How to get hired in the Java industry

The Java industry is quite competitive. Java is one of the most popular programming languages, and so much work is going on in the field that quality programmers are quickly snapped up by big and small companies, whether they are making software applications, web apps or mobile apps.

In such a competitive industry, how do you get hired as a Java programmer?

Why are there so many programmers for Java in the industry?

Java is one of the top 3 programming languages, constantly competing with Python and C. Python is popular because it is comparatively easy to write web applications with it. C is a conventional language in which millions of software products have been developed and deployed.

Then comes Java. Java was developed in 1991. Its developers didn’t have big ambitions for it. All they wanted was an easy language with English keywords that could be used to write machine-level programs for intelligent appliances and gadgets.

Hence, the Java programming language was born. It caught on quickly because it was easy to learn and easy to program. Since the beginning, Java has been an extensible language. Want a feature that doesn’t exist in Java?

You can simply make an API call and use a Java library to extend its capabilities. With thousands of APIs and Java libraries in free-to-use repositories, you can do nearly anything with Java.

Then, of course, a big part of the Android operating system is built on Java. You can do mobile app development without knowing Java, but more often than not, some level of Java programming is needed to build quality mobile apps.

One of the biggest reasons for the demand for Java programmers is that Java is machine-independent. It is one of the very few languages that let you develop programs that work on every machine.

What does that mean? There are different computer architectures and operating systems in the world. The 3 major desktop operating systems are Windows, Linux/UNIX and macOS.

With many other programming languages, if you want to reach customers on all these operating systems, you need to build 3 separate versions of your software. This increases cost, and you need different maintenance teams.

Whenever you update code, you need to update it for every operating system. If there is a bug, it probably exists in all of them. Java doesn’t have this problem.

Java needs a virtual environment to run. As long as the JRE is running on the machine, it doesn’t matter whether you have a Windows computer, a Linux computer or a Mac.

The same application will run. This makes your programs cost-effective and easier to maintain. For reasons like these, Java is very popular, and that popularity is exactly why it can be difficult to get hired in the Java industry.

Getting hired in the Java industry

Every industry looks for competitive programmers. As long as Java is popular, there will be opportunities for talented programmers. But just knowing how to program in Java won’t guarantee you a job.

Every student knows elementary programming. Below are a few things you can work on to get hired in the Java industry.

Get the basics right first

This is very important. Unless you know the basics, you won’t be able to understand the advanced concepts. You should know the syntax of core Java.

You must be well versed in object-oriented programming concepts. You should also understand how Java works under the hood.

How do you obtain such knowledge?

You can read books. You can download and study code from the biggest code libraries online. Many online communities let you take part in competitive programming events in which you build fully functional projects.

After you upload your projects, other programmers go through your code and make suggestions. This is a very good way to learn Java and improve your chances of getting hired in the Java industry.

Oracle acquired Java when it bought Sun Microsystems, and it offers many certification courses in Java programming.

If you can take one of these courses, it will greatly improve your programming skills.

As a professional Java programmer, you must also develop skills for:

• Debugging code written by other programmers.
• Deploying Java programs on servers.
• Working with the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
• Integrating existing Java applications with other existing or new applications.

Develop your Java skills for your entry level

When you want to be hired in the Java industry, you must recognize your current skill level.

The skill levels, and what you must know at each one, are listed below:

• A fresher Java programmer: You must know object-oriented analysis and design patterns. You should also know Java/J2EE. Working knowledge of XML, XML queries and XSL is a bonus. You should be familiar with data structures and algorithms, and be able to build basic Java-based web services. Relational databases, SQL and ORM must be familiar to you.
• A junior-level Java programmer: In addition to the above, you should be able to work with Enterprise Java Beans, memory management, multithreading and synchronization.
• A senior Java developer: After acquiring the skills above, you should be adept at code optimization and able to pick up new programming concepts and methodologies quickly. You must also be able to manage system-level programs and deployments.
• A Java architect: All the skills above, with specializations in some of them.

Acquire expertise in mobile app development

Every software application these days has a mobile counterpart. So even if you are working on an enterprise-level project, there is a good chance you will also work on its mobile version.

There are hundreds of thousands of mobile app developers working in Java, but there is always a shortage of good, talented programmers. Hone your skills as much as possible. What should you learn to become a better mobile app developer as a Java programmer?

Learn to work in Android Studio, the IDE (integrated development environment) Google provides for Android. Its Software Development Kit supports not just Java but also Kotlin and C++.

Most mobile teams have dedicated user interface experts, so as a Java programmer you won’t deal much with the UI. Still, a basic knowledge of how the GUI works on mobile devices gives you an edge over other programmers.

Gain knowledge of web development

Everything is web-based these days. When you develop web apps in Java, you mostly work with Java servlets. Knowing Java is a must, but you also need a working knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, XML, JSON and CSS.

Develop an understanding of enterprise applications

Enterprise applications are used by big organizations, such as Oracle itself. They have big programming teams. Sometimes hundreds of programmers all over the globe work on the same project.

So you need great communication skills. You need a fair knowledge of the Java ecosystem: Spring, Maven, Gradle, Spock, Hibernate, Ant and many others.

You should be familiar with version control systems such as Git and GitHub, and have strong knowledge of data structures and collections.

Become a game developer

Love computer and mobile games? Then you may want to get hired in the Java industry as a game developer. Game development in Java has its own niche. Major game companies such as Nintendo, Microsoft Xbox and Sony work in C++, and Java is used as an option so that games can run inside the JVM where the mainstream versions cannot.

Many well-known games, including Minecraft (at least the Java edition) and Mission Impossible III, have Java versions. Here is a Wikipedia listing of major games with Java versions.

Android is a different story. Since Android itself was developed largely in Java, some great mobile games have been developed in Java, including Pokémon Go and Flappy Bird.

In fact, these days there is a better chance of getting hired in the Java industry as a mobile game developer than as a general software developer.

If you’re struggling to master Java concepts, a worked example from an expert can help you see how a professional approaches the problem.

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Concluding remarks

You need to wear different hats as a programmer, whether you program in Java or any other language. The industry is highly competitive. It is not just about knowing how to code; you must be able to work with the latest technologies and programming conventions.

You must understand different architectures and how they respond to software and apps. Most importantly, you should be able to work in bigger teams. This greatly improves your chances of getting hired in the Java industry.