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Java is one of the most popular programming languages today. It continues to be in high demand, and there are many companies that need Java developers. If you want to become a Java developer, then you should master a set of skills. These include: Object-Oriented Programming Concepts, Core Java, Web Frameworks like JSP and Servlets, etc
Who is a Java Developer?
A software developer who builds applications using the Java programming language is called a Java developer. These professionals are responsible for building the back-end of web applications, mobile apps, and software programs.
Java developers must have a strong knowledge of object-oriented programming (OOP), which involves writing code that can be reused in other programs. They also need to be able to write code that runs on multiple operating systems and platforms, such as Windows or Linux computers; Unix servers; mobile phones; PDAs; gaming consoles like Nintendo’s Gameboy Advance SP handheld game system; etcetera.
How to Become a Java Developer?
To become a Java developer, you need to develop a strong foundation in Java. This means learning the syntax of the language and how to write good code that adheres to best practices. If you want to work with object-oriented programming (OOP), then you’ll also want to learn about OOP concepts such as inheritance and polymorphism.
Once you have a strong understanding of how to write code in Java, it’s important to build up your knowledge base by exploring related frameworks or libraries like Spring or Hibernate that help make development easier. You might also want to study JVM internals so that when debugging issues arise with an application running on the JVM, for example, you know where exactly things went wrong at the runtime level within the memory space allocated for each thread during execution time.”
Another skill that can really come in handy is web technologies such as HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript which are used every day by developers building websites using frameworks like ReactJS,” says Basu Roychoudhuri
What Does a Java Developer Do?
Java developers are the backbone of the Java ecosystem. They write code that runs on a virtual machine, and this code is responsible for building the foundation of the Java platform. The JVM is an incredibly flexible piece of software: it can run on anything from personal computers to data centers to smartphones. As you might expect, there are a number of different types of Java developers who specialize in different areas within this field. The most common division is between back-end and front-end developers; these two groups tend to focus on either writing server-side code or client-side GUI (graphical user interface) applications respectively.
Java programmers fall into four main categories: backend app builders, web application architects, mobile engineers (who develop apps specifically for tablets/phones), and hybrid designers (who combine both web design skills with mobile engineering). These skill sets aren’t mutually exclusive—they vary based on what kind of company you want to work at—but each type has its own set of requirements too (for example: if you want your job title to include “architect” then chances are good that you’ll need experience working with databases like MySQL).
Best 17 Must-Have Skills to Become a Top Java Developer
1. Core Java
Java is a general-purpose programming language. Java is platform-independent and can be used to develop software for any operating system. Java is an object-oriented language, which allows developers to write code in terms of objects or classes in order to reuse code instead of re-writing it over and over again.
Java is also secure because it has run time protection which prevents the execution of malicious code by monitoring the use of memory locations, methods, classes, and objects defined by a program. High performance comes from automatic garbage collection that frees up unused memory when an object goes out of scope in your code thus increasing its speed. Having all this makes Java one of the most popular languages out there today with many companies using it as their main programming language for developing both desktop applications as well as mobile apps for Android devices like smartphones or tablets running on Google’s Android OS (operating system).
2. JVM Internals
A big part of the JVM’s success is its support for an extensive list of languages. The Java platform includes support for both dynamic and static typing, and it’s possible to mix these paradigms in a single program. It also comes with a built-in garbage collector that’s often compared to automatic memory management in other programming languages like C++, Python, or Ruby. But there are many other aspects that make the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) so appealing for developers:
The JVM was designed as a general-purpose virtual machine that could run any kind of application written in any language. On top of this functionality, Java adds its own runtime environment with libraries and tools to help developers build their applications faster without needing to write everything from scratch every time they create something new; instead, they can focus on writing code rather than worrying about what framework or environment will be used later on when running it because all those details have already been taken care off by
3. Java EE components
Java EE is a platform for developing and running enterprise applications. It’s a collection of APIs and technologies that provide a standard way to create and deploy enterprise applications.
Java EE is a framework that provides a set of APIs and technologies plus an integrated programming model that can be used to develop an application server or deploy it on another application server such as GlassFish Server or JBoss Application Server.
4. Java Build Tools
When it comes to building tools, there are a number of options available to you.
