The digitalization of society, the economic crisis in the world and self-isolation have led to the fact that the labor market gives preference to the remote nature of work. In the top ten most demanded professions is the sphere of IT-technologies. Every second vacancy is related to development and programming.
Although a quarter of a century ago, not everyone knew what the World Wide Web and computers are. Today, digital technologies have completely penetrated into all spheres of public life. And one of the most scarce have become professionals specializing in software development. The demand for the IT sector guarantees competent developers a constant demand for services and high wages.
Who is the developer?
Developer is a broad term for a group of professionals whose work is aimed at creating mobile and computer applications, games, databases and other software for a wide variety of devices. Developers in their activities skillfully combine a creative approach and a strict programming language.
Most mistakenly believe that the profession of a developer is the same as a programmer. However, this is not quite true. The job of programmers is to clearly write algorithms for a ready-made request. While the developers consider the project from scratch, defining the goal, idea, theme and other important elements. In other words, the responsibilities of developers are much broader. If the programmer performs the functions of an executor, then the developer is engaged in the project as a whole.
One way or another, both of them have a common product of professional activity – digital programs, applications and other computer tools.
To achieve top positions and high wages, a developer must have not only a stock of professional knowledge, but also a personal set of qualities, including:
- ability to exact sciences;
- analytic mind;
- attentiveness and organization;
- perseverance;
- punctuality;
- zeal and desire for self-development, self-learning;
- creativity and initiative;
- psychological balance and the ability to endure great mental stress.
As for professional skills, it largely depends on the specific specialization. According to one of the popular platforms for remote work, in general, employers require from applicants:
knowledge of one, more often – several programming languages (PHP, JavaScript, Ruby, Perl, C ++);
be able to work with HTML, CSS, jQuery;
database experience.
Also, many employers, among other requirements, also indicate the mandatory professional knowledge of English at various levels (from B2 and above). In addition to spoken foreign, knowledge of the technical language is also important.
Oddly enough, the profession of a developer has medical contraindications. These are mental instability (breakdowns, depression, etc.) and diseases of the visual system.
Specializations
In many professional areas there are separate areas of work. There are also different specializations in the developer profession.
Web developer
If we turn to the numbers, then at the beginning of 2020, the World Wide Web had about 1.74 billion websites. This data is pretty specific about how much web developers are in demand today. The work of these specialists is based on the creation and management of sites, web services. There are also narrower directions in this area.
Front-end developer
Front-end developer specializes in the appearance of the site. Its main task is to make a beautiful picture so that the user can be as comfortable as possible on the portal.
Back-end developer
The back-end developer works with the internal content of the site, its technical part. Specialization is considered more complex and the amount of knowledge required for work should be much greater than that of a front-end developer.
Full-stack developer
A full-stack specialist is a professional who can perform the functions of both previous specialists at the same time.
Meanwhile, most employers prefer to hire developers who specialize in one area of work.
Game developer
Thanks to java developers (or Java developers) many users can spend their free time in the world of computer games. The professional duties of java specialists are: creating code, working on the concept of the game, implementing finished results, correcting errors, and so on.
Mobile developer
Interaction, app installs, and in-app purchases have been on the rise in recent years. And most of the Internet traffic today is on mobile phones. That is why the specialization of a mobile developer is among the most promising and in demand. The main activity of specialists is the development of a software product for tablets and smartphones on the Android and IOS operating platforms. Their task is to make applications as convenient as possible for the consumer and profitable for the employer.
Database Developer
Structuring and systematization of information storage is an important element in the stable functioning of any large organization. This is where database developers come in. The main tasks of specialists are debugging and modernization of archives. A key professional skill is knowledge of the SQL query language.
The main advantages of being a developer are:
- demand;
- the ability to work both in the office and remotely at home;
- high profit payment;
- Ability to run multiple projects at the same time;
- creative component in work;
- employment prospects in large companies.
You can become a developer without a specialized education – the employer’s attention is mainly focused on work experience and resumes. At the same time, there are many opportunities for self-training in professional skills – you can find many free video tutorials on the net. Another plus of the developer profession is that there are practically no age restrictions for truly qualified specialists.
The disadvantages of the developer profession are much less, but they are significant:
- a lot of time you need to spend at the computer monitor, which negatively affects vision;
- great mental stress – not everyone will be able to master such a volume and format of work;
- the lack of a stable schedule, and hence the earnings of freelancers;
- at the initial level in small projects, you have to be a “specialist of all trades” and perform the duties of designers, admins and others;
- you need to constantly learn, as IT technologies do not stand still;
- most employers look exclusively at work experience, which makes it difficult for newcomers to get formal employment.
Education
There are several opinions about higher education in the field of IT technologies. Some believe that it is not a university diploma that opens all the doors to the world of information technology, although it is a solid foundation for future professional growth. Others lean towards the traditional view of the need for a university education.
In many universities there are areas where you can master the basic knowledge of development. These are mathematics and computer science, systems programming and computer technology, software engineering, information security, software engineering and information systems and technology.
Applicants entering these areas are usually required to have good exam results.
You can also master the IT profession in secondary specialized educational institutions – colleges and technical schools.
Various educational courses in the field of software development are very popular. Training is mainly conducted online, and the cost depends on the duration of the course and the level of professionalism of the mentor.
Courses
Now there is a special demand for mass online education. And the leading direction here is occupied by the IT-sphere. More than 50% of already established specialists choose this format of training as additional education. 40% of students buy a course, wanting to get a sought-after profession from scratch.
Coursera is an online educational project of two Stanford professors. The courses were developed by employees of more than two hundred leading educational institutions. The platform has a large selection of courses that allow you to master the most sought-after specializations and job competencies and, in general, improve the level of education and broaden your horizons. Among the presented courses, you can find free ones, in Russian or English, with the possibility of obtaining a certificate upon completion.
Demand
The speed of technology penetration into all spheres of human life guarantees the demand for the developer profession for many years to come. In 2019 alone, consumer spending on mobile apps grew by 40%. According to experts, this figure will only increase. This means that the demand for specialist developers will also increase.
Meanwhile, experts say that there is a shortage of qualified personnel in the field of IT development for the volume of orders, the number of which is increasing every day. This situation is due to several factors.
Firstly, the popularity of self-education has led to the fact that although the number of specialists has increased, the quality of work of such employees does not satisfy all employers. Secondly, more and more development professionals prefer to work for themselves. Therefore, many companies are interested in hiring the most qualified specialists, attracting them with favorable working conditions and high wages.
Employment and career
In most cases, employers are interested in the experience of a specialist. Preference is also given to developers with a technical background. It is important for applicants, first of all, to carefully study the resume and try to complete the test task as efficiently as possible, if such is offered. The higher the skill level, the more profitable the position in question can be – the head of the department or the IT director.
An excellent option for employment can be work for a foreign agency. You can get a position in such an organization without changing your country of residence.
The implementation of large projects, a responsible approach to work and continuous improvement of knowledge and skills guarantee top positions in the ranking of professional developers. Moreover, advancement in this area is possible both horizontally (exploring new areas in the IT field) and vertically (getting higher and better paid positions).
Prospects for the future
At the moment, the profession of a developer is among the most promising areas. The actively developing segment of the IT industry does not predict a decrease in demand in the future due to the fact that “everything has already been thought of.” With all the abundance of modern technologies, this specialization will remain subject to exclusively human influence.