Computer programmers have a complicated job. According to Western Governors University, they have to write code for computer programs and apps, update existing programs, create and implement updates to improve programs, find and fix errors in code, rewrite programs for various operating systems and create technical guides for programs. Easy peasy, right?
Typically, to find a job in computer programming, it’s necessary to have a degree in IT, computer science, web development, software engineering or of course, computer programming. But even if you’re an extremely qualified applicant, this is a competitive field to try to break into.
Grid Dynamics reports that in 2018, there were over 23 million people working as computer programmers around the globe. By 2023, however, this number skyrocketed to 28.7 million, and it’s expected to increase by another million this year. The three largest hubs for software engineers in the world are India, China and the United States.
But there are plenty of programmers working in Europe as well, with a million in Germany, 533k in France, 465k in the UK, 401k in Poland, 323k in Spain and over a million more spread out throughout the continent. When it comes to what language and technology these programmers are working with, JavaScript is the most popular, followed by Java, Python, C/C++, C#, PHP, and more.
There’s no question that it can be difficult to land a job in programming, as there are plenty of skilled coders all over the planet. But if you do manage to break into the field, it can be quite a lucrative career. According to Glassdoor, computer programmers in the United States earn an average of $95k to $159k a year. That’s about double what the average American worker earns annually.
Just like any other job, being a programmer certainly has its pros and cons. Indeed reports that some of the best aspects of the profession are: many workers have high job satisfaction, programmers often earn a decent salary, there are usually opportunities to work remotely, there are often opportunities to work freelance, being a programmer enhances a person’s problem-solving skills, and it’s not always necessary to have formal education if you have skills and experience in the field.
On the other hand, some of the downsides of working as a programmer are: the job usually requires being in a fast-paced work environment, the job can be very repetitive and it’s an extremely competitive profession. But there are a variety of jobs one can get with programming skills, including being a web developer, an app developer, a software engineer, game developer, task automation programmer, database engineer, business intelligence analyst, data analyst and more.
Some of the other downsides of the programming industry that Springboard notes on their site are the fact that it’s a constantly evolving field, and it requires a multidisciplinary skillset. Your education will never be over, as you’ll always have to learn more and stay up to date with the current technology. And you can’t simply be good at math or statistics to be a great programmer. You also have to understand algorithms, design, physics, finance and more.
