With new programming languages being written, frameworks being created, the world of programming is full of action. There are some lists that suggest that there are close to 300 different programming languages one can learn. As the technology world continues to grow especially with the oncoming deluge of Internet of Things (IoT), the need for programmers and other affiliated coding skills continue to rise. However, given the fact that there are close to 300 different programming languages one can learn, pursuing the right programming language from a career perspective can be a big challenge.
To help you solve this dilemma, codingdojo.com has compiled a list of the nine most in-demand programming languages of 2017.
1. SQL
Compared to last year, the number of job descriptions that included SQL (Structured Query Language) increased by nearly 50,000 this year, giving SQL a huge lead over the other languages.
SQL is a special-purpose language designed for managing data held in a relational database management system (RDBMS), or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system (RDSMS). It is also very common, with many variations like MySQL and Microsoft SQL. Last year, Microsoft released SQL Server 2016, which introduced several new features to make the language more open-source like integration with R, the popular data analysis programming language, and a Linux version, making it an extremely well-known language.
2. Java
Probably due to the continuous growth of Android, the number of Java positions available on Indeed went up by almost 30,000 in 2017, as compared to 2016.
Java is one of the most popular, most adopted and general purpose programming language used by millions of developers and billions of devices around the world. It is a class-based, object-oriented language and designed to be portable, which means that you can find it on all platforms, operating systems, and devices. It is used to develop all kinds of Android apps, desktop apps, and video games. It is also commonly used as a server-side language for enterprise-level backend development. This programming language has long-term compatibility and developers are comfortable with Java.
Users are pretty excited about the upcoming Java 9 launch in July 2017, even though Java Enterprise Edition experienced a decline in popularity in 2016.
3. Python
Python moved up two places in codingdojo.com rankings to be the third-most in-demand language by job posting due to its constant growth in popularity in 2016.
Python is a widely used high-level programming language used for general-purpose programming, as it is simple and readable. Python is the easiest coding language to learn for the first time learners. In order to become a seasoned professional, every beginner should at least know this language. Several libraries have been created for Python related to mathematics, physics and natural processing due to its use in the educational field. Tech giants like Google and Yahoo along with NASA, PBS, and Reddit use Python for their websites.
Microsoft launched the beta version 2.0 of its Cognitive Toolkit open source deep-learning framework in October 2016, which includes support for Python.
4. JavaScript
Although JavaScript (not to be confused with Java) slipped down one place in codingdojo.com’s ranking as compared to 2016, the number of job postings stayed almost the same.
JavaScript is a popular, powerful, dynamic, scripting language that is used to create cool websites and games for the web. It derives much of its syntax from The C Language. JavaScript is compatible across all browsers, and is used in over 90 percent of all web pages. In recent years, JavaScript has also gained use as the foundation of Node.js, a server technology that among other things enables real-time communication. In 2016, compatibility and adoption of JavaScript 6 continued to grow and Progressive Web Apps became more usable, allowing offline-first functionality for web apps.
5. C++
C++ saw an increase of almost 20,000 job postings over 2016 that has helped it to take fifth place in the rankings.
C++ is a general-purpose programming language based on C language. It has imperative, object-oriented and generic programming features. C++ is a powerful, high-performance language used to build system software, games engines and desktop and web apps.
6. C# (C Sharp)
“C Sharp” saw a small increase in popularity in 2017, but not enough to keep it from falling behind C++.
C Sharp is a simple, modern, general-purpose, type-safe, object-oriented programming language, which is developed by Microsoft. The language is intended for use in developing software components suitable for deployment in distributed environments. It is used in a number of applications such as .NET. Since the release of the .NET Core open-source development platform in June 2016, it can now be used on non-Windows machines. Several features in C# 7.0 were released last year, including language support for Tuples, pattern matching, local functions, and more.
7. Perl
Thanks to its popularity, Perl has climbed up the ladder to secure the seventh place in the rankings leaving iOS, PHP and Ruby behind.
Perl, or “the duct tape that holds the Internet together,” as it’s been named, is actually two languages now; Perl 5 and Perl 6, which launched in Dec. 2015. Both of them are general-purpose dynamic programming languages that see a lot of use in CGI, graphics, network, and finance programming. Some think the growth of DevOps led to the increase in its popularity because Perl is versatile and works well with other languages, making it a good DevOps tool.
8. iOS Family
Many of the developers writing for the iOS operating system use Objective-C, C, or Apple’s new Swift programming language. Apple Inc. introduced Swift, a new programming language for all iOS and OS X applications. In fact, Swift is displacing Objective C as the de facto language for iOS development a lot faster than anyone expected due to its scalability, speed, ease of use and strong demand from the mobile app marketplace.
