If You Look Closely At The World Of Software, You Will See That Java Is Everywhere. From Android Apps And Web Server Tools To Enterprise Software, Java Has Somehow Formed The Backbone Of The IT World And Especially The Internet.

One of the essential features that made Java an industrial standard should be its simplicity, ease of use, object orientation, security, and speed. In addition, the job market for Java-savvy programmers is booming, and these people are well-paid.

Large organizations and teams responsible for building powerful software choose Java as their primary software development language. This issue has made Java increasingly popular among programmers and the first choice for most jobs. Hence, Java job opportunities are not going away anytime soon.

Skill in serving business

The first step to choosing the right job opportunity compatible with Java is to master the set of skills required by the labor market. Therefore, you should first think about learning the following basic concepts:

•  Syntax of Core Java.
•  Concepts of Object Oriented Programming (OOP).
•  Familiarity with basic  Java programming commands and concepts.
•  Getting to know how Java works and especially the Java virtual machine.

A great way to master practical Java skills is to attend online programming events or create small personal projects that will help prepare your resume as well as possible. Due to the rich online and offline educational resources, everyone can learn the basics in a short period.

Hence, some  Java developers prefer to go for valid certificates. Until just a few years ago, the only surefire way to master programming concepts and programming languages ​​like  Java was to go to college and get a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field, but times have changed.

People who want to learn the  Java programming language have the opportunity to participate in international training courses such as those organized by Oracle and get the practical skills needed by the job market and receive Oracle’s specialized certificate in the field of working with the  Java programming language. For more information in this field, visit the following address:

 https://education.oracle.com/oracle-certification-path/pFamily_48

Suppose you want to get certified to learn more advanced skills that will increase your chances of landing more challenging jobs. In that case, you should consider attending courses that offer specialized certifications approved by Oracle. Additionally, educational institutions and online resources are other options available.

What do employers expect from a Java developer?

HR experts and employers typically expect a Java developer to understand this programming language and its syntax thoroughly. Among the general expectations of employers from a  Java developer, the following should be noted:

•  Understanding and fixing bugs in other people’s codes.
•  Deployment of applications on internal or remote systems and servers.
•  Complete mastery of how to use the  Java  Virtual Machine (JVM).
•  Integrating  Java with web and enterprise applications.

Given that  Java is used in many different fields, each  Java job opportunity requires a different skill set. Among the skills needed for the labor market based on the specialized areas related to the  Java programming  language, the following should be mentioned:

Mobile application development

Java has been used to develop mobile applications for many years. Indeed, Java is not very useful in developing applications for the iOS operating system. Still, it helps build Android applications, especially working with Android Studio. Typically, a Java  developer  who plans to work as a mobile developer in a company should have the following skills:

• Android Studio: The official integrated development environment (IDE) for the Android operating system. This utility gives you access to Android development tools (SDK tools), a graphical development environment, and coding and testing applications on Android emulators. Android Studio supports  Java, Kotlin, and  C  ++.

• Simulator: When you are developing applications for Android, you need to be able to test and debug applications that are going to run on smartphones. Developers rarely test an app that is not yet complete and in the early stages of development on Android phones, as it is time-consuming and sometimes causes problems for the smartphone. For this reason, various emulators in the Windows operating system environment are available to developers to test applications on personal computers and in simulated environments for the Android operating system. Android Studio provides developers with an efficient emulator that allows them to create a virtual machine that acts like a smartphone based on the version of the Android operating system for which they plan to develop applications and the type of device on which the application will run. Of course, besides Android emulation, other popular options like vMac, NoxPlayer, Dolphin, etc.

• User Interface (UI) Design: Although this isn’t useful to a senior developer who probably has a UI designer on their team, it’s an essential skill when you’re just starting or working for a startup. Therefore, you should have enough information about the basic principles of this field and things like how to design and place elements in the application, manage and parse XML, etc. 

Web Development

Another popular and money-making field in Java is creating server-side and web applications. To enter the world of web development, Java  programmers  must have complete theoretical and technical knowledge related to the following skills:

•  HTML, CSS, and restful API:  You must be familiar with the basic concepts of the web world.
•  Servlets: A  Java class used to handle HTTP requests.
•  Java Server Pages: A way to write  Java code and HTML to make web pages faster.
•  Jars: It is Used to bundle files and metadata into a single file.

