JavaScript outdoes Java as the most popular programming language

HackerRank: JavaScript is the most popular programming language in 2018

HackerRank has released the 2019 edition of its annual Developer Skills Report (PDF). According to their report, JavaScript emerged as the most popular programming language in 2018.

For those unaware, HackerRank is a technology company that focuses on competitive programming challenges for both consumers and businesses. HackerRank’s programming challenges can be solved in a variety of programming languages (including Java, C++, PHP, Python, SQL, JavaScript) and span multiple computer science domains.

Programming languages known in 2017 vs. 2018

HackerRank surveyed over 71,000 software developers from more than 100 countries. They were asked which programming languages they knew and which ones they wanted to learn. In 2018, 73% of developers said they knew JavaScript, which is a jump from 66 percent in 2017. This also makes JavaScript 2018’s most well-known language, compared to Java in 2017.

Languages developers want to learn in 2019

Developers said they wanted to learn Go, Kotlin, and Python in 2019, which were also the same languages that they wanted to learn in 2018. Further, while developers’ interest to learn TypeScript increased, it, however, dropped for Scala. Scala was the 3rd most popular language that developers planned to learn in 2018 but it dropped down to 6th place in 2019.

On the other hand, TypeScript went from being the 5th most popular language to learn to #4. The language’s rising popularity is probably due to the ubiquity of JavaScript and the fact that many major JavaScript frameworks use TypeScript. In fact, this year almost a quarter of developers know Typescript, which is an increase from 15% last year.

Frameworks known in 2017 vs. 2018

While AngularJS maintains its position as the most popular framework developers know in 2018, there was a jump in the percentage of developers who started to learn React. The percentage of developers who know React increased from 20% in 2017 to 26% in 2018.

Frameworks developers want to learn in 2019

Continuing from 2018, the number of developers who know React is likely to keep increasing, as it is the #1 framework that developers want to learn in 2019.

Frameworks hiring managers want vs. frameworks developers know

The percentage of companies looking to hire developers who knew React was more than the percentage of developers who knew it in 2018, which means learning React is a useful investment for developers.

The real world application of technologies by 2020

In real-world application of technologies, 53% of developers believe that Internet of Things (IoT) will be the most adopted new technology in the next two years. The proof of this technology is the increasing connectivity of homes, cars, and even cities.

AI (artificial intelligence) technologies are not too far behind as 50% of developers believe it is a realistic technology considering that application of Deep Learning (DL) is growing from mobile speech recognition software to sectors such as healthcare sector and automotive industry. DL was followed by Cloud ML (Machine Learning) at 41% and Computer Vision at 38%.

Further, 34% developers gave Augmented or virtual reality (AR or VR) two thumbs up, while 37% gave them just one. On the other end, 20% of developers said the real-world application of blockchain in the next two years is “overhyped”, while quantum computing was seen as the least likely to be adopted by 2020.

The #1 pet peeve at work

While there are many pet peeves in the workplace, the range, however, depends on the level of seniority. For instance, junior developers mostly hate badly written documentation, while senior developers despise spaghetti code the most.

The biggest bug in production

Deploying untested or broken code was the most common response given by 62% of developers when they were asked about their biggest bug in production. On the other hand, almost 10% of developers admitted to wiping out the entire database.

What developers look for in a job

The most important factors for developers, across all job levels and functions, was the opportunity for professional growth and work-life balance. Further, competitive compensation and “interesting problems to solve” changed places with seniority.

Actions were taken in response to concerns about employers

58% of developers interviewed took action in response to concerns about their company, such as affiliations with privacy misuse and censorship. Almost 40% of developers went up to their leaders to talk about their concerns regarding their company. In response to misgivings, 23% quit their job or began looking for another position.

What turns developers off from employers

68% of developers were most likely to be turned off by employers who don’t provide enough clarity around roles or where they will be placed. 49% said lack of values alignment was a turn-off and 14% reported not enough diversity on the panel was a deal-breaker.

“Hiring and retaining skilled developers is critical for businesses everywhere,” HackerRank CEO Vivek Ravisankar said in a statement. “Recruiters and hiring managers need a deep understanding of who developers are, what they care about, and what they want from their employers. For example, nearly half of developers view values misalignment as a deal breaker when considering a job opportunity. We want to match every developer to the right job, and this data gives engineering teams a blueprint to find and keep the best developers for their roles.”

Source: HackerRank

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