What made the internet overflow with Java language courses and people searching every other second on Google? If you search for the term “learn Java”, you’ll end up with more than 160 million results. In this article, we’ll examine if this hype is a mere exaggeration or if you as a software engineer should consider learning Java, too?
The Java programming language is not only the basis of hundreds of different software platforms; it’s also a whole platform to acquire and dip your feet into the programmers’ ecosystem. The Java swing raced across the whole programmers’ arena. It is not like many other languages that faded away with a fiery death along the passage of time.
Those reasons, and the great robustness created by the Java swing, make Java one of the evergreen go-to languages for all programmers. Stick around to learn more.
This article is contributed by our friends at CodeGym, an excellent starting point for your Java education.
Java: A Go-to Language for the Programmers’ Community
Java has always been the hot-favorite language of many programmers. But what makes it their favorite? Let’s dive in!
Flexibility and Versatility of Java
First of all, based on the WORA (Write Once Run Anywhere) principle, Java is highly flexible in its use.
As an object-oriented language, it is suitable to make this massive stride in developing server-side enterprise-level apps, Android apps, fintech and banking apps, web applications, software tools, big data, and science apps. It’s enabled to be used for projects of any level of complexity, and we guess that’s why Android is still pretty much Java today. Most Android systems apps use Java from top to bottom, and we all know how it managed to outsell iPhones.
The Evolving Programming Language
A considerable number of innovations adding up to the language every year over a passage of 20 years has made this the evergreen programming language. It just never stops growing like the U.K constitution. Jokes apart, Autoboxing in Java 5, performance importance in Java 6, and Lambda expressions in Java 8 are some innovations that never let it grow old. So learning Java just never goes out of fashion.
Performing In Larger Scale Projects
JVM — the Java Virtual Machine makes Java optimized for large, multicore machines. Securing the top in the TIOBE Index 2020 Java was ranked as the number one programming language. In the TIOBE Index 2021, Java remained at an impressive third place, right after C and Python.
Java being an object-oriented language, comes with so many benefits to attract a software developer’s brain. It makes it highly extensible and flexible and promises to reduce the time to tackle complex software development and the required resources. Code maintenance with Java is easier. The software codes can be reused; troubleshooting is now easier with its modularity.
Polymorphism flexibility, better productivity levels, and other design benefits make it all worth it.
The Scalability of Java
Java is known as one of the most versatile programming languages because of its scalability and multithreading. The number of threads increases scalability, a well-known Java strength.
That ultimately helps it tackle thousands of concurrent requests together. Software developed with Java is handy not only on the developers’ side but the clients’ side too.
As every thread is independent, it helps manage several operations together. It not only reduces the response time but optimizes the CPU utilization too. And that’s not the end to Java’s great wonders, but just a sneak peek at it.
Java has been playing its role in developing some high-tech apps such as Spotify, Twitter, Signal, and Facebook.
Easier Learning Curve
As a beginner, you may not know where to start, and if somehow we get over that and decide that, we’re clueless about how to do it. So let me be clear, steep learning curves such as the Python language can be hard to grasp as a beginner. But here’s the good news: Java language comes with mild learning curves that help you dip down into the programmers’ ecosystem.
A Complete Ecosystem
You might say that the Java language is pretty much a system of “belts and suspenders”. Didn’t get it? No worries, let’s be a little descriptive here. That means that Java language helps you correct all your errors in time, as they are caught by it for you, and at the same time, it suspends you upside down in this arena of programmers to explore limitlessly, which are both important for beginners to learn.
Some Famous Projects Created on Java
Java is used everywhere, in every sphere of software development. Of course, we don’t see it, but here are some bright examples that will show you the perspectives of being a Java programmer:
- Wikipedia. Its search engine is based on Java.
- NASA WorldWind, a geographic information system.
- JMARS and JMoon, two more projects by NASA which helps scientists analyze incoming graphical information about Mars and the Moon, correspondingly.
- Minecraft. A world-famous computer game played by millions.
- Netflix. It uses Java for its backend.
- Uber is using Java as one of the main languages for its backend because of its high performance.
As you can see, knowing Java opens many doors, and it’s an excellent skill to obtain if you want to grow your skills as a programmer.
Job Opportunities For Java Experts
Software developers of this era are one of the few communities that withstand every storm of casualties. They withstood the thrashing waves of the pandemic. Whereas the whole world had been going through a devastating economic crisis, the programming industry managed to arc so high and discovered new opportunities.
The whole world is looking up to the software to tackle the most actual problems. For example, e-commerce is the new “go-to” shopping channel for millions of people locked down across the globe. There’s just no extent to how vastly software is a part of human life in this era, and software engineers are the ones actively playing their part.
According to the Dice Jobs Report for 1st Quarter of 2020 there’s an apparent increase of 52% in the job postings for Java experts. The vast applications of Java language in the programming world make the Java expert the most demanded software engineer.
According to Dice Job Postings, April 2020, the job postings for Java experts in April alone were 17,230 securing the 2nd highest rank. And now we can hardly get enough of how this hype doesn’t seem to fade away any sooner.
How to Learn Java?
There are many different ways to learn a programming language, and each has its own advantages. You may take a classic online course with lectures and practical tasks, read books, ask the community… But for a start, it’s great to start with an engaging gamified learning experience, and here’s where CodeGym, a popular Java learning platform, takes the stage.
It’s a great way to master your Java from a beginner to a professional level, and it’s one of only a few courses that give you a solid skill, combining engaging, practical tasks with all necessary theory.
Conclusion
You can embark on your programming career without Java, but knowing this language will give you a massive advantage in your skills and help meet the growing market demand. Java is a universal, versatile, and multi-purpose language used in many projects and industries, and it’s never out of the game.
There are many paid and even free programming courses that’ll help you acquire a confident skill from scratch and in a very engaging form. For example, the CodeGym course can be checked out for free, with bonus community content, games, and quests for a modest price.