- Maven: The most popular Java build tool (and also the most popular project management tool). It has a lot of features and is used by many companies today.
- Gradle: Another popular Java builds a tool that’s lightweight and fast. It was created as an alternative to Apache Ant and Apache Ivy, though it can be used alongside those tools if desired.
- Ant: An older but still-popular option for those who prefer declarative methods of building software rather than coding their own scripts in XML or Groovy.
- ivy: A library that helps automate dependency resolution in your projects, letting you pull in various libraries as needed while keeping track of what versions have been downloaded/used where so you don’t have any conflicts later down the line when more packages are added; similar functionality can be achieved using maven’s dependency management functionality (explained below).
5. Web Technologies
- HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: These are the core technologies of the web. Experienced developers should be familiar with all three of these languages.
- JQuery: A JavaScript library that makes it easier to work with HTML elements on the web page and perform actions like animating or making calls to APIs.
- Bootstrap: A popular front-end framework that can help you build responsive websites easily by using pre-built components such as buttons, forms, and navigation bars. It’s usually used in conjunction with jQuery and other modern libraries like React JS or Angular JS because they take care of most functionality while Bootstrap focuses on making things look good across different devices (phones vs laptops vs tablets).
6. Web Frameworks
A web framework is a software framework that is used to build websites and web applications.
- What is a web framework used for? A web framework provides the base infrastructure, or scaffolding, required to build a website or application. These frameworks include libraries and utilities that help you build robust applications quickly. They also allow developers to focus on business logic instead of repetitive low-level details like HTTP protocol handling and URL mapping.
- What are the benefits of using a web framework? Web frameworks allow programmers to concentrate on writing code for the parts of an application that add value rather than worrying about how HTML pages should be rendered in browsers or processing form submissions sent via forms on your website.
- What are some examples of popular web frameworks? There are many different types of popular Java web frameworks including Struts (popularized by Sun Microsystems), Spring MVC (developed by Pivotal Software), Grails (created by Graeme Rocher & David Geary at Oracle), Play Framework (created by Typesafe)
7. Spring and Hibernate frameworks
If you’re building enterprise applications, then the Spring framework is a must. It’s an open-source project with over 1 million downloads per month. The latest version of this framework, Spring 5, offers features like reactive programming support and cloud-native capabilities.
The Hibernate ORM (object-relational mapping) tool is also quite popular among Java developers, who use it to map objects in the database tables so that they can be accessed easily via code.
Spring Boot makes it easy to create stand-alone Java applications that can run on any JVM-compatible platform such as Linux/macOS/Windows/etc., as well as in containers such as Docker or Kubernetes clusters with no external dependencies except for JDK 8+. Its most popular feature is auto-configuration: Spring Boot configures itself based on the context where it runs—you don’t have to write much configuration code yourself!
8. Design Patterns
Design Patterns are a way to describe recurring solutions to a problem in object-oriented programming. The concept was introduced by the Gang of Four (GoF) in Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software.
Design patterns are not a language feature, but rather an idea applied in many languages. Furthermore, they aren’t tied to any specific methodology or framework and can be used on their own as well as together with other design paradigms. For example, if you’re using MVC (Model View Controller), it’s likely that your application is already using some sort of design pattern(s).
However, it’s important to understand that not all design patterns are good ones! In fact, some might even be considered anti-patterns! Also note that design patterns shouldn’t be confused with libraries like Spring and Guice which implement common object-oriented software structures such as Dependency Injection or Singleton Pattern
9. Databases
Databases are a big part of the Java ecosystem, and there’s a reason for that. They’re extremely versatile and can be used to store almost any type of data. To work with databases, you must have a solid understanding of their design and architecture—including concepts like normalization and relational modeling.
To begin learning how to develop with databases, you should also understand SQL (Structured Query Language). This is the language used by most enterprise-level databases in order to retrieve and manipulate data stored within them. If you want to learn more about SQL, check out this free online course on Udemy designed specifically for beginners!
Along with knowing how to insert new records into your database tables using SQL queries, it’s also important for developers working with databases to know how they’re architected internally so that they can efficiently access the information they need from them without causing performance issues down the line over time as those tables grow larger with each new record added onto them (this happens quite frequently!).
