Top developer languages
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Want to be a top developer? These are the languages you need to know

18 May 2017

Developers are in high demand, but there is still a need to stand out from the crowd. Here’s how to make yourself as hireable as possible.

Learning to be a top developer or programmer takes a lot of work. Many coders and developers are self-taught, but training should be equated to learning another language.

There are a large number of programming languages you can master but some are more valuable than others, especially when it comes to the demands of the current job market.

James Milligan, IT director at Hays Recruitment, says that while he continues to see a consistent demand for .Net developers, the fastest-growing technologies in demand are AngularJS, Java and Python.

“In addition to these three mainstream technologies, we’re observing a rise in demand for new and complementary tools such as the ReactJS library, the Docker container system and Google’s Go language,” he said.

“In tandem, we see real need for DevOps skills.” DevOps is all about making development and deployment processes more efficient and reliable.

Why is this so important if you want to be a top developer? Milligan said that while writing an app is a valuable skill, so is getting one deployed on time, and that’s where DevOps comes into play.

However, being a developer now is not all about the newer technologies. Milligan also said the tech industry is doubling down on utilising JavaScript as the primary language for developers.

“JavaScript itself was the most used keyword on UK-based job postings on Stack Overflow in 2016,” he said, noting that Angular JS and ReactJS, which both allow JavaScript to be used, have both become more popular in recent years.

Concurring with Milligan, Java, Python and JavaScript are all in the top five most in-demand programming languages based on data from job search site Indeed.

Additionally, SQL topped the list, with the number of Indeed job descriptions including SQL increasing by nearly 50,000 this year compared to last year.

While there are are no shortage of developer jobs out there, putting yourself at the forefront means having the most in-demand skills and learning the top languages in the business.

Jenny Darmody
By Jenny Darmody

Jenny Darmody became the editor of Silicon Republic in 2023, having worked as the deputy editor since February 2020. When she’s not writing about the science and tech industry, she’s writing short stories and attempting novels. She continuously buys more books than she can read in a lifetime and pretty stationery is her kryptonite. She also believes seagulls to be the root of all evil and her baking is the stuff of legends.

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