The most famous implementation of Java  Servlets and  Java Server Pages is the Apache Tomcat tool, one of the standard options for running applications on the server.

Desktop programs equipped with a graphical user interface 

With the popularity of the Swing toolkit,  Java has become a valuable tool for developing desktop applications. To enter this field of work, you must acquire skills in building widgets with tools such as the Swing GUI toolkit developed by Oracle and  Java FX. Both devices use the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT), included in the  Java  Development Kit (JDK), for building cross-platform applications.

Alternatively, you can use SWT, aka Standard Widget Toolkit, a library developed by IBM for building desktop applications. Today, developers use SWT in conjunction with Eclipse RCP to build desktop GUI applications.

Organizational and business programs

These programs are used to organize and model business processes for organizations. The primary tool used in the development of enterprise software using  Java is Java EE, the name of Java Platform, Enterprise Edition, which you must dedicate enough time to master this tool. In Figure 1, you can see an example of the architecture of an enterprise program with different logical layers and their implementation using  Java tools.

figure 1

Considering that the need for enterprise software is increasing and domestic companies are rapidly moving towards a DevOps culture to improve the performance of executive teams, mastering this area of ​​jobs related to the Java language provides a good job market for Java programmers.

Video games

Popular games like Minecraft, Revenge of the Titans, and Spiral Knights are developed with  Java programming language. Java is an excellent option for creating computer games because it allows you to create multi-platform versions of fun without paying extra. Also, it is the first choice of developers who want to make 2D games for Android.

Did you know that the world of making computer games is a multi-billion dollar industry, and developers can make money from their games in various ways, such as in-app purchases?

Use to make successful games. Despite the growing popularity of game engines like Unity and Unreal, Java is still popular among developers. To succeed in this field, you must be familiar with the techniques of making games and know how to use the multithreading technique in  Java. Additionally, you need to understand how the JVM handles the process of collecting unused objects from memory.

Scientific applications

Interestingly, the user interface of the everyday MATLAB computing environment is written in Java. When building programs to perform scientific calculations and mathematical operations, eyes are drawn to R, Julia,  Python, and  Java. Because the above languages ​​have great ability to develop this model of programs, however, the programs made with  Java are speedy.

To build a complete scientific program in  Java, you need to use  Java and the CUDA toolbox to use the GPU’s processing power (the graphics processor plays a crucial role in processing vast amounts of data used in scientific calculations) to perform complex calculations. If you are interested in the world of PC game development, we suggest you research the Rootbeer GPU Compiler.

Technical skills alone are not enough.

In today’s work environment, a developer will not succeed in the business world by mastering technical skills alone and must have adequate knowledge of soft skills. Nowadays, most companies pay special attention to soft skills when hiring developers. These skills help developers perform better in interviews and convince the interviewer that they are the right choice for the job.

 Soft skills include the following:

•  Good communication and interaction with colleagues and customers.
•  Ability to do group work.
•  Delivery of work on time.

Apart from the skills mentioned above, it is recommended to keep your knowledge in sync with the current trends in the world of technology. Artificial intelligence and data science are critical to the success of the significant applications you use daily.

Hence, you should invest in learning skills like how to implement intelligent algorithms in your application and make optimal use of data sources that help an application perform better. Learning these new skills, learning how to implement them, and completing projects related to these technologies play an essential role in obtaining a good job.

Java job opportunities

After you have mastered  Java and the required tools, you should go to the job ads looking for  Java developers. Of course, you should consider several essential points in this field.

1. Junior developer

• Almost all programmers start their careers in a junior job position, the lowest job position for a software engineer. A junior developer is responsible for writing, analyzing, testing, and debugging code. Junior developers are members of software teams who perform tasks assigned by the team manager and report to the team manager. Junior developers should think about learning new skills and familiarizing themselves with the business world to take serious work positions in big companies.

