We sometimes take for granted apps that wake you up every morning or the ones that help you check your bank account balance on the phone right after you have purchased something with the PayPass technology. But, the truth is, software developers had a big hand in shaping all those apps, making our daily life easier. Moreover, software developers are the creators of the technologies you now can't imagine living without. So, if you're wondering is there a demand for software developers in the nearest future, the answer is — yes, the modern world runs on software, and this doesn't seem to change soon. So, let's take a look at the future of software engineering.
Hot Industries for Software Development
A couple of decades ago, software engineering was the realm of tech companies. Nowadays, almost every business relies on technology. It's not strange that due to the pandemic — more and more companies are going digital, having their websites, computer-based software, and apps to keep their businesses successful. Software programming is widely employed in banking, marketing, healthcare, security, science, government, etc. And the statistics show that there will be even more software programming in the nearest future, and its operations are going to penetrate new fields.
Speaking about critical industries, below, you can check how technology affects them.
Health Industry: Software engineering is drastically helping to collect and process health data, enabling better diagnostics and disease prevention. And the year 2022 is expected to bring even more innovative medical technologies.
Online Learning: The eLearning is extremely popular today, and the market has already reached over 370 billion US dollars, and this number seems to grow in 2022.
eCommerce: The same goes for online shopping. More and more people prefer online shopping, and by 2023, eCommerce is projected to reach 6.3 trillion US dollars. As a result, ECommerce software development is now one of the hottest areas for software engineers.
FinTech: Online and mobile payments are also on the rise right now. According to new statistics, 66.7% of banks collaborate with FinTech to create new services for their customers. By the end of 2021 year, there were 10,755 fintech startups only in the USA alone.
From this, it's easy to conclude that programming is increasingly penetrating almost every sphere of daily life and business. What does it mean for software engineers? The incredible growth in salaries and the eagerness of many prominent organizations to recruit talents across the globe.
AI vs. Software Developers?
Naturally, with the growth of technology, more and more tasks have become automated. Hence, the number of routine tasks passed over to machines increases too. That's why many come up with the question, "Will AI replace software engineers?" Well, definitely, not in 2022 and even the foreseen future. Computer algorithms need much more time to become mature enough to compete with humans in creating equally good code. So, don't believe in those sci-fi movies but believe in the statistics ahead.
Opportunities 2022 in Numbers
As we have already mentioned, the job market in 2022 offers excellent potential for developers of all levels. There are approximately 26.9 million software developers worldwide (about 4.3 million in the US and over 6 million in Europe). And the number of software developers is growing daily — the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2029, demand for developers will increase by 22%, meaning there will be a bright future for qualified software developers.
The following impressive number is that the world software development market was valued at 429.59 billion UA dollars in the previous year and is expected to expand up to 11.7% from 2022 to 2030 (according to CAGR).
When it comes to salaries, it's easy to see that the wages are growing too. For example, whereas the average salary of a US programmist in 2018 was $84,300, the number is close to $120,500 this year. Dice's 2022 Tech Salary Report already recorded the highest salary ever, and we bet the number will grow.
The two tech positions cited as the most challenging to apply for in 2022 are a full-stack engineer and a back-end engineer, both of which will stay in the highest demand during 2022. Other popular positions are DevOps, front-end developer, application developer, and engineer. It's also worth noting that the era of Academic degrees will be in the twilight of its glory. As a result, the recruiters will pay more attention to skills and experience than college names.
What about the most popular languages? JavaScript, Java, and Python will remain the top three PLs that recruiters will request from job candidates in 2022. The languages that will also be in demand include C, C++, and C#.
Future Trends in Software Engineering
The desire for innovation in the technology sector is the highest out there. That's why the demand for software developers is also among the highest.
And among the most remarkable evolving trends that are expected to change the future, we can highlight:
Cloud Services. Switching to cloud-based services is almost inevitable for most businesses. The top benefits of adopting cloud-based technology include: cost efficiency, enhanced security, simplicity of use, more flexibility, and an opportunity to collaborate seamlessly. Moreover, most cloud-based services offer cloud analytics, which is precious for those companies that need cloud analytics. However, cloud computing has already been around for a while. The demand has never been higher for cloud engineers than now. Such companies as Facebook, eBay, Fitbit, and General Electric have already fully transitioned to cloud-based services and have motivated many other companies to follow the trend.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the rage right now. Voice assistants, chatbots, and many other AI-enabled devices make our life much easier. And all it seems like is the "Promo version" of AI abilities. AI promises to automate menial tasks, perform complex analyses, and reduce human-made errors in the nearest future.
Blockchain Technology. In the world of thriving cryptocurrency, Blockchain technology is what keeps everything up and running. The blockchain helps establish the deft balance between companies, utilizing transparency and security while being widely used for auto sales, real estate purchases, and intellectual property.
Cybersecurity. Not a novelty, but the cybersecurity industry seems to thrive in the nearest future too. It'll remain the critical technology for large corporations willing to protect their valuable data from hackers.
Top Reasons to Choose Software Development in 2022
As we see, software developers are here to stay. Job security is one of the most attractive points of being a software developer. It is mainly achieved due to the increased reliance on technologies and lack of skilled developers, so it's fair to say that Java specialists will have comfortable employment opportunities this year. They will also have more freedom regarding the type of sector to work in. Simply put, if banking systems or serious scientific software aren't your cups of tea, you can quickly shift towards the education sector or entertainment sector.
Besides job security, the career of a software developer attracts many people with reasonable salary rates. For example, this year Indeed pegs the average Java developer salary in the US at $112,181 per year plus about $4,000 in additional compensation. And the pay can increase drastically depending on your specialty, seniority, and organization you're working in. For instance, tech giants of Silicon Valley like Facebook, Google, and Apple currently offer more than $150,000 per year in salary.
Another reason to choose Software Development is the flexibility it typically offers. A career in software development doesn't require you to move to tech hubs and is free of a "boys-only" environment. Nowadays, companies (no matter big or small) hire skilled professionals regardless of gender and allow for remote work. It means you can maintain the perfect work-life balance and distribute your work hours comfortably according to your lifestyle (in 2021, more than 4.7 million developers were working remotely at least half the time).
One more perk is that you can get into software development without an academic degree this year. The number of companies hiring developers with non-academic backgrounds has increased from 23% to 39% during the previous year, meaning if you're a skilled and dedicated specialist, there will be little-to-no hindrances on your way.
Last but not least, creativity pushes many people to enter the software development world. The ability to code gives you incredible power, and you can build something significant. With that, you shouldn't sit at your desk programming all day — you can communicate with clients to get valuable feedback, and you can collaborate with your team to make your "creation" even better.
Conclusion
If you're considering a career in software engineering, there's no better time to get involved. It's a fast-growing field, and 2022 year promises a lot of career potential for developers, with some of the highest salaries. Currently, about 250,000 software developer jobs worldwide are unfilled, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that the demand for software developers will grow by 22.2% by 2030. During the upcoming years, approximately 409,500 jobs will open up. It is achieved mainly because the tech field is constantly changing, with emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, progressive web apps (PWAs), low-code development, and cybersecurity, all of which are poised to create more job openings. As a result, the future looks bright for this profession.
Some other software developer advantages include flexibility, a comfortable work environment, fascinating projects, and reasonably fast growth. In addition, a software developer can climb the career ladder and become a Senior in 3-7 years if you possess strong analytical/communication skills and the ability to think outside the box. So, let's get down to business. Shall we?
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