By Bluegrass Digital CEO Nick Durrant
JavaScript skilled developers are the most likely to land a job, it is by far the preferred programming language that recruitment agencies are seeking in candidates. It is also an excellent language for beginner programmers who plan to expand their skills to other languages.
JavaScript is among the most powerful and flexible programming languages of the web alongside HTML and CSS, it can used in both the front-end and back-end to add dynamic functionalities to websites.
According to a Stack Overflow developer survey, JavaScript maintains its number one position as the most popular programming language – nearly 70% of respondents stating they used it extensively for development.
Its increasing adoption can be attributed to the fact that it is easy to learn, easy to implement and it offers a huge amount of support from its developer community. Not only is it a standard programming language with highly transferable skills, but it powers the dynamic behaviour on most websites and supports object-oriented, functional and imperative styles of programming.
Alongside HTML and CSS, JavaScript is one of the core technologies used on the web. It is also used in other development environments like Node.js for backend development, Adobe Acrobat and Apache CouchDB. It is also used extensively for mobile, game and desktop development.
The overwhelming majority of websites use JavaScript for web page behaviour on the client side, often incorporating third-party libraries. This language is increasingly responsible for a growing percentage of web and mobile experiences. It’s also the key entry point for accessing the advantages of the distributed CMS.
JavaScript is found everywhere, from the static sites and apps to the compile-to-native frameworks now popular at enterprise organisations well beyond their original creators.
According to HackerRank’s 2020 Developer Skills Report, the developer hiring trends are changing. The study shows that small companies are hiring developers without a degree whilst tech giants like Apple, IBM and Google have eased their requirement that developers require a university degree.
One third of developers at small businesses do not have a degree according to the report, while about 90% of developers at large companies have a bachelor’s degree or higher. This is a win for small businesses and should be seen as an opportunity for larger companies to tap into a broader talent pool.
JavaScript revolutionises CMS
In recent years, the innovation in JavaScript and general front-end development practices has been phenomenal. Developers can now write logic once that can execute on the server or in the browser. This advancement has led to many new trends in web development, including the third wave of agile CMS – headless and decoupled CMS.
Universal JavaScript allows the same code and JavaScript framework to be shared across client and server. This is now possible due to server-side JavaScript in the form of Node.js, a JavaScript runtime that has elevated JavaScript to the number one programming language.
Agile CMS embraces content reusability by building upon the strengths of a headless CMS. It serves as a central content hub, one that everyone can access including the developers, creatives and general business users. This becomes the single source of truth comprising a of core set of enterprise assets including text, data and rich media.
One can then reuse the content on various platforms, ensuring content integrity and consistency, even in real-time personalised customer experiences.
JavaScript has grown beyond the web application and is now surfacing in many new unexpected environments. It has become the de facto programming language and will be driving the digital experiences of the future.
