Today, Java is one of the most popular programming languages, and software engineers use java coding frequently in software development. According to an estimation by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1,469,000 software developers are there in the country, and 35% of these web developers use java programming as one of the popular programming languages. So, it's the better choice to pursue your career as a Java developer in the USA. Are you looking for a complete roadmap to master java skills and want to become a successful java developer? If yes, look no further.
In this article, we'll unveil the concept of Java programming, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), the responsibilities of java developers, how much java developers earn, and the steps to become a java developer. Let's begin with what is java programming:
What is Java?
Java is a popular programming language used to develop mobile and web applications. The early concept of java language was given by 'The Green Team' in the early 1990s. James Gosling, a team member of this team, contributed a lot to the progress of the java language and earned the title of "Father of Java." Gosling was a senior software developer at Sun Microsystems (today known as Oracle) when he introduced Java programming language. After the release of Java language, many programming languages were introduced, such as Python, PHP, and JavaScript, but Java has maintained its status as the most popular programming language. The reason for this hype is the simple, portable, secure, multithreading, and dynamic nature of Java language.
Currently, there are four editions of Java that you need to learn to become a competent Java developer. Let's unveil the broader view of these editions:
Java Card
Java developers use this java edition to support small processing devices such as ATMs and SIM cards.
Java Standard Edition
Java developers use this standard edition to develop software for desktops and servers.
Java Micro Edition
A java developer uses java micro edition to develop mobile programs (Android and iOS).
Java Platform Enterprise Edition
A java developer uses this java edition to develop enterprise-level programs such as CRM. After going through the concept of java programming, you need to understand the concept of Object Oriented Programming to become a java developer.
What is Object Oriented Programming?
Java organizes its objects using Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) language. An object in OOP is an entity with a unique identity and properties. As a java developer, you need to understand the principles of OOP. Let's discover:
Encapsulation
Encapsulation encloses data and functions into a single unit in a private mode. This mechanism helps java developers to secure the data and methods and restricts their access to public functions.
Abstraction
Abstraction in OOP is used to disclose the necessary details while hiding the other data. This concept helps java developers to share the required data that helps in software development.
Inheritance
Since OOP works with real-world entities, inheritance deals with building logical relationships between these objects/entities. Inheritance allows a java programmer to reuse the code by sharing the common logic of the child and parent classes.
Polymorphism
Polymorphism in OOP allows a java programmer to use the different child classes with the same interface as the parent class. This approach helps the java programmer to reuse the code when developing similar software tools.
Apart from these concepts, you need to understand the SOLID principle of OOP to become a java developer with high java developer skills.
- S: S stands for Single Responsibility Principle, which implies that one class should solve only one particular problem.
- O: O in SOLID principles refer to the Open-Closed Principle that says that a java developer should extend the objects (classes, methods) instead of adding new parameters.
- L: L refers to the Liskov Substitution Principle that says that a java developer should replace superclasses with subclasses smoothly while keeping the code logic right.
- I: I indicate the Interface Segregation Principle that implies that a java programmer should develop different interfaces for different clients.
- D: D indicates the Dependency Inversion Principle that says that a java developer should not make the higher-level modules of java coding lower-level modules.
So, the SOLID principle of OOP helps java developers to learn java developer skills for java development.
What does a Java developer do?
The role of a Java developer highly depends on the project's nature and seniority level. But most java developers perform similar tasks in a software development life cycle (SDLC). Now, let's unveil the responsibilities of a java developer in software development based on his/her experience:
Junior java developer
As a junior java developer, you have limited java skills to enter the profession of java development. With limited exposure to java programming, you'll spend your time enhancing your java coding skills, testing and debugging errors in java programs, planning java projects, and writing documentation. All these entry-level tasks will add more to your java programming skills and help you to become a java developer.
Mid-level java developer
A mid-level java developer with a professional experience of 2 – 5 years has deep knowledge of his domains, such as software engineering, Information Technology, and Computer Science. Due to more advanced java skills, a mid-level java developer will spend time writing complex java coding, more advanced testing and debugging, collaborating with employers, and guiding junior java developers to get experience in Java development. So, mid-level software developers have a higher chance to grow their careers in software development with a handsome salary package.
Senior Java developer
A senior Java developer has experience of 5 years of deep knowledge in software development and hands-on experience in multiple Java development projects. As an expert in the popular programming language, a senior Java developer will work on complex Java projects, collaborate with vendors, and monitor the financial status of a Java development project. So, as a senior java developer, you have a bright chance to excel in software development.
How much do Java developers make?
Software developers with expertise in Java programming are in-demand and contribute a lot to the success of a business. A Java developer expert in Java programming language takes the responsibility of diverse tasks to become a successful Java developer with a handsome salary package. You might be concerned about how much a Java developer can earn after completing a Java development project.
According to a popular salary comparing platform, Salary.com, a java developer earns $96,297/year in the United States. Java developers working as full-time Java programmers earn between $80,975 to $107.886/per year. The noticeable fact is that the salary of Java developers may differ due to their academic record, working experience, location, and other administrative roles in the software development life cycle. After going through the career growth and salary of a java developer, we hope you are all set to become a java developer.
Skills required to be a Java developer
There are necessary skill sets you need to master to become a Java developer. Let's begin:
Java programming skills
The crucial Java developer skill for a Java programmer is to master the Java language for mobile or web development. As a java developer, you'll need to write java code from scratch for mobile or web development. So, to understand the nature of a software development project, you will need to understand the following things for Java development.
- What is the difference between Java Card, Java Standard edition, Java Micro Edition, and Java Enterprise edition?
- How to use Spring Framework Hibernate framework to develop a Java product.
- How to use Java development kit?