In September 2016, Apple released Swift 3.0 with new features including better translation of Objective-C APIs, modernizations of debugging identifiers and a new model for collections and indices. Apple plans to release Swift 3.1 and Swift 4 in 2017.
9. PHP
PHP (Hypertext Pre-Processor) is a server-side programming language, which can be used to create web pages written in HTML. It is used on more than 80 percent of websites today including Facebook, Wikipedia, Tumblr and WordPress. PHP is not only a popular language among new programmers due to its easy-to use techniques; it also does offer tons of advanced features for more experienced programmers. In recent years, PHP has grown enormously in popularity. Its web-facing features make it a highly-demanded skill, especially when paired with Javascript and SQL.17.
Brexit and the US election have had a significant impact. London and New York fell 13 and 14 points respectively. These were the largest declines (except for Calgary) in the top 50 financial centres.
No change in the top five positions. Despite the ‘interesting times’ in which we live, London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo remain the top five financial centres.
The gap between third place Singapore and second place New York continues to close. Singapore rose by eight points and is now only 20 points behind New York having been 42 points behind in GFCI 20.
Western European financial centres are still volatile. Of the 29 GFCI centres in the region, 16 declined and 12 rose. Geneva recovered some of the ground it lost in GFCI 20. Ratings for Amsterdam, Vienna and Gibraltar fell significantly.
The leading financial centres in the Asia/Pacific region rose in the GFCI ratings. Beijing in particular rose significantly and in now within the top twenty centres worldwide.
Centres in the USA, with the exception of New York, rose in the index. Los Angeles moved up 20 points into the top 20 global centres. In Canada, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver all performed well in GFCI 21. Financial professionals continue to favour safety and stability in their choices of location.
Five of the top six Eastern Europeancentres rose in the ratings. Istanbul was the exception to this pattern, falling 11 points. Istanbul is now in 66th place in the GFCI having been 45th a year ago. Continued conflict and political uncertainty affect confidence in the Turkish capital.
Financial centres in the Middle East and Africa did well in GFCI 21. Apart from a very small decline by Dubai, the other main centres improved in the ratings. There were strong rises for Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
Latin American centres continue to struggle. Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Panama all fell significantly. Buenos Aires and Santiago remain associate centres having failed to accumulate a sufficient number of assessments to enter the main index.
Offshore centres had mixed results. The British Crown Dependencies remained stable, whilst Caribbean centres had mixed fortunes with the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands falling, but Bermuda and the Bahamas rising slightly.
Mark Yeandle, Associate Director at the Z/Yen Group and the author of the GFCI, said “We live in uncertain times and financial professionals hate uncertainty. Brexit has caused uncertainty in Europe and the election of Donald Trump has caused uncertainty globally.”
Professor Fan Gang, President of the CDI, said “The gradual phasing-out of easing monetary policies in Western countries may have significant impacts on the structure of global financial markets, we need to monitor this closely.”
Preparing for an interview is an arduous process. You can only prepare so much for what you think they will ask. The interview begins before the questions even begin. From the time you enter the building to when you exit, the interview is happening. They are observing your body language and much more to determine if you will be a good fit for their company.
First impressions are crucial in an interview, but so is how you answer their questions. Each answer to every question that is relentlessly hurled at you impacts the final decision. Is your answer honest? Do you struggle in your responses? Interviewers are looking for these signs along with your answer. But what about the question that often asked and could have an effect on the hiring process, are you willing to relocate?
This question could come as a surprise or you could have been prepared for it. But what should your response be? Here are five responses that will make sure your name is not removed from consideration:
1) I am absolutely willing to relocate:
This might be the obvious answer, especially if you are able to relocate anywhere they would like. As a young adult the opportunity to relocate might be exciting. Answering that you are definitely willing to relocate will show that you want to do whatever is necessary to be a part of the company and team. A formal answer would be: “For the right opportunity I am definitely willing to relocate. I believe that this position and company is that opportunity.”
If you have no issue with relocating for this position, it would be very beneficial to ask the interviewer questions as well. Asking these questions will reassure that you are able to move for the position.
2) The ‘maybe’ answer:
Relocating for a job is a major life change. There are many questions left unanswered that could cause you to debate whether you are willing to move for a position. How long will you be there? Is this a company I want to have a long career with? Will I be able to advance my career with positions? All of these questions would have anyone on the fence about relocating for a job. So can you can you answer maybe?
The answer is yes, maybe is an answer and not a bad one. It is how you answer that is important. You might respond with: “I very much enjoy this area and would love to continue my career here, but this position is a great opportunity for my career and if relocating is a part of that, I would definitely consider it.”
3) Saying possibly with enthusiasm:
Moving is not always that ideal situation. Though this career opportunity might be what you are looking for, moving still does not get you excited. Most companies will ask if you are willing to relocate to gauge your interest in the position. This question could be a major factor in determining if you are hired. This is where honesty is important. Lying in an interview is bad for all parties involved.
