I came across this question while doing a Google search:

The answer to this question is...

YES!

The demand for Java Developers has never gone down.

Java is one of the most in-demand programming languages.

I've worked with Java since 2019, and its demand (in my humble opinion) has never gone down.

There's this belief that only major companies and banks (such as Goldman Sachs, Citi Bank, JP Morgan, etc.) use Java. But this is far from true.

I had several interviews with early-stage startups having Java as their core programming language.

So no, as much as Java gets a lot of hate, the demand for Java Developers remains high.

What Skills Do You Need to Become a Java Developer?

1. Core Java

A Java Developer needs to know about the ins and outs of the programming language.

• Conditionals
• Loops
• Exception handling
• Interfaces
• Java 8 features (Lambda, Stream API)
• String
• Collection Framework

Related: Java Interview Questions

2. Object-Oriented Principles

Having a good understanding of how (and why) Java supports object-oriented principles (inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation and abstraction).

Related: Java Phone Interview Questions - Beginner Level

3. Spring Boot

Spring Boot is a backend framework written in Java which is essentially made to create REST APIs.

Many companies use this framework to support their backends, making learning the framework worthwhile.

Related: Spring Boot Architecture

4. SQL

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It's a language used for relational database management systems.

Java Developers are substantially backend developers. Therefore you will deal with data manipulation, and learning SQL is worth your time.

Related: What Does a Backend Engineer ACTUALLY Do?

5. Cloud Computing

I'm yet to find a company that doesn't use a cloud provider.

Knowledge about the cloud is hugely appreciated.

The most popular cloud provider are AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Platform. Knowing any one of these will make you stand out from the crowd.

Related: What Business Problems Does AWS Solve?

Conclusion

I hope you've found this article helpful!

P.S: don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter. I share more in-depth tips about career development, software engineering, etc. I hope to see you there!

Until next time!

🙋🏾‍♀️