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Exciting Java predictions and developments for 2017

By Jamie Mercer

Java predictions for 2017

These changes have had a significant impact on developers and their job roles. We’ve reached out to leading industry figures for their thoughts on how Java will develop and grow in 2017.

The future of Java and employment

“When it comes to functional programming, currently we do see a lot of legacy code bases jumping directly to this new paradigm ending up being more complex and difficult to maintain,” says Paris Apostolopuolos, software engineer and blogger. “Java, while making steady progress on adopting even more functional programming constructs, is still an object-oriented language and this ‘dual’ personality sometimes might prove to be handy.

“One of the most important skills that should be valued is the ability of Java developers to balance the use of functional ‘constructs’ versus O.O in existing code bases, taking the most of both worlds, rather than forcing one style over the other.”

The recruitment of software developers will be the top priority for all businesses of any size in the near future, according to Kartik Kalra of Recruiter’s Super Blog. The impact of retaining Software Developers for an SME or an MNC is likely to determine the future of their business, and the advancement of technology and demand for talent in this industry will be affected.

Considering that software developers salaries are already high and increasing, larger companies are more likely the only ones who can afford them. Although a high salary is not the only factor that attracts many software developers, the problems that need to be solved also need to be engaging enough for developers to stay motivated.

“The Java development ‘job’ or market is already going through a transformation, mostly affected by other major trends in the IT world,” says Paris. “The two dominant forces will continue to be this ‘urge’ to adopt the Functional Programming paradigm and the move to the ‘cloud’.

“I think that Java developers will slowly start to ‘balance’ between the forces of the trends and will start picking the correct tools and approaches for their end solution rather than blindly following ‘trends’, articles or buzzwords.”

Coding classes in college

In recent times, there has been a big push to sign students up for coding classes as the increasing employer demand makes the position of a software developer more appealing to college students.

It is becoming more obvious what skills and knowledge are more valuable for a successful and well-paid career, and students are aware of this significance in the job market.

By 2020, it has been predicted that 90% of all post-secondary graduates will have done a coding class.

“A modern Java developer is expected to be aware of the new ‘upcoming’ platform which is the cloud,” says Paris. “Java will be one of the first choices for teams and companies that want to build services in the cloud.

“The catch point is we need to adapt our coding style and practises in order to deliver software that will be cost-effective and scalable. Moving to the cloud does not mean that all the sins of our software are going to disappear.

“Java will be one of the first choices for teams and companies that want to build services in the cloud. The catch point is we need to adapt our coding style and practises in order to deliver software that will be cost-effective and scalable. Moving to the cloud does not mean that all the sins of our software are going to disappear.”

Coding from home

As technology advances, the ability to work remotely—away from traditional office spaces—is proving increasingly desirable. Proponents believe that it is not as necessary to be at the company’s bricks and mortar presence at all times. This is more relevant for software developers as their work is mostly computer and internet based, and with readily available communication, productivity and collaboration tools it’s becoming more common.

This benefits employees greatly in having a well-balanced working life, and it is anticipated that people could become more environmentally conscious and reduce transportation emissions.

The future of Java

Software engineer and blogger, Bozhidar Bozhanov, predicts that the future of Java in 2017 will continue to develop steadily in a number of directions. Some of the existing and popular frameworks such as Spring, Hibernate and Java EE implementations will be extending and stabilising.

There will be some maturing of frameworks related to ‘cutting edge’ technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain.

Lastly, there will be some indication of growth and attraction with some of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) ecosystem with languages like Scala, Ceylon, Groovy and Kotlin.


FRG Technology Consulting – where you’ll find your next Java job

If you want to kick-start your career as a Java developer or get to grips with a more advanced role then, FRG Technology Consulting is the place you need to be. Browse our jobs Java jobs here, subscribe to receive jobs by email, or contact one of our consultants today to chat about your current career situation.

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