Career as Java Developer — A Complete Guide

Overview

Java is one of the most portable programming languages available to a developer. Java is platform-independent, which means it can operate on any platform that supports Java runtime environments, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris. Java also includes libraries such as SWT, java.awt, java.lang, java.util, java.net, java.math, and java.io, etc.

A talented Java programmer can create a highly-scaled web application, a complex desktop application, or even a strong mobile application that runs on a handheld device.

A Java developer is one of the most demanded jobs today, as many organizations use Java to construct large complex software projects as well as in backend services.

Java Developer Job Description

Java Developers are professional programmers who use the Java programming language to design, develop, and build Java-based applications and software.

These skilled programmers can work with other engineers and web developers to develop commercial applications and websites in this language. It is important to execute Java commands precisely.

Java Developers, among other things, are in charge of evaluating user needs and business objectives, determining software features and functionality, and recommending improvements to current Java-based applications.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Java Developer

The roles and responsibilities of Java developers may differ from company to company and specific position because the language is flexible and provides access to a wide range of frameworks and use cases.

Java Developer Roles:

A Java developer’s role is extremely important. An organization classifies the Java developer role into three levels:

Junior Java Developer

Experience Level: 1–2 years

The junior Java developer role does not necessitate much Java knowledge. However, basic knowledge of front-end development and object-oriented programming expertise is required, as well as core and advanced concepts with Servlet and JSP.

A junior java developer develops, implements, and maintains Java-based components and interfaces to create user information solutions. This position involves designing and developing high-volume, low-latency apps for high capability and performance.

The developer must verify that the designs adhere to specifications. The developer will be working closely with a certain client and will be waiting for instructions and other specifications. The person in this role maintains a four-year-old Java software product by regularly maintaining and updating its functionalities.

Senior Java Developer

Experience Level: 5–7 years

A senior Java developer, unlike junior developers, can resolve the most complicated problems and create applications with enormous amounts of data. They are accountable for mentoring colleagues as well as assisting with assignments and training.

The senior should not only be involved in coding but also have leadership abilities that will motivate the entire development team to achieve results, as well as help to appropriately present the finished product to the customer and corporate management.

Lead Java Developer

Experience Level: More than 10 years

The main responsibility of a lead Java developer is to create and design new technology for back-end systems. They provide feature development services from requirements gathering to programming and automated testing.

They work with other cross-functional teams, such as researchers and third-party vendors, to ensure timely and accurate software delivery. They mostly use data-driven insights to improve existing and add new features.

Additionally, this position demands hands-on software development knowledge from giving technical support to the team in agile-based projects.

One bonus role is Java full stack developer, which is a trending role in 2023 and will continue to grow in coming days.

Java Developer Responsibilities:

A Java developer is responsible for the following tasks:

• Designing, implementing, and maintaining Java applications for mission-critical systems that are often high-volume and low-latency as per requirements.
• Identify company requirements and transform them into technical specifications.
• Contribute to all phases of the SDLC model such as project planning, analysis, requirement gathering, writing efficient well designed understandable code, development, testing, and integration, debugging, and maintenance.
• Constantly monitor, detect, and resolve production and non-production issues by writing simple, efficient, and secure code with less number of bugs.
• Manage the application’s stability, security, performance, and quality.
• Regularly improving systems by implementing new features as per the business requirements.
• Collaborate with other developers and team members to create highly scalable, secure, and quality solutions.

Skills required for being a Java Developer

Java developers are involved in activities other than coding, they must be equipped with a wide range of relevant skill sets. Although basic Java is simple to learn, users can progress in their careers by learning intermediate and advanced Java coding abilities. Some essential skills for becoming a Java developer are as follows:

Object-Oriented Programming Concepts (Oops): The Object-Oriented Programming method represents a class and object-oriented coding style that deals with topics such as inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction, and encapsulation. The goal of OOP is to connect data and functions to increase code re-usability, stability, and safety.

• Inheritance: Inheritance is a mechanism that allows one object to inherit all of the characteristics and behaviors of a parent object.
• Polymorphism: Polymorphism is a concept that allows us to do a single operation in multiple ways. In Java, we have two kinds of polymorphism: runtime polymorphism and compile-time polymorphism. Polymorphism in Java can be achieved through method overriding and method overloading.
• Encapsulation: Encapsulation is used to restrict access to class members and methods. Encapsulation in Java can be achieved by using private, protected, and public keywords.
• Abstraction: Data abstraction is a method of hiding data and certain features from the users.

Core Java Skills:

• Design Patterns: Design patterns are the best practices adopted by experienced object-oriented software engineers. Design patterns are answers to common challenges encountered by software engineers during the development process. Many software developers developed these solutions by trial and error over a long period of time.
• Abstract Classes: An abstract class is specified with the abstract keyword and used to achieve abstraction. It may include both abstract and non-abstract methods (methods with bodies). An abstract is a Java modifier that applies to classes and methods but not variables.
• Interface: An interface in Java is an abstract type that has a set of methods and constant variables. It is a core concept of Java that allows for abstraction, polymorphism, and multiple inheritances.
• Serialization: Serialization is a concept in Java that concerns the conversion of objects into a byte stream in order to move the java objects from one Java Virtual Machine to the other and reconstruct them to their original form. Serialization enables developers to address a variety of real-time programming requirements.

