Main image of article What New Coders Want to Do with Their Skills
So you’re learning to code. But what do you actually plan on doing with your new skills? According to a new survey by FreeCodeCamp, an organization that donates coding expertise to nonprofits, 40 percent of those who’re learning to code want to either freelance or start their own business, while 29 percent want to work for a “medium-sized company.” Only 18 percent of the 15,624 respondents said they preferred to work for a startup, while 12 percent wanted to work for a “multinational corporation.” Some 38 percent of respondents said they were most interested in working as a full-stack web developer, a far more popular option than front-end web developer (21 percent), back-end web developer (11 percent), data scientist (10 percent), or mobile developer (6 percent). The survey also indicated that a third of those currently learning to code plan on applying for developer jobs within the next six months, with another 17 percent already applying for positions. Only 15 percent planned on waiting for more than a year before they started submitting their applications for positions. For those who’re just getting into the programming game, check out these programming cheat sheets if you need quick tutorials, lessons and other resources. And if you’re in the mood to expand your programming knowledge base beyond the “popular” languages such as Java, consider learning one of these fast-rising languages. Those who want to land a full-time programming job also might want to consider how much such positions actually pay. According to Dice’s data, lead developers can pull down a median salary of $120,000, although such jobs often take years of experience (and solid skills) to actually earn. Developers who specialize in popular languages such as iOS, Java, and C# can expect to earn anywhere from $85,000 to $250,000, depending on the position and the depth of their skillset. In the meantime, if you’re interested in finding out more about how people are learning to code, check out FreeCodeCamp’s survey results.