2. Senior developer

• A Senior  Java  Developer is assigned responsibility for an entire project. These people are responsible for writing, evaluating, and reporting to senior management. Additionally, they are responsible for mentoring developers who are new to the company or added to a project.

3. The architect

• A Java software architect is a person who must have sufficient knowledge about this programming language, tools, and various methods of software development with the  Java language to be able to choose a model based on the requirements of a project that costs less and shortens the delivery time of the project. To be more precise, it should be able to provide an optimal solution for various problems. In addition, it is responsible for compiling and separating different logical layers of a program. A software architect ensures that all application modules are compatible with each other by choosing the right technologies to be used to build a project.

4. Web developer

• A Java web developer is responsible for back-end programming, reviewing and debugging code, websites, and web applications. Java developers are responsible for various tasks such as periodic code evaluation, updating code related to security protocols, and choosing the best method for data management. In short, a Java web developer is responsible for deploying and maintaining server-side code. For this reason, he must have basic knowledge of cloud computing and how to write code for cloud computing.

5. Android developer

• The official language of Android development is Java and Kotlin. A large part of the Android operating system is written in Java, and the application programming interfaces of this operating system are designed in such a way that they are called from  Java. Developers fluent in C or C++ can write Android apps using the Android Native Development Kit (NDK), but  Java and Kotlin offer more flexibility. In addition, the majority of job advertisements are looking for Java-proficient programmers. Considering that every company has a mobile app, the job market for Android programmers proficient in  Java is hot.

6. Java EE developer

• Enterprise Edition  Java  EE is Oracle’s set of APIs that software developers can use to write server-side applications. These developers are responsible for building and maintaining enterprise software and are attracted by large companies.

7. Freedom 

Some programmers prefer to accept and work on projects independently rather than working full-time for a company. To be more precise, they choose the freelancing option. This group of programmers announces their offer and price for a project through freelance sites and based on an auction mechanism, and if the employer agrees, they start working on a project. Platforms like LinkedIn are the best place to choose internal and external projects.

Professional programmers who have enough experience in  Java programming have the chance to send offers to work on foreign projects to overseas companies and get paid in dollars. Freelancing can also be considered a part-time job opportunity.

The point we should mention in connection with this working model is that freelancing is not so simple and has challenges.

For example, customers’ needs may change over and over again during the work, and success in auctions means giving the employer a cheaper offer than others. Finally, you should pay attention to the fact that there is fierce competition in accepting projects among freelancers.

Freelance work for Java  developers  can be classified into the following two main types:

• Coding: In this case, you must work on a project or develop a new feature. More specifically, your job as a  Java programmer is coding. This job position is suitable for people who have just entered the world of programming, and more importantly, there is remote work. You can work as a freelance Java application developer or web developer.
• Consultant Developers: This position is suitable for people with years of experience coding with  Java. For example, a company in the short term needs to hire a developer who will work on improving the quality of a product or adding a new and specific feature to a project. In this case, the freelancer temporarily becomes part of the project team and has a permanent presence at the workplace, and when the project is finished, his work in the company ends.

The growing popularity and current market trends

Java is one of the old programming languages, which has a good position compared to other programming languages ​​according to the demand of the job market. The website newrelic.com has published a report in this field, which shows that  Java and Python are the most popular programming languages ​​for organizations and large companies. As Figure 2 shows, based on job positions published on LinkedIn, Python and  Java are companies’ most popular programming languages.

figure 2

All statistics and reports published by various institutions show that  Java is not a language nearing retirement, especially the one supported by Oracle.

How much does a Java developer get paid? 

Two criteria are essential when we intend to learn a programming language. The first criterion is the complexity or simplicity of working with the programming language, and the second is the amount of salary we will receive.

The median salary published by job sites Glassdoor and Insight for a senior  Java developer in the United States is $109,000 to $140,000 per year. In Iran, the average salary of a  Java developer is 13 million Tomans per month.

The income of a freelance developer varies depending on various factors such as region, type of clients, experience, etc. Also, how much a freelance developer earns depends on the platform they work on (business apps, games, etc.).

In general, some developers consider freelancing as a side income, while others do it full-time; For this reason, it is impossible to comment with certainty about the salary a freelancer fluent in  Java receives.