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Why Learn Java in 2023?

The question of what programming language to learn has always been relevant for both experienced developers and beginners, as there are a lot of languages to choose from. But one thing not changing is that Java is still among the top choices. According to the PYPL Popularity of Programming Language index of 2022, Java takes second place based on the data of the most viewed tutorials from Google Trends. And since Java competes for popularity with several other languages like Python, PHP and JavaScript, the question remains relevant: should you learn Java in 2023?

Is it worth learning Java in 2023?

Today Java is one of the five most commonly used programming languages in the developers’ community. It is an object-oriented, platform-independent and general-purpose language, which you can use to develop:  

  • Android Apps;
  • Web applications;
  • Desktop applications;
  • Big data projects;
  • Game consoles, etc. 

A Java Developer (48%) and a Java Architect (22%) are the most common roles according to the 2022 Java Developer Productivity Report published by JRebel. A lot of big companies (such as Netflix, Pinterest, Instagram, etc) use Java for their projects and the demand for Java specialists does not seem to go down. So there are enough job offerings for both freshman and experienced developers. Besides, it’s easy to learn Java because of its syntax, and it makes it much easier to learn other languages with similar syntax. 

Reasons to learn Java

Java offers its users an excellent set of programming tools and this significantly facilitates the development process. This programming language provides its users with useful open-source libraries, which makes Java development easy, fast, and cost-effective. Being an open-source programming language, Java also plays a major role in the application development of many businesses. And there are even more reasons to learn this language.

Beginner-friendly 

Java has a syntax that is similar to C++ (since Java belongs to the C family), which makes it easy to learn the language for beginners. And while Java shares many features with C and C++, its syntax was designed in a more beginner-friendly way. Besides, Java comes with free and open-source software implementation. It is not completely free of charge, but overall Java is one of the most affordable languages.  

Platform-independent and versatile language

Among other languages, Java is one of the most versatile and platform-independent. It has a rich array of features like dynamic coding, multiple security, network-centric designing, and etc. Everything is organized and stored in classes and it is highly secured. Thus, learning to code with Java, you do not need to worry about what systems your program will work with. 

As a platform-independent language, Java can run on any platform, such as Windows, Android, Linux, etc. Developers do not need to write code again and again when they can just take byte code and continue their work regardless of the platform or device that you choose. The byte codes are simple and small-sized, so they run faster than complex code written in interpreted languages. Of course, they also need an interpreter, and the Java Virtual Machine is here to do the job. It resides in the main memory of ф computer and executes the byte code generated by Java. 

High demand for Java specialists

One of the reasons for learning Java programming language is the wide range of employment opportunities. As Java has been in use for a long time, there are a lot of companies that work with legacy apps and projects originally written in Java. It is easier and cheaper to maintain these apps and projects than to make them anew, so companies have numerous tasks requiring different qualifications. Hence, there are a lot of job offerings for trainees and juniors, as well as for experienced developers. Although the competition for Java Junior positions is quite high, it is still not too hard for a beginner to find a job. 

Strong and supportive community

The community plays an important role in the growth and success of any programming language. It supports like-minded developers when they get stuck and helps with difficult coding problems. Java has a large and robust community to back its members on the way to professional growth by sharing knowledge with those who want to improve their coding skills. So newcomers can easily get the answers to their queries and they can get help with the most troublesome cases. 

Another benefit of Java is that it is an open-source programming language with excellent documentation. There are multiple open-source libraries (such as Google Guava, Maven, JHipster, etc) that make learning Java easier and faster. These libraries can serve as very resourceful references or study material. Thanks to the well-documented structure, you can also find a detailed guide that will mark any problems that you might face.

Constant evolution

Even though Java is one of the oldest programming languages, it successfully keeps up with modern software development trends and constantly pleases the community with new releases. For instance, Oracle recently released a JDK 19 version on September 20, 2022. The Java language never stops progressing. And guess what? There will be a new update in March 2023! Oracle has far going plans for Java so it will only continue to evolve in the future and that adds up to the list of reasons to learn it.

Challenges you might face 

Although Java is objectively one of the best options for a first programming language along with the advantages, there are also challenges that await beginners along the way. 

  • Too much information. Learning anything from scratch is not an easy task. The amount of information that you need to learn to work with Java is huge. There are a lot of tutorials, free courses, books and other sources which will help you to study. However, this amount of information can be overwhelming and confusing as you won’t know where to start. You need to distinguish between what is useful and useless, and for some beginner developers, it can be difficult to determine on their own. Thus, choose your learning methods wisely and don’t be shy to ask senior developers for help. 
  • Concentrating on theory more than on practice. Programming is a practical activity. The theory is not enough to master any language and it’s useless without it. Don’t focus too much on the theory but try to find a course or a book with a lot of coding tasks to solve. Writing code and learning from your mistakes is the best way to learn Java. 
  • Choosing too difficult tasks. Some beginners spend hours on solving one task which can be too difficult for their current level. It can demotivate you, so it is better to start with simple problems and raise the difficulty gradually. You can always return to these tasks later. 

To sum it up 

First released in 1995, Java still stays in demand and is currently ranked as one of the top programming languages. You can find programs written on Java almost everywhere, from computers to Android applications for your smartphones. And even though Java has its own challenges, this language is easy to learn and definitely worth a try. 

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