How to become a developer: A cheat sheet

There is much debate over which programming languages are best to learn at a given point in time, but here are a few safe bets.

• Java: Java is used by millions of developers and billions of devices worldwide. Java is the official language of Android development, and 90% of Fortune 500 companies use Java as a server-side language for back-end development, according to an analysis from Coding Dojo .
• Python: Python is commonly used in scientific computing, data mining, and machine learning. It's the fastest-growing programming language, and is currently No. 3 on the TIOBE Index . Coding Dojo found that since the beginning of 2018, the number of Python jobs has skyrocketed. Python was also rated the most loved programming language by developers, according to Hired . If you want to learn Python, check out the Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate on Coursera.
• JavaScript: JavaScript is the most popular programming language in the world, according to SlashData . Sixty-two percent of recruiters said they were looking for people with JavaScript skills, followed by Java at 59%, and Python at 48%. Several front-end frameworks for JavaScript, like React and AngularJS, will be increasingly used as Internet of Things devices become more popular, so it's unlikely that the language will drop in popularity any time soon.

In terms of what programming languages can net you the highest salary, globally, the top paying options were Clojure ($90,000), F# ($80,000), and Go ($80,000), according to Stack Overflow. In the US, Scala ($143,000), Clojure ($139,000), and Go ($136,000) topped the list, the survey found.

With the pervasiveness of agile development methodologies, programmers must show that they can integrate into mixed-skilled development teams, said Ed Szofer, chief executive officer and president at SenecaGlobal. "To be a productive member of these types of teams, programmers must be able to communicate clearly, report progress accurately, raise issues promptly, and generally be a good team player," Szofer said. "In today's ultra-competitive environment, a programmer's soft-skills are now almost as important as the hard skills."

Problem-solving skills are also highly sought after for developers, said Mark Wilcox, vice president of business development at ICSynergy.

"What I look for is, 'How does a programmer think about solving a problem?' And then I look for action they are taking in learning how to improve their skills," Wilcox said. "I don't care as much if they are an expert in a specific language because any competent programmer can learn a new language in a week. But if they don't have good problem-solving skills and are not constantly trying to improve, then they will end up hurting your project."

Especially for junior developer positions, "[employers] really don't care about what you think you know," said Todd Millecam, CEO and principal consultant of SWYM Systems. "Focus on how quickly you can learn and how willing you are to learn."

Developers can expect questions like these during a job interview:

• What kind of development are you currently doing?
• Tell me about a tough software development problem and how you solved it.
• Can you describe the development methodology that you're familiar with?
• How is/was the QA process handled at your company?
• What is your process to test and find bugs in an application?
• What are your career aspirations?

While it's important to prepare for the questions you might be asked by the employer as a developer job candidate, it's also key to know what questions you will ask them . Some questions might include:

• How will my performance be measured?
• What are the biggest challenges facing the team right now?
• Can you tell me about the members of the team that I would be joining?
• Is there room for growth?

Some 87% of developers said they have taught themselves a new language, framework, or tool without taking a formal course, while 49% said they had taken an online course in programming or software development, like a massive open online course (MooC ).

A 2017 Indeed survey found that 80% of U.S. tech hiring managers and recruiters said they have hired a coding bootcamp graduate for a tech role, and 99.8% said they would do so again. Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 72% said they consider bootcamp graduates to be just as prepared and likely to perform at a high level as computer science grads. However, 41% of hiring managers said they would prefer to hire someone with a computer science degree, because they are more qualified and more likely to be a top performer, Indeed found.

No matter your education background it's key to have a portfolio of your work to show employers. "The reality of getting hired as a developer is that it's way easier to get hired if you show the company what you have done," Nick Larsen, a data engineer at Stack Overflow, is quoted as saying in a Stack Overflow blog post . "A portfolio of projects and products you have made credible contributions to is worth more than years of experience or schooling."