With the rise of the Internet and the World Wide Web, more and more companies are transitioning to digital formats to attract new customers. In some cases, this conversion may only consist of opening a landing page with some information to direct new customers to the physical store, while in others it may actually consist of selling products directly and operating online.
Whatever the motive is, it is necessary for someone to make such a change. Although recently many companies have started to offer “quick and easy” pre-built tools to create a website, in some cases they are not enough. In these cases,and more, a developer is needed.
Therefore, the demand for developer jobs is increasing and they are very well-paid positions that could be a viable career path for many people. In this article, we will give a brief overview of what a developer is and what are the advantages and disadvantages of such a position. Finally, we will discuss the best 7 job alternatives for an entry-level developer.
What Is A Developer?
A developer is defined as a person who creates applications, websites, and software. However, there are many different types of developers, depending on what type of work they specialize in.
For example, many developers specialize in creating websites for an online business or an e-commerce store. In this case, the main focus is on creating a site that is easy to find on the Internet and has a nice interface that users will appreciate.
In many other cases, developers focus on tasks that require extensive programming and coding skills, such as creating a security software or a customer relationship management system from scratch.
However, while part of these jobs may sound boring to some, there are other options that may be the dream of many people. Game development, in particular, is a niche that has seen a huge upswing in recent years, and even though programming skills are a must, you can also have a lot of fun doing it!
What Are the Pros And Cons Of Working As A Developer
Pros
- High Wages
The most important and undeniable advantage of working as a developer is the fact that developers make quite good money, often far above the average salary of the country in question. - Able To Work From Anywhere
Also, developers often have the luxury of being able to work remotely, so they can work from the place where they feel most comfortable. - Able To Work On A Few Projects
Also, if a developer prefers to work on many individual projects instead of a single full-time job, the ability to work remotely makes that much easier. - High Demand
Finally, developers have a great career outlook for the future. As the internet and online world continues to grow in importance, there are more and more developer jobs to fill.
Cons
- Poor Eyesight
The first disadvantage concerns the health of developers. Developers, especially coders and programmers, spend many hours a day staring at a screen and not only reading, but intensely checking every single line of code to make sure everything is perfect. This can lead to long-term health complications to the eyesight. - Not Working With People
The second disadvantage is the fact that it could be a lonely job, and even more so if the developer works in a different location. Even though it is necessary to coordinate with colleagues in these cases, most of the work is done independently. - Repetitive And Boring If You Don’t Love It
Lastly, the developer’s work could become repetitive and boring over time if they are not truly passionate about it. This is because most of the work consists of the final check, i.e. debugging and double-checking the work done, which can be very time-consuming.
Which Are The Best 7 Alternatives For An Entry-Level Developer?
Let’s now dive into the best 7 alternatives for an entry-level developer. These alternatives have been selected based on the average salary and possibility of demand growth in future years.
Additionally, these alternatives vary from software to web page development and from small embedded systems to big data development, featuring a large variety and ensuring that anyone could find an area of interest.
1. Front-End Developers
Front-end developers are those responsible for structuring and creating the “front-end” part of a website or application, that is, what customers see.
Most of the tasks of front-end developers, therefore, include structuring and creating the layout of the website, deciding where to place images, making sure that all Alt tags and required links are inserted, and so on.
For this reason, although it is not necessary to have extremely deep programming knowledge, it is still necessary to be familiar with JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Also, it is an advantage if you are strongly design-oriented, because front-end developers need to create a website that is both easy to navigate and beautiful for its users.
The salary of a front-end developer is closely related to the level of expertise of the developer, but according to Glassdoor’s 2023 survey, the annual salary is significantly higher than the average in the US, being $85,000.
Moreover, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are very great future prospects for this profession, as the number of front-end developer jobs is expected to increase by 23% between 2021 and 2031.
2. Back-End (Server-Side) Developer
Back-end, also called server-side, developers, are the flip side of front-end ones. Font-end developers work on the part of the website or application that is visible to the user, while back-end developers focus on what is not visible to the client, such as data storage, security, quality testing, and more.
So, the most common tasks that server-side developers are responsible for are writing great code, performing quality testing, debugging, building and maintaining a website, troubleshooting, and more.
For this reason, the requirements for backend developers are often higher. Not only do they have to master various programming languages, but also frameworks, databases and servers. On the other hand, maintaining beauty and design is not one of the tasks of such a developer.
As for the annual salary, according to a Glassdoor survey, it is about $83,000 per year, which is directly below the salary of front-end developers. However, Indeed states that the average salary in the U.S. is closer to $95,000, showing tht such a salary might strongòy depend on the location.
