Getting into coding is the first step toward breaking into tech, but learning the right programming language could help you land a high-paying job. Depending on the role, company, specialization, and experience, a tech professional in the US can easily earn between $77,000 to $100,000 annually.
Generally, the language that you decide to learn is directly related to the specialization you’d go for. If you are curious about which language is the most beneficial to learn, this guide will highlight the top four based on a recent Stack Overflow survey. Keep on reading to find out which one works best for you.
Python
Python is a very strong programming language as you can do so many great things with it. It’s a very versatile language that allows you to accomplish different things—from the basic object-oriented programming to complex things like machine learning or big data analysis.
The language is widely used in the tech sector by data scientists and web developers, among others. In fact, most developers prefer to use Python because they’re able to use several web frameworks like Django or Pyramid to build functional websites.
There are a lot of Python bootcamps out there that you can take advantage of, including Thinkful. It offers an in-depth bootcamp that only lasts for a couple of weeks, depending on your schedule. The bootcamp is comprehensive enough to equip students with the right skill set to branch out into data science, machine learning, and web development. If you’re working on data analysis with Python, you’ll be able to make between $63,000 to $123,000 annually.
Clojure
Clojure is a complete general-purpose programing language that comes from the Lisp dialect. Lisp is a family of programming languages developed by John McCarty in 1959 with the purpose of creating AI-driven products and exploring machine learning. Lisp is one of the oldest programming language families that is still used worldwide. Clojure, on the other hand, is a dialect of this family and is used for hardcore concurrency tasks.
This is the reason why this programming language is so in-demand. Based on a quick online survey, there is currently a low supply of developers working with Clojure. Depending on experience, location, and company, tech professionals who work with this programing language can bring home between $90,000 to $100,000 annually. If you are interested to learn more about Clojure, you can look up for the many resources available online.
Ruby
Automation is everything these days in the tech world. All companies are looking towards automating their processes to become more efficient. Ruby can help you do just that, which is great and many companies would hire you only for the automation service. Other types of tasks you can achieve with Ruby are full stack web development and report generators in HTML or CVS. This programming language is very intuitive and will also help you solve some data cleaning problems. Ruby on Rails is an amazing starting point for beginners, so if you have no prior experience with coding, you can totally try learning Ruby first.
Some of the best places to learn this skill are Coding Dojo and Bloc school. You’ll learn how to build functional web applications with Ruby on Rails and how to make rapid prototypes. The average salary for people who know how to work with this language goes from $77,000 to $107,000 annually.
SQL
SQL is the dream language for a data analyst. This coding language can help you manage, process, and analyze data to create meaningful insights. This a very data-driven language that you can use to optimize any data-related process. With SQL, you can also store and organize large volumes of data. Modifying and creating databases isn’t a hard thing to do with SQL. With the high demand for data-driven skills and so little supply, there’s a high possibility of getting a high-paying job by learning SQL. It’ll also depend on the combination of other skills like data analysis or complete data engineering, but if you already know how to use SQL, it’ll be easier for you to embark on any of those paths.
By only knowing how to use SQL you could earn up to $60,000 per year. However, if you combine this skill with the others listed above, you could increase your annual salary up to over $100,000. Now, where can you learn how to use SQL? Some of the best SQL Bootcamp is offered by the General Assembly. In this course, you’ll learn all the essential fundamentals of SQL that go from pattern matching, segregation, and grouping.
Conclusion
Learning a coding language will open many doors for you in the tech world. And even if you’re not into tech, learning coding skills will help you automate processes that you regularly do. Learning a coding skill will also help you train your brain to think more logically and solve problems easier than ever.