It is ok to be hesitant about relocating. It is important to portray that in the best way possible in the interview. Answering with a statement like, “This is a great opportunity and a position I believe I am a great fit. I enjoy working in this area, but I would consider relocating depending on the circumstances.”
This will help you stay on track while staying honest with the interviewer. They will see that you are willing to do what it takes to be a part of the team and would like to further your career at this location.
4) How do you say no?
Sometimes moving is just not an option. Several reasons could cause a need for you to stay in this area. But if you say no will it cause you to lose this job opportunity? In some cases it just might. But there is a way to say no without insinuating you don’t want the job.
“This is a great opportunity for my career and would love to be a part of the team here. I enjoy this area and think it is where I would like to further my career, especially with this company.” This could be a great answer that states that moving is not something that you would like to do, but you are sincere about wanting the job. Being honest can get you far with a potential employer.
5) What not to say:
With very few correct answers to this job, there are a plethora of wrong answers. You will not know every answer in an interview. In fact, they don’t necessarily expect you to know every answer throughout the interview. Even when you don’t know the answer, there still is a correct response. When asked if you are willing to relocate there are many wrong answers. Let’s take a look at what not to say:
“Are you going to pay me more?”
“If I get to choose where you move me.”
“I never want to move from this area.”
“Depends on what you are willing to offer.”
Risk and security is predicted to be a hot trend for 2017. The trend is top of mind for banks and businesses going into 2017 due to consumer protection, credit quality concerns, the new age of capital planning and increases in cyber threats and attacks.
Regulators have increasingly made clear that they expect banking organisations, as well as foreign banking organisations, and their intermediate holding companies to have the capabilities to access and provide high-quality data.
Banks and businesses will create greater platforms and infrastructure systems to gear up for the push of digitalisation in the fintech industry. The dominance of fintech will create greater security for banks, businesses and consumers, due to the increase of online hackers who attempt to steal financial information from them.
“As the world changes, investors will need to change with it to capitalise on the many opportunities that will be presented and mitigate any potential risks. The biggest threat to investors are the changing expectations for growth, inflation and interest rates in the US, which remains the world’s largest economy,”
Niche recruitment agencies are a bit like specialist and boutique shops. We specialise, we don’t try to cater for everyone; and we know our market and deliver a superior service to our clients. While a supermarket may sell meat amongst thousands of other products, only a butchers will offer you a bespoke service and be able to source exactly what you want. So to with a niche recruitment agency.
In our case we specialise in the IT Recruitment within Financial Markets. This means we really know our markets and can offer a bespoke service to both our clients and our candidates. As a niche recruitment agency, our aim is to fill your specialist requirements, and for job hunters find “a suitable position in employment”.
THE BENEFITS OF USING A NICHE RECRUITMENT AGENCY
So what makes a niche recruitment agency special, what gives us the edge over the supermarket version of a recruitment agency?
IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF THE INDUSTRY.
When you get in touch with us looking to fill a vacancy or find a new job, we understand what you’re talking about. We know the job title and functions: how many recruitment consultants at non-specialist agencies will know what a Murex Datamart Developer actually does? Not only that we can already think of a number clients who might require your services, or candidates who can fill this role. Our knowledge of the industry and extensive contacts based around the world means we are able to match candidates not just on their skills, experience and qualifications; but also on whether they make the best fit for both candidate and client.
We as niche recruiters know our clients and have a vested interest in making successful hires.
For example: We know that different companies have various cultures and having the technical skills is not always enough, fitting into the company culture is just as IMPORTANT to make it a long lasting engagement.
PROACTIVE APPROACH TO FINDING CANDIDATES
Niche recruiters are not purely motivated by filling vacancies; we are also interested in building long term relationships with our clients and candidates. Repeat business is what drives us, fulfilling your recruitment needs as your company grows, reacting to industry trends, and market forces. We follow our candidate’s careers closely, making sure that we are in the right place to find them new opportunities when they’re ready to move on. We also tap into the passive recruitment market, candidates who are not actively looking for new roles but might be interested if the opportunity is right.
For example:
Many of the candidates and Consultants we work with do not put their CV out on job boards as they know working directly with us we can speak with all the relevant clients that their skill set would be suitable for.
If you have a position that requires a specialist skill (maybe Financial software package) that only a few people in the market have knowledge of (Nationally or Internationally), we know which companies will have staff with these skills and can target these candidates.
HIGHER VOLUME OF SPECIALIST VACANCIES
Because of our in-depth knowledge of the industry, our extensive industry contacts and reputation; niche recruitment agencies have access to many more specialist vacancies than a general.