Information technology is a constantly evolving industry growing despite economic challenges and uncertain conditions. According to Gartner, as global spending on information technology reaches a staggering $4.6 trillion, the employment rate in computer and information technology, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is projected to grow by 15% in 2023, meaning thousands of new jobs are being created yearly. Some jobs related to programming, AI development, and cloud engineering are expected to grow as much as 22%.
The digital world we live in today is increasingly reliant on information technology (IT). Businesses and organizations depend on programmers and software engineers to address the everyday challenges of software maintenance, upgradation, debugging, and data security. Therefore, coding jobs are in high demand these days.
If you’re good at numbers and passionate about solving mathematical and logical problems, then a stellar career in IT awaits you. People with expert-level coding skills can choose from many fields in the IT industry.
This article explores some lucrative and in-demand career options for programmers. But first, let’s take a look at how you can start and which programming skills you should master:
Polishing Your Coding Skills: Where to Begin
People like you, eager to enhance their coding skills and kickstart their careers in this dynamic field, frequently struggle to know where to start. With so many programming languages available, choosing the right language that matches your skill level might be difficult. Although many resources are available online, you need the right approach to start learning from the basics and gradually learn more complex programming techniques and algorithms.
For this purpose, we recommend joining a coding school like Bay Valley Tech that offers comprehensive part-time training programs to equip students and working adults with coding skills in the most in-demand programming languages. You can learn coding from industry experts who will work on developing your coding skills from scratch – from basic problem-solving skills to HTML/CSS programming, JavaScript, and Node.Js. Best of all, you can apply for free training courses sponsored by government and non-government partners. You can also work as an internee to use your skills and create real-world software.
The advantage of short-term training courses and bootcamps is that you can enhance your coding skills without disturbing your work-life balance. These training courses allow you to study independently and provide access to abundant online resources. Step-by-step tutorials are followed by hands-on exercises to master the skills you just learned.
As a beginner, we recommend starting with basic structured languages like HTML, C, and Java and then gradually moving to object-oriented programming in C++, Node.js, Python, Ruby, JavaScript, etc., as well as database programming, system programming, web development, and AI/ML development using Python and R.
Career Options for People with Coding Skills
If you have strong coding skills, you can land a lucrative job in various fields in the IT industry. Good coding skills don’t mean you’ll be writing pieces of code for the rest of your life. As you gain more experience in programming, debugging, and software development, you can climb up the ladder and secure high-profile roles in top-notch organizations worldwide. Here are the top four career options for those with exceptional coding skills:
- Software Developer
With exceptional coding skills, you can opt to become a software developer or programmer. A software developer converts algorithms into codes using specific programming languages. They design software prototypes and develop, test, and maintain software applications based on those prototypes.
Considering the role of programmers or software developers in developing and maintaining desktop applications, mobile apps, and web-based applications, these professionals hold key importance in the IT industry. Therefore, you will always find ample opportunities for software developers at every level. Some of the most in-demand software developer roles require proficiency in programming languages like Python, Java, JavaScript, and C++.
- Full-Stack Developer
A full-stack developer is an all-rounder in application development. These expert programmers have front-end development, back-end development, database management, DevOps, and mobile app development expertise.
Full-stack developers master languages like Java, Python, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Node.Js, PHP, and React Native, as well as database systems like MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and PostgreSQL. However, they mostly code in Python, Ruby, PHO, or Java using frameworks like Django, Node.js, and Ruby on Rails.
Full-stack developers are versatile and can handle various aspects of software development. It makes them highly sought-after in the tech industry, with more software companies looking for full-stack developers instead of programmers with limited expertise.
- DevOps Engineers
DevOps or development operations engineers are qualified individuals with strong programming and management skills and are well-versed in handling routine IT operations related to software development and implementation. They are responsible for automating the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC) and increasing interaction between development and operation teams during software development. DevOps engineers configure continuous integration and continuous development (CI/CD) models to automate SDLC, testing, and deployment phases.
DevOps engineers use their coding skills to write scripts, manage infrastructure, and efficiently deploy applications. They monitor applications’ performance and security to instantly detect and resolve any issues. DevOps has become critical in many organizations with the rise of cloud computing and agile methodologies. DevOps engineers work with cloud service providers like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or other private and public clouds to build scalable infrastructure for SaaS-based applications and subscription-based software.
- Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Engineer
If you have expert-level programming skills in Python and R, you can consider a career in Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
The two have taken the global digital landscape by storm. With more businesses looking to integrate AI and ML into their digital-first strategy, AI/ML engineers have promising growth opportunities in the coming years.
AI/ML engineers or developers use their coding skills and expertise to design, develop, integrate, and deploy AI/ML software. These engineers use complex algorithms to gather raw data from internal and external sources and create huge datasets. The algorithms developed in Python or R use these datasets to “learn” and generate responses based on evidence, correlation, and association between data.
AI/ML engineers build predictive models and optimize these models for real-time or batch processing. These models are upgraded and fine-tuned consistently to improve performance and increase accuracy. The rapid developments in applied AI and ML and its increased implementation in the corporate sector, healthcare industry, and education have opened opportunities for those with coding skills.
Final Thoughts
The IT industry is consistently evolving. The changing trends in application development have opened new horizons for those with exceptional problem-solving and coding skills. However, to remain relevant in this dynamic and evolving field, you must stay up-to-date with the latest programming languages and changing trends in application development. With devotion, continuous learning, and hard work, you can take your coding skills to new heights and set your path for success.