10. Spring framework
Spring is a popular open-source Java framework for developing enterprise applications. It allows you to create a loosely coupled application by using Inversion of Control (IoC) techniques. You can download Spring from the Spring website, which is located at http://www.springsource.org/.
Spring supports the following:
- Dependency injection (DI)
- AOP (Aspect Oriented Programming)
- Transaction management
11. DevOps tools
DevOps tools are used to automate and manage the software development process. By using these tools, you can build, test, and release your program with ease.
Jenkins: Jenkins is a continuous integration (CI) tool that helps you automate the process of testing applications. It’s useful for testing new features before they’re merged into the codebase, or for running unit tests after every commit to making sure that no bugs have been introduced.
Git: Git is a distributed version control system; it helps developers track changes to source code over time so that they can figure out what caused any errors when something goes wrong later on down the line.
Maven: Maven provides packaging functionality for Java projects by organizing dependencies into modules with explicit lifecycles—for example, compiling classes before building them or packaging them up into deployable JAR files—allowing for faster testing cycles because only relevant files need be compiled each time instead of full rebuilds every time an update was made (though this option is available if preferred).
12. TeamWork
Teamwork is one of the most important skills for a java developer. It’s not enough to be good at coding—you need to know how to work with others and how to contribute to projects. You can demonstrate teamwork by being part of a team, helping others with their work, or participating in online communities where you can interact with other developers.
It may seem like teamwork is something that’s either there or it isn’t, but in fact, it can be learned and improved over time. For example: if you’re having trouble working with a colleague on an open source project, try taking some time away from them before coming back together again later; this will give everyone involved time off while also giving each person time alone so they don’t feel stressed out by constant interaction (which could make both parties feel more comfortable talking about any issues).
13. Time management
Time management is an extremely important skill for a Java developer. It can help you stay on top of your work and make sure that you’re always moving forward toward achieving your goals. But what exactly does time management mean?
It means being aware of how much time you have in a day, week, or month and making sure that every minute is spent wisely. A good developer will set goals for themselves, estimate how long it will take them to achieve those goals using their own experience as well as data from past projects, and then plan accordingly. For example, if I want to build an application that allows users to post photos without having any idea about how many users are going to use this app then I need firstly make sure I have sufficient resources available (time) before deciding who should be responsible for developing which aspect of the project such as front end development etc.
14. Communication Skills
Communication is a skill that is important to have as a Java developer. As a developer, you will interact with other members of the team, mentoring them and teaching them new skills. You will also have to communicate with business analysts and product managers so that they understand what you are doing.
Being able to communicate clearly and effectively will enable your team to function efficiently.
15. SOLID Principles
You probably already know about these five principles, or at least you’ve heard of them. These are the big ones. However, there’s a lot more to be said than this simple list.
The SOLID principles are guidelines for object-oriented software design. They’re easy to understand and apply, but they still can be misused and misunderstood. The single responsibility principle (SRP) is one of those guidelines that seems clear on the surface but can have some subtleties when applied correctly in real-life situations. It says that a class should only have one reason to change that is, if you make changes to an object’s behavior or structure, it should be because there’s only one reason behind those changes rather than multiple reasons based on its responsibilities as part of a system (or application). This leads us naturally into talking about components and how they relate back to larger systems again:
16. Creativity
The ability to be creative is an important skill for any developer. Being able to think outside the box, coming up with new ideas, and solving problems in new ways are all aspects of creativity. The ability to think beyond what is being taught is also part of this skill set.
Creativity can be used in many different scenarios, including problem solving and innovation. Creativity includes being able to come up with solutions that may not seem obvious at first glance, but are still effective nonetheless.
17. Agile development methodology
Agile development is a software development methodology that puts focus on the frequent delivery of incremental changes to the software.
It emphasizes team collaboration, flexibility, and customer collaboration. Agile processes allow the team to develop a product in short cycles called sprints, which generally last from one week to one month (or more). The main focus is on testing small pieces of functionality called features that are part of larger projects. In agile methodologies, the emphasis is on working software rather than documentation or processes.
Conclusion
This is a great time to be a Java developer! With the increasing demand for Java skills, it is important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. This article provides you with some of the top skills that employers are looking for in their candidates, along with some new technologies that will help you stay ahead of the curve.
