7 reasons to become a Java programmer in 2021

Trends are changing rapidly, new languages appear, and higher and higher requirements are set for the code. That’s why newbies are always anxious: what language should they start learning to make sure they won’t fail?

Our recommendation is Java – even despite a lot of fashionable new products and popular alternatives.

Java is a general-purpose OOP language with strict typing. It has been on the top of all sorts of TOP positions for decades. The Stack Overflow Developer Survey lists Java as one of the five most popular programming languages in the world.

Because learning Java is still full of nuances, other programming languages should not be discounted right away. Nevertheless, we don’t recommend forgetting about Java while chasing novelties. And here’s why.

1. Java popularity

The popularity of a programming language is estimated with the help of the TIOBE index, which is formed by counting the number of mentions of a programming language in search queries. According to the data obtained after the first three months of this year, Java is in second place in the ranking (it was in first place in 2015).

In our lives, Java is much more common than you think: it is in phones, tablets, consoles and home appliances. This language is used by major banking institutions, corporate software, programs for unmanned vehicles, robotics, and even spacecraft are created in it.

We can say that Java is used almost everywhere. Is there another programming language that is used everywhere?

2. Demand for Java developers

This reason is a direct consequence of the first one. There are over 8 100 vacancies for Java programmers on hh.ru. Moreover, such specialists can find a job almost in any city in the world.

By the way, according to TIOBE, Python is on the next line after Java, and there are almost 18% fewer vacancies related to this language – about 6680.

3. Prospectivity of the language

Let’s imagine that as of tomorrow the world decides not to create new applications in Java. Will it put an end to careers of developers? No, because someone will have to continue to support the existing software in millions of companies for years (probably even decades). And if one day you have to learn any other language, a Java programmer can easily do it, because their skills, knowledge and thinking style will never wear themselves out.

4. Maturity and evolution of Java

Backward compatibility is one of the best features of Java. Code written even a couple of decades ago runs on a virtual machine. And even though Java is over a quarter century old, it continues to evolve and improve rapidly. Since version 9, new ones have been released every six months. At the same time, despite the flexibility, the language does not lose backward compatibility, i.e. the developers perfectly manage to keep the balance, as a result, Java goes forward, but at the same time does not lose stability.

5. Java sharpens your thinking and teaches you standards

Once you learn Java syntax, you can easily master all C-like languages like JS, Scala, Rust, C, C++, C#, etc. After Python, it will be much harder.

Java was meant to be a tool for programming home appliances – fast and easy. It was originally designed to be efficient.

One of the advantages of learning Java is definitely the formation of a clear, proper way of thinking and a good code-writing style as well as the mastery of many important concepts for a programmer. The base of OOP languages is a solid foundation that will come in handy for any IT professional. Knowing Java, a developer can not only compose correct working code from symbols, but also understand the logic of creating the entire program. From this point of view, only the knowledge of C and C++ languages can be better, but they are not suitable for everyone.

6. Openness

Java, due to its distinctive features and age, forces the developer to use a large number of auxiliary tools, which will be very useful if the main language changes. Many libraries and frameworks have been created for Java (by the way, like Java, many of them are open source). And thanks to standardization it is easy to get acquainted with any of the “helpers”.

7. Extensive community

Java owes this advantage to its age, of course. Over the years it has been used to write applications for platforms, projects, and tasks in a wide variety of fields. Countless schools, courses and educational material related to Java have sprung up.

There is a large community around the language which keeps up with Java. Developers from all over the world can join the Virtual JUG portal, where they can always find support, motivation, new knowledge, and the opportunity to share experience and improve their skills.