Java has landed in the top 3 most popular programming languages in the tech world almost 20 years ago and since then thousands and thousands of people begin to learn it every year. I remember when I was pursuing BCA (Yes, I studied Computers), I studied Core Java, and then further I studied Java for making web applications. Out of all the programming languages I studied, Java was the best. Now, with the number of Java software developers being at an all-time high, hiring the right ones for your application can sometimes be pretty difficult due to a number of factors. In this post, I will be talking about what skills to look for in your potential Java Programmer and where to find the ones who are well-skilled in Java.
Why Choose Java?
Let’s talk about the reasons why you need to choose this exact coding language for your app’s development. After its creation in 1995 by James Gosling, Java quickly became one of the most popular options for developers around the world because of its unique syntax and ability to run on basically any kind of device through Java Virtual Machine or simply JVM. As I said, during my studies, I liked the Java language the most because of its stability and ability to run on most devices without any issues.
Java professionals don’t need to write code specifically for every OS, and this is definitely the main advantage of this language. In the last 27 years there have been 19 versions and several supporting development tools of this programming language released, and the professional community of coders around it is one of the more active ones to this day.
As I have already mentioned, with Java and JVM, multiplatform development has been made much easier and cost-effective. Other advantages of James Gosling’s creation are object-oriented nature and code reusability, improved data security, and strong memory usage. All of this makes Java a really great choice for basically any kind of application and even gaming.
These are a few of the great reasons to choose Java for your application development.
Skills to Look For
Because of the almost unlimited number of IT products you can create with Java before you begin searching for future members of your development team, you will need to clearly know what type of app you are planning to launch.
There are clearly defined categories of Java development, you can easily find them online. Depending on that, you will need to compose a list of necessary skills for the software engineers you are planning on bringing on.
Besides obvious things, like Java syntax and supporting tools, any skilled developer working with this language needs to be familiar with at least several testing tools, NoSQL databases, cloud computing technologies, Spring framework, and CI/CD tools. If you will bring a tech lead with Java Background on board early on, the hiring process will be much easier for you, especially if you don’t have an extensive tech background yourself.
Hiring Options
According to GitHub research, in 2019 there were at least 9 million Java coders in the world, and since then the number only grew. This language is considered among the easiest ones for learning, so there is a great amount of rising talent in the job market. You can start your search in professional communities on sites like StackOverflow or Reddit, job-hunting sites for IT specialists, Linkedin, or social media communities dedicated to Java. There you are unlikely to find top tech talent who are available at this moment, but this is still good for networking, sourcing candidates, and diversifying your approach.
If you are working on a tight budget, going to sites for freelancers such as Upwork or Fiverr can be a good idea. Chances to hire skilled Java developers this way are pretty thin, but with a wide talent pool, you can still find someone with great knowledge of the language and a strong work ethic.
If you have a dynamic team structure, you can use freelance for bringing some junior developers for short-term tasks and small portions of code. This way, the overall quality of the app is unlikely to be affected, and you still get to save some money on your salary budget. But assembling a whole development team of freelancers has proven to be a rather risky idea.
Hiring an in-house full-time team can be pretty hard on your budget and you should only consider it if your project requires a really lengthy development process. If you don’t have a dedicated HR department and can’t build a team by yourself, hiring an IT staffing agency can be a good solution. Their professional recruiters have extensive databases of Java developers for every budget and project type. You won’t have to test candidates’ hard skills and go through all stages of the interviewing process.
The only real downside is the cost of this option. If you are located in North America or Western Europe, your local staffing agencies will provide you with local talent. Senior Java Software engineers’ salary per hour can go up to 120 dollars in said regions, and combined with recruiter’s fees your wage budget can easily be blown out of proportion.
Another popular hiring option is outsourcing agencies, which will provide you with vetted reliable candidates, but from overseas. Because of the lower cost of living and differences in the currency exchange rate, senior Java developers from Eastern Europe, South Asia, or Latin America, can be hired for almost two times less money than their US counterparts with some level of experience.
Remember, Java is extremely popular all over the world and the pool of talent you can choose from is almost unlimited. You won’t have to worry about communication difficulties with non-native English speakers and control over the development process, outsourcing vendors will help you with that. Of course, as with IT staffing firms, you will need to pay for their professional services, but still, because of the considerably lower salary budget, this option comes out rather budget-friendly.
Conclusion
Java is an extremely popular programming language for a reason and you will probably want your future app to be written in it. Hiring expert developers in this field can be challenging, but with a clear plan for your application and knowledge of all hiring options available, you will be able to create a strong team of skilled developers in no time at all.
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