Testing skills
Once you have got mastery in Java coding, it's time to test and debug the errors in a java project before deployment. So, you must understand the different types of testing, such as black box testing, white box testing, and unit testing, to become a java developer. Testing of the software development project will help you to fix the bugs in the coding and functionality of a web or mobile application.
SQL skills
As a java programmer, you will also need to manage a database for a java project. In this regard, you can learn Structured Query Language (SQL) or any other database management program, such as Oracle 12 and MySQL, to manage a database.
Communication skills
As a java developer, you'll interact with different vendors to create new mobile or web applications. So, you need to acquire verbal and nonverbal skills for smooth interaction with vendors and clients. Good communication will help you to understand the project's needs and deliver quality software.
Project management skills
As a Java developer, it's your responsibility to manage all the activities involved in the software development process. You will manage all phases, including planning, analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. So, you need to get familiar with the waterfall approach, and other development approaches to manage the project systematically.
How to become a Java Developer in 2023?
After going through the career growth and necessary skills, we hope you are all set to become a java developer. We are enlisting the top 5 steps to become a java developer in 2023.
Step 1: Learn the fundamentals of Java
You can take the first step to becoming a java developer by learning the fundamental concepts of Java. Learning the Java basic concept will help you to understand the OOP concepts and a base to learn advanced Java concepts. Moreover, you'll be able to develop general-purpose web applications. Moreover, aspiring software developers can learn basic java concepts to find their interest and save time and money if they feel less interest in java development.
Step 2: Study the field of Computer Science
Learning the fundamentals of Java programming will provide an idea about the core concepts. But if you want to pursue your career as a java developer, the best option is to choose a study field in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or Information Technology. Choosing any of these will help you to become a Java developer professionally. Computer Science is a diverse field of study that can help you to learn detailed skills to become a Java developer. The noticeable fact is that Java developers don't need to get a Master's degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering, but having a degree can help them to stand out among the fast-growing competition. Moreover, having a professional degree in Computer Science or any other related field will help you to learn programming languages and join hands with top organizations.
Step 3: Get practical experience in Java
In the fast-growing competitive world, you need to get hands-on experience to stand out among the competition. Today, companies are looking for an ideal candidate to fill the position of java developer with hands-on experience. Before applying for a Java developer role, get practical experience in Java programming language to increase your chances for selection. To get hands-on experience, you can attend seminars, workshops, internships, and bootcamp. Moreover, you can offer your Java development services online to get familiar with the development process.
Step 4: Learn advanced concepts of Java
Learning the cores of Java programming language can help java developers to develop general-purpose applications. For building complex web applications, you need to learn advanced Java concepts. Learning advanced Java concepts will help you to design and deploy large-scale applications for organizations. As a Java developer, you'll also learn about different frameworks, tools, and technologies.
Step 5: Keep updating your resume
After gaining expertise in Java programming, Java developers can build a strong portfolio by showcasing their projects in resumes. Moreover, they can also polish their skills in Java programming language by joining the community of experienced java developers. Furthermore, you can also enhance your Java programming skills by self-learning to become a successful Java developer. Professional certifications and testimonials are a great way to showcase your expertise as an expert Java developer.
What is the fastest way to become a programmer?
After going through these steps to become a java developer, you might find it time-consuming to become a pro in this popular programming language. So, you might be looking for some fastest ways to become a programmer. We are here to make software development a matter of clicks instead of spending time and money learning programming languages. So, the fastest way to become a programmer is no-code development. Today, no-code development has gained immense popularity. It's a cheaper solution to learn programming with no-code because it offers free courses to build your programming skills. Most people think that no-code tools support only the development of simple applications. But the truth is that a no-code solution can help companies to develop complex applications.
You might be thrilled to know about the best no-code tool to start your journey as a no-code developer. We recommend you try AppMaster, a popular no-code tool to develop software solutions. In recent years, AppMaster has become the most popular code-generation tool. With the help of this tool, you can create web apps, mobile apps, and the backend. Moreover, this no-code tool offers a PostgreSQL database according to the scheme assembled by the database designer.
- Provide source code
The beauty of this platform is that it provides source code for each application, so you can use this code even if you are not using this platform anymore.
- Integrate all business process
Furthermore, this no-code tool assembles all business processes into real code in the Go language. As a result, this platform will allow you to develop a full-fledged application just like a skilled programmer can develop.
- Add updates automatically
This platform writes 22,000 lines of code per second and automatically adds future updates without writing a single line of code. So, the application is always up to date, and there is no technical debt.
- Guarantee the app working
Developing a real-world application with AppMaster guarantees that it will work even if this platform itself has some problems. It essentially does not depend on it in any way, and it can be used anywhere, on any server.
- Provide documentation
In addition, this no-code tool automatically generates the Swagger documentation. It is immediately available online; you can check all the application endpoints, test them in practice, access the database, etc.
- Offer various admin panels
A web application created on Vue3, usually, various admin panels are created there, but in general, almost any application can be created. For developing a mobile app, this platform offers Server Driven UI. After completing the application with this platform, you can publish it on app stores.
- Allow building the logic
There are no templates in the platform. Using this platform, you will build the application architecture, business processes, and business logic yourself. Building logic in this platform is the same as in traditional development with programming languages. Moreover, this platform offers endpoints and WebSockets to build logic. Isn't it fun to carry out a development project with the help of visual blocks and links instead of a programming language?
- Offer free course
AppMaster has its university where you can learn how to work with the platform for free. You can choose a course depending on your technical background. Moreover, you can start from the basics if you are from a non-technical background or want to learn advanced skills.
Final Thoughts
After going through this article, we hope you are clear about how to become a java developer in 2023. If you want to develop a software solution without learning a java programming language, we recommend you try AppMaster, a popular no-code tool for app development.
