the concepts embedded in Java, which are actively adopted by other languages. For example, static typing, when each variable has a value that is set and unchanged as the code runs: number, string, date. Java has also firmly entered the toolkit of large companies. Thus, the language is the most common in the banking sector and has earned a reputation as the most protected from hacker attacks.
What does a Java developer do
The application of Java is extensive. First, Java developers can create desktop applications. For example: the game Minecraft (Java Edition), a free analogue of Microsoft Office – the OpenOffice application (not completely in Java, but to a large extent) and a large number of products of the “European analogue” of 1C – SAP company, are written in Java.
In Java, you can create console applications that run and run on the command line, as well as various services and utilities. For many years, Java has been the only programming language for creating mobile applications based on Android. In 2017, the Kotlin programming language appeared, which after some time became the main language of Android development. Kotlin is sort of an extension of Java. Therefore, having mastered the skills in the progenitor, mastering it is quite simple. Today, about 30% of Android applications are still developed in Java.
Another rapidly growing area of application of the Java language is everything related to big data processing and the field of Data Science. It shares this segment with the Python programming language. Java implements infrastructure level solutions. For example, one of the most common systems for storing and processing big data, Hadoop, is written on it.
The main purpose of Java is the development of the server side of web applications – applications that we access via the Internet. Such services as Yandex.Music, Yandex.Market, MySklad, Alfa.Click, Sberbank.Online or the Odnoklassniki social network are written in Java. In Java, it is the server part of web applications that is developed – the so-called backend.
According to the Habr.Career resource, most of the Russian backend vacancies are in Java, which occupies more than 30% in the structure of demand for backend developers.
How much does a java developer earn
The IT industry has adopted a gradation of specialists, which depends on the level of independence and correlates with the length of work experience: junior (up to a year), middle (1–3 years) and senior (more than 3 years). The salary ranges of Moscow developers are presented on average as follows:
- junior — ₽60–140 thousand;
- middle — ₽130–250 thousand;
- senior — ₽220–350 thousand.
The salaries of Java developers in the regions are lower on average by 10–20%.
How to become a Java developer
This path begins with education. The market offers a variety of Java training options: from classic ones like colleges and universities to continuing professional education programs, bootcamps and short-term marathons. Of course, a person always has the option of self-study, but this is far from the most optimal scenario. Even with a clear list of skills to master in front of you, you can easily get lost in the many resources and information from open sources. At the same time, the formed educational product sees as its goal the creation of the shortest path for the user to his career goal. It is believed that junior level skills can be acquired on average in 6-12 months of training.
Natalia Stroganova, Java developer at Skillbox:
“For example, our java development course is divided into two parts. The first is individual work. In about six months, the user learns independently from pre-recorded video lessons of gradually increasing complexity. He completes assignments and receives comments from review curators, each of whom is a practicing Java developer. The next stage is a team project lasting three months. Under the guidance of a team leader, users in a team of 5–7 people develop the backend of a full-fledged social network. During this period, they practice their skills in working with Git, the Scrum methodology, and in the GitLab task tracker.”
Hard skills
- Knowledge of language syntax (data types, operators).
- Ability to work with collections in Java – special stores that support various ways of accumulating and organizing objects for quick access to them.
- Ability to work with files – read them and write them down.
- Knowledge of the principles of object-oriented programming (OOP) – in particular, such as inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation.
- Ability to create multi-threaded applications in which various tasks can be performed simultaneously.
- Knowledge of the Spring framework is a special software for creating optimized and structured web applications, as well as a library with many useful functions and tools.
- Ability to work with the bash command line – a tool for programs in text format.
- Knowledge of the SQL language and the ability to work with relational databases, which are used in almost any web application to store data in the form of tables linked to each other.
- Ability to work with the Git version control system, a tool that allows you to save intermediate versions of program code and track its changes during team development.
- Knowledge of the principles of client-server interaction – the HTTP protocol and the REST standard, which are used by most modern web applications.
- Possession of automated testing tools – JUnit and Mokito, which allows you to automatically check the code every time any changes have been made to it.
- Understanding the principles of “clean code” and the ability to write it, which is necessary for the development of easily maintainable applications, especially in teams.
Java is about team development. Therefore, in the standard package soft skills Employers pay special attention to the ability to work in a team. As well as the desire to develop, learn a new level of English.
The stages of employment of a Java developer include preparing a resume, searching for vacancies, sending responses, a telephone interview, an interview, a test task, and an offer. Globally, everything here is arranged in the same way as in other industries. So let’s take a closer look at the features.
Where to look for a job as a Java developer
In addition to work sites like hh.ru and Superjob, IT professionals can access the Habr.Career industry resource. You can also search for vacancies on special career pages of company websites, for example, in Yandex, Odnoklassniki, Sberbank and others. Their user-friendly interface allows you to specify the programming language and your level, and choose the appropriate options. Today, new media are also actively used to search for jobs, for example, industry-specific Telegram channels learn.java and Java jobs. Educational platforms can also help with employment. For example, Skillbox has a Career Center. This is a kind of “bridge” between the employer and students. The center’s specialists are in constant contact with partner companies, collect vacancies, select students with relevant experience and organize interviews.
In the summary, a Java developer should display a list of their technical skills and knowledge, opposite each one you can put a score with your own level assessment. Also, even novice developers are encouraged to collect a portfolio with practical work. You can do this with a link to the GitHub repository. In it, you can store your code, programs implemented during training, and pet projects that the developer creates for himself in his spare time.
A useful practice for novice developers who do not always boast a lot of experience is to send cover letters along with job applications with a short story about their path in programming and the reasons for their interest in the position. This will help you stand out from other applicants and increase your chances of moving on to the next stage.
At the interview, the employer will assess knowledge of the basics of Java orally or through a test. For example, standard questions might look like: “What are the features of the Java programming language?”, “Can you list important methods from the Object class?”, “Name the modules of the Spring framework you know.” Also, the candidate may be asked to write code to solve a particular problem. If the applicant has recently completed training, these steps should not be difficult.