Java Build Tools: A java build tool is a software or command-line utility that manages the process of compilation, assembly, and deployment of software.

Understanding the language of Java Build tools is useful for a Java Developer since Java Build tools are software that automates the production of executable applications from source code.

A few examples of Java build tools are Maven, Apache, Ant with ivy, Sonatype, SBT, Gradle, Bazel, Nexus, and Cmake.

Spring Framework: The Spring Framework (Spring) is a free and open-source application framework that offers infrastructure support for Java developers.

Spring is one of the most popular Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) frameworks which enables developers in creating high-performance applications using simple plain old Java objects (POJOs).

Java EE Components: The Java EE name stands for Java Enterprise Edition, which was previously known as J2EE and is now known as Jakarta EE. It is a set of specs that encloses Java SE (Standard Edition).

Java EE is a platform for developers that includes enterprise features like distributed computing and web services. Typically, Java EE applications are run on reference run times such as microservers or application servers.

Java EE is widely used in a variety of contexts, including e-commerce, accounting, and financial information systems. Some of the major components of Java EE components are Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), Java Database Connectivity (JDBC), JavaServer Pages (JSP), and Java Servlets.

Java Testing Tools: In addition to coding, Java developers may also be involved in testing processes. Testing tools enable developers to test their code with a separate database without launching the application in a web browser.

Java Testing Tools allow you to test your Web applications and JSP pages without having to run them in a web browser. They help with a wide range of test activities, such as planning, deploying, requirements, testing, defect tracking, and analysis.

A few examples of Java testing tools are JUnit, Mockito, Selenium, TestNG, Cucumber, DBUnit, FitNesse, and Rest Assured. You must be well-versed in at least one of these tools as they are very useful during the testing process.

Big Data: Big Data has developed into a trillion-dollar industry, and standard data processing software is incapable of handling such massive amounts of data. Learning Big Data technologies enables developers to examine and extract information from large data collections. Developers choose Java because it is one of the best languages for learning Big Data.

Many ETL software, such as Apache camel and Apache Kafka, which are beneficial for data extraction and loading, have been built using Java. Working with Big Data necessitates a deep understanding of Java. A few examples of Big data technologies are Hadoop, Storm, HPCC, CouchDB, and Spark.

DevOps: A DevOps tool is software that assists in the automation of the software development process. It primarily focuses on collaboration and communication among experts in software development, product management, and operations.

The majority of software development processes, such as build, conflict, deployment, management, dependency management, etc., may be automated by teams using DevOps tools, which also helps to reduce human efforts.

DevOps practices such as continuous integration and deployment are used by software developers during the app development process. As a result, Java developers benefit from learning DevOps tools and updating their abilities. A few examples of DevOps tools are JIRA, Jenkins, QuerySurge, Kubernetes, Vagrant, Docker, Chef, and Maven.

Salary of a Java Developer

Companies are continually looking for talented Java developers, therefore salaries for Java developers are high. As many businesses rely on Java for enterprise solutions, there is always a significant demand for these engineers. The fundamental reason for the high salaries of Java developers in India is a constant rise in demand.

A Java Developer with 1–3 years of experience in the United States may earn an annual average of USD 93,118, according to Glassdoor. Entry-level developers can expect to make an annual salary of USD 73,839.

Furthermore, Java Developers with more than six years of experience can earn an annual average of USD 99,463, while senior developers with more than ten years can earn an annual average of USD 104,932.

According to Indeed, an entry-level Java developer with less than one year of experience can expect to earn ₹583,835 per year, while a Java Developer with 1–4 years of experience can expect to earn ₹682,657 per year.

Mid-level developers with 5–9 years of experience may expect to make about 872,366 per year, while Senior Java Developers can expect to earn an average total salary of 1,396,371 per year.

Note: The salary of a Java Developer is determined by numerous factors, including educational background, relevant experience, location, and skill set.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Java developer a good career?

Yes, working as a Java developer is currently a good career. Despite competing pressure on coding languages, the majority of developers continue to code in Java.

In addition, there is an increase in the demand for Java coders because many large corporations rely on this programming language to build the backend of their products. As a result, becoming a Java developer would still be a good career option.

Who is a good Java developer?

A good Java developer is proficient in coding as well as knowledgeable about the Java ecosystem. Some Java-related technologies are continually being upgraded.

A good Java developer must stay up to date on the newest innovations and modifications. A Java developer that is a problem-solver and team player is a valuable asset to any software development team.

Does Java have a future?

Java will continue to be a popular programming language in the future. The vast installed base of Java applications contributes to the high demand for Java expertise.

Moreover, Java is often updated with new features and capabilities, allowing it to remain relevant in a continuously changing industry. Java is a mature language that has been around for almost 20 years.

As a result, the future of Java appears secure, as it shows no indications of slowing down. It is used in practically every industry for everything from embedded systems to business applications.