What Are Different Types of Developer Jobs?

Hey, if you're reading this article, we have good news for you – with Java knowledge, plenty of doors will be open for you since plenty of positions are waiting for developers having strong coding skills. If you're looking for a new profession or a career change, the IT industry is likely at the top of your list. Why? It's one of the fastest-growing sectors globally that provides temporary employment, jobs full of opportunities, multiple career paths, professional growth, travel opportunities, and high salaries. As IT is rapidly evolving, tons of new specializations and technologies are constantly popping up in the software industry. So, naturally, lots of new career opportunities appear, too. However, the lines between different types of programmers can be pretty blurry for newcomers. Therefore, we have developed this brief guide on developers jobs, required skills, and average salaries. Keep on reading to discover more about the most demanded developers positons.

Different types of Developers Explained

Front-end Developer

Front-end developers specialize mainly in the visual side of the projects – interfaces, aesthetics, and layouts. Their primary responsibility is to create "attractive" websites and web apps. Front-end devs write a code that should be run on a web browser, and their role is focused mainly on human-machine interaction and design principles. It's a high-level work because front-end developers have to deal with cross-browser compatibility issues and tweak tricky details of a UI's visual presentation. Essential skills for front-end developers are:

• User interface design (UI)
• User experience design (UX)
• JavaScript
• CSS
• HTML
• UI frameworks

Additional skills that may set you above the competition include:

• Frameworks like Backbone, Bootstrap, Foundation, AngularJS, or EmberJS
• Libraries like jQuery and LESS
• Experience with Ajax

Back-end Developer

This is the second most popular type of developer. Back-end developers (i.e., server-side developers) focus mainly on design, implementation, scalability, functional logic, and the whole performance of software running on remote machines from the end-user. The back-end systems are typically quite complex as they include a server, an app, and a database. And the main task of a back-end developer is to create and maintain all the components above. To put it another way, they integrate a wide variety of services such as databases, logging, caching, email systems, etc. Skills required: besides Java or other object-oriented languages, back-end developers often need to know how to deal with data storage systems, databases, caching systems, email systems, logging systems, and the like. Bonus knowledge:

• Tools like MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server
• PHP frameworks like Zend, CakePHP, and Symfony
• Version control software like SVN, CVS, or Git

Full-stack Developer

As the name suggests, a full-stack developer can be rightly called a jack-of-all-trades. It's a super versatile specialist that combines the best of both worlds — the front end and the back end parts of work. Simply put, full-stack developers can create a whole website by themselves, with no additional help, as they can work on both the server and the client sides. Therefore, it's easy to conclude that the skills required for a full stack developer are just a combo of front-end and back-end developers' skillsets. Plus, the knowledge of Linux servers, server-side APIs, JavaScript, and CSS will be an advantage.

Middle-Tier Developer

It's something less than full-stack developers but more than front-end or back-end developers. Simply put, middle-tier developers write non-UI code that runs in a browser.

Web Developer

Web developers are similar to software developers, but they specialize only in creating websites. A web developer should be a bit of a front-end developer, a back-end developer, a middle-tier developer, and a full-stack developer. If you want to become a Web developer, you don't even need to have CS fundamentals. All you need is the basic knowledge of HTML, FTP, CSS, JavaScript, and WordPress.

Mobile Developer

We all know and love mobile apps, and if you'd like to work on creating something fascinating, you may be interested in a mobile developer career. Mobile developers write a code for apps that can be used on different mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, and other widgets). As a Java specialist, you're going to work with the Android mobile operating system, the environment and frameworks. The welcome skills would also be HTML5, CSS, Web development languages, Application Programming Interfaces, and cross-platform mobile suites like Antenna and AMP.

Game Developer

Who doesn't love games?! Creating games is almost as joyful as creating apps. However, being a game developer is more complicated (yet, not less demanding). Besides Java, we can highlight such vital skills for game developers as OpenGL, DirectX, Unity 3D, WebGL frameworks, JavaScript, and HTML5.

DevOps Developer

This developer type deals with technologies meant for building, expanding, and integrating systems and managing back-end software. Therefore, they should have a solid knowledge of Kubernetes, Apache Mesos, Docker, Jenkins, the HashiCorp stack, etc.

Big Data Developer

Big Data Developers write programs for storing and retrieving a vast amount of data in different systems and databases. Therefore, they need to be familiar with MapReduce, Hadoop, and Spark and have a strong knowledge of Java. Besides the positions described above, you can find Graphics Developers, Security Developers, Desktop Developers, CRM Developers, High-Level Developers, Embedded Developers, and Low-Level Developers job offerings. But that's an entirely different story with almost nothing to deal with Java.

Average Salaries And Demand for Different Types of Developers

If you're considering what type of developer you would like to become, the salaries and the demand for a particular job can help you make the final decision. So, how much do developers earn? How many open vacancies are there now? We have reviewed the most popular job search website in the world, Indeed, and prepared a brief survey:

• Front-end Developer Salary

Front-end developers earn about $106,637 a year. As for vacant positions, there are more than 47,233 offerings in the USA.

• Back-end Developer Salary

An average back-end developer earns almost the same money as an average front-end developer. However, the salary of an experienced back-end developer may reach $122,445 (bonuses not included). About 15,000 job offers.

• Full-stack Developer Salary

Full-stack developers earn $108,089 a year. 31,288 open jobs now.

• Mobile Developer Salary

Mobile developers roughly make $117,644 a year besides bonuses. 33,641 vacancies are available.

• Game Developer Salary

The average salary for a Game Developer in the US makes $115,846 per year. Nearly 8,000 offerings in the USA alone.

• Web Developer Salary

Web Developers in the USA earn about $68,682 per year. And the number of currently open positions is enormous — 63,598.

• DevOps Engineer Salary

The average salary for a DevOps Engineer makes as much as $126,301. 17,379 jobs are offered right now.

• Big Data Developer

The median salary for Big Data developers is $109,717 per year, and the number of open jobs is 24,722.

Summing Up

As each type of developer has different responsibilities, their income differs accordingly. However, working as any developer is very rewarding, and the tendency is that developers will earn even more in the future. Due to the rising popularity of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the demand for software is vast, and things don't seem to change soon. It means there will always be a high demand for skilled developers who can control all of those devices via apps. No matter what path in development you choose, you'll need good Java knowledge. And you'll progress in your career faster if you are willing to learn new things consistently with no gaps but with a lot of inspiration and… the right resources. That's precisely what CodeGym can help you with. CodeGym allows tech enthusiasts to get their foot in the door as a developer as quickly as possible due to the step-by-step lessons and the best learning techniques. So, happy training in our Gym!