Employers Want JavaScript, But Developers Want Python, Survey Finds (infoworld.com)

An anonymous reader quotes InfoWorld: When it comes to which programming languages are in demand by employers, JavaScript, Java, Python, C++, and C -- in that order -- came out on top in a recent developer survey. Developers, however, want to learn languages like Python, Go, and Kotlin. A survey of developers by technical recruiter HackerRank, conducted in October, found no gap between languages employers want and what developers actually know, with JavaScript barely edging out Java...

HackerRank also found gaps in JavaScript frameworks between what employers want and what developers know. The React JavaScript UI library had the biggest delta between employers and developers, with about 37 percent of employers wanting React skills but only about 19 percent of developers having them... [But] problem-solving skills are the most-sought by employers, more than language proficiency, debugging, and system design.
The survey involved 39,441 developers, and concluded that "Python ruled among all age groups," according to Application Development Trends, "except for those 55 years or older, who narrowly prefer C."

Comments

That fits with what I think

[AlanObject]

I would have answered the survey with the majority.

Personally I learned and started using both Python and Javascript late in my career that goes all the way back to writing assembly language on the CDC 6000 and I can't remember how many languages I used. (DIBOL anyone? APL?). As with most software engineers I read Javascript seems to be one of the most unprofessionally crafted languages ever put into wide use.

The updates to Javascript (ES5/ES6) go a long way to fixing things. However I have often wondered how much the world would be different had Python been used as the in-browser programming language rather than JS (ECMAscript) from the start.

The only problem I think Python would introduce is its dependence on white space as a syntactically significant element. That seems like a small compromise. Anyone else think this?

Re:That fits with what I think

[itsdapead]

However I have often wondered how much the world would be different had Python been used as the in-browser programming language rather than JS (ECMAscript) from the start.

Well, yes, we'd probably all be using Python, but we'd have a Microsoft preprocessor called "PyScript" that let you use curly-bracket delimited blocks instead of significant whitespace , and which automatically converted Python 3 syntax to Python 2... :-)

Javascript isn't the problem. It's the browsers.

[Wycliffe]

I don't mind javascript as language. The problem is the DOM, CSS, cross browser incompatibilities, and all the rube goldberg machines like jquery and select2.
The russian doll that is modern web programming is a nightmare. Things like jquery remind me of script kiddies who think they are cool when they use a source filter and/or operator overloading to completely redefine a language.
The hacking that has gone into things like jquery is impressive but it should never have become the standard for production code. It should have stayed in the "that's a cool hack" category.

Re:Different applications.

[Hognoxious]

I only look for jobs that use Simulink, Matlab, and embedded C/C++.

We're hiring right now. Do you know C++ one seven? Give me a call if you have at least 5 years experience.

Re:I'm 55plus

[reboot246]

I'll be 65 next month and I like Fortran, or FORTRAN as we knew it back in the day.

Re:I'm 55plus

[StikyPad]

Stop yelling, grandpa!

Re:employers need a bullet to the head

[sjames]

Web apps are fine, but the logic should be driven by the server side. The client javascript should be a minimal thing that handles updating dynamic content and does input prevalidation. If it's big enough to need a framework, you've probably already gone too far by half.