Finally, demand for front-end developer jobs is expected to increase 23% by 2023, which is also a great career opportunity in this case.
3. Middle-Tier Developer
The third option is to work as a middle-tier developer. Middle-tier developers are individuals who oversee the interaction between the back-end and front-end parts of the development process without having to focus exclusively on either.
Middle-tier developers differ from full-stack developers, although the latter also oversee both steps. This is because full-stack developers are individuals who are able to execute both sides starting from a blank sheet of paper, while middle-tier developers work with both front-end and back-end developers and ensure that both aspects are competently connected.
So, to become a middle-tier developer, one must have a sound knowledge of programming language, systems, and all other aspects of server-side development, as well as design, accessibility, and other aspects of client-side development.
Due to the added difficulty and extensive knowledge required in both the back-end and front-end areas, Glassdoor gives an average annual salary in the U.S. of about $105,000. Because the spectrum of middle-tier developers is so broad, the demand for these professionals is expected to increase significantly in the coming years.
4. Mobile Developers
On the other hand, another valuable alternative for those developers that would rather work on a software rather than a web page or application are mobile developers. Also this group of developers have seen an increase in demand due to the fact that since the 2000’s the mobile phones’ popularity has been surging, so there has been a strong need to create content for phone users and to adapt computers’ content to the mobile phone format.
There are many different types of Mobile developers. Some of them focus on building ,mobile hone games, others the operative systems while some other developers focus on creating software and applications for the mobiles.
The necessity and demand for these developers is reflected in the salary that is offered to these workers. The average salary in the US for a mobile developer is $116,830, but in the highest paying companies this number can reach even over $190,000.
5. Embedded Developers
Embedded developers are people who create software for “embedded” systems. These are machines and other types of hardware that are distinct from a computer and are usually designed specifically to perform a particular set of functions.
Examples of embedded systems include washing machines, video game consoles, and microwave ovens. These are technological devices that do not rely on external processing units and require very limited input from the user to perform their work correctly.
Specializing as an embedded developer requires not only in-depth knowledge of coding and programming language, but also an extremely deep understanding of the components of the embedded system and how they work.
For this reason, the average salary of an embedded developer in the U.S. is $118,826, but even in this case can be as high as $180,000 in larger and better-paying companies.
6. Data Science Developer
Data Science is a crucial step in the development process of any software, application, website, embedded system, or any other technological item you can think of. It consists of collecting all the available data from a development process and subjecting it to a number of different analyzes to help other developers make decisions.
More specifically, data science is a blend of machine learning, data mining, and statistical analysis and is used to find patterns and insights to refine the development process.
For this reason, a deep understanding of programming language is not required, as most data scientists translate data into a non-technical format to share with both back-end and front-end developers. However, it is necessary to have a clear idea of what the optimal goal is and how to achieve it.
According to a 2023 Glassdoor survey, the average annual salary in the U.S. for a data science developer is $106,196, which typically increases to over $200,000 with years of experience once a developer reaches the position of “senior data scientist.”
In addition, the number of data science developer jobs is expected to increase by 13% between 2021 and 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
7. Cloud Developers
Cloud developers are a specific category of software developers who specialize in cloud computing, which is defined as “the on-demand availability of computing resources as services on the Internet.”
It is based on the elimination of the physical server and database model and allows companies to stop managing physical resources themselves and pay only for what they use. In recent years, therefore, the popularity of cloud computing has skyrocketed as it allows companies to simplify their organization and reduce costs.
There are three main types of services that developers can create: Platform as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). Regardless of the type of service being created, however, cloud developers need to have a very deep understanding not only of coding and programming, but also of cloud computing and the Internet in general.
For this reason, cloud developers are often very well paid, as the average salary in the US for this profession is $106,416, with the possibility of increasing to over $160,000 in cases where the title of “senior” is achieved.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we must note that there are many different options for an entry-level worker seeking a remote job. Moreover, not only is there a large supply of jobs, but there is also a strong projected growth in the coming years, so an entry-level worker can start his career.
The beauty of being a developer is also that there are so many fields and specialties that one can never get bored. For example, developers who are more interested in programming could specialize in back-end development or embedded development. On the other hand, developers who are more interested in design and customer relations might find it more comfortable to work on front-end development.
Finally, the most important aspect of a developer position is the fact that demand for these positions is very high (and continues to increase), so there is good room for possible promotions in the future. In fact, most senior developer positions offer a monthly salary of well over $10,000!
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