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How to land a high paying remote job as a frontend developer

Posted on February 4, 2022February 4, 2022 by vallish

Landing a high-paying remote job with numerous perks such as paid vacation, fat bonuses, etc. is the dream of many frontend developers – pros and newbies alike.

Are you one of them? Have you been fantasizing about getting a remote developer job that pays you over $100k a year and allows you to travel the world?

Luckily, that dream is quite possible.

And that’s what this post is about. To show you practical tips for landing that remote developer job you’ve always dreamed of.

A note of warning, though: there’s nothing magical about these tips. And they won’t be so easy. As such, if you are looking for quick fixes or shortcuts, you are better off looking elsewhere. But if you are ready and willing to put in the needed work and persist, this post is definitely for you.

Let’s get started already.

In-Demand Skill Sets

Before setting out to find a remote frontend developer job, you need to pick up the right skillset. Or at least decide which skill to focus on first.

The thing is, front-end development is very wide, and the programming languages are nearly endless. React, Angular, Sass, jQuery, Vue.js, Typescript, CSS…the list is endless. Unless you are Albert Einstein, mastering all these languages is as good as impossible. The good news is that you don’t have to.

Just pick one or two languages and run with them. For example, you can pick React and then complement it with CSS or Sass (or both), and you are good to go. Not sure which language you can take up? Start with React. It is not only very popular but also in demand.

Need proof? As of right now, there are over 56,000 React Developer jobs on Indeed.

With that said, here are easy, practical steps to getting a remote job as a front-end developer.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish”….Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

What are your plans for securing that dream job? If you don’t have one yet, the tips below can help.

Tip 1: Focus on high-paying companies

If you are going to be well-paid as a developer, the best thing to do is apply to clients willing to pay you handsomely. This set of clients understand your worth and are willing to pay you nicely.

How do you find such clients? The key is searching for them in the right place. And one good place to start is AngelList. On AngelList, you will find lots of vetted, well-funded startups that don’t shy away from paying developers nicely. Other online platforms to find high-paying clients include Workable and Stack Overflow

Regardless of the route you choose, keep in mind that the goal is to pitch high-paying clients. These include well-funded startups, established organizations such as Salesforce, Oracle, Google, and big agencies.

Tip 2: Know your salary expectation

Try and get a rough estimate of how much front-end developers make on average. Knowing this will help you adjust your salary expectation appropriately. Looking at different job postings, as well as websites like Glassdoor is a good idea.

Tip 3: Establish credibility to make people want to pay you more

There are lots of crappy developers out there that make finding good ones a bit hard. That said, it’s important to establish credibility as a developer to get the attention of a potential employer. In other words, a mere glance at your profile should assure a client that you are indeed a pro.

Here’s how you can begin:

Contribute to discussions – both online and offline – within your industry.
Share your thoughts on established online directories such as Quora, Medium, Forbes, etc.
Share testimonials of past clients you’ve worked with on your portfolio website or social media handles.
Volunteer for a charity cause.

These are just a few suggestions to help you get started!

Tip 4: Target countries and cities where developers are paid well

Like real estate, location also matters a lot when it comes to landing a high-paying front-end development job. You will want to target clients located in countries and cities with a high standard of living. Vancouver, Copenhagen, London, Raleigh, are some of them.

You should also keep your job search in countries with high demand for developers with good wages. The United States, The United Kingdom, Central Europe, Singapore, etc. are good examples.

Tip 5: Target the right job sourcing platform

There are a ton of websites where you can find remote work. However, not all of them were created equal. The right job sourcing platform should be able to connect you with a wide range of potential employers, and also give you the flexibility of choosing between long and short term projects, like Talent500. You could also try platforms like Upwork, AngelList, Stack Overflow Jobs, etc.

These are platforms you will find enterprise clients looking for talent like you.

Tip 6: Work on lots of freelance projects

You don’t necessarily need to work as a full-time developer for a company to rake in $100k a year. Chasing freelance gigs can even make you more and in a shorter time.

Should you aim to do ten projects of $10k, five projects of $20k, or two projects of $50k a year? Well, it all depends on how skilled you are at finding freelance projects. You can leverage websites such as X-team, Gigster, etc to find remote freelance projects.

Alternatively, you could ask for referrals from your network. You never know where it might lead you. If those aren’t working, consider running ads on Google to market your skills.

Tip 7: Work from cities with low taxes

One of the major benefits of remote work is that you can work from any corner of the world. Nevertheless, some countries and cities have unfavorable tax laws, and you will want to avoid them. They include Los Angeles, Washington, Illinois, Seattle, and a host of others. You might end up blowing up your earnings on taxes if you work from these cities.

What to do?

Move abroad to tax-friendly countries to maximize your earnings. They include the Cayman Islands, Monaco, Bahamas, etc. Surprisingly, the cost of living in these places is anything but costly.

Tip 8: Get help from established developers

What better way to become a highly paid developer than to learn from already established developers who are making it big time?

So, we scoured the internet to find tips and advice from high-earning developers. Here are some that we found:

Continually invest in your development. Most importantly, invest in skills that pay.
Master the art of marketing your skills.
Get certifications.
Get used to doing things differently.

Tip 9: Send cold pitches to startups

Is there a startup or organization you’ve always wanted to work for? Why not send them an email introducing yourself and stating what you can do for them?

For one thing, sending cold pitches saves you the trouble of competing with other developers for a job role. If you don’t have any particular startup in mind, head over to Crunchbase or AngelList. There, you will find a ton of companies you can pitch to, together with the contact details.

Better yet, you can check out websites such as The Muse or Venturefizz. You will also find a list of companies you can contact for a remote job role.

Tip 10: Attend startup events

Even though it is a remote role that you are looking for, you don’t have to keep your job search exclusively remote. It is always a good idea to connect with real people by attending startup events within or without your city.

Attending startup events affords you the opportunity to meet with startup founders and recruiters looking for talents like you. Not sure how to find such events?

Head over to Meetup.com or Eventbrite and plug in your city. You will find lots of upcoming events you can attend.

Landing a high-paying remote job as a front-end developer is anything but hard or complicated. By following the tips we’ve shared in this post, you are halfway to getting one.

Another way to get there reliably is to sign up for Talent500. Join a global network of developers, upskill efficiently, and position yourself for success amongst the top Fortune 500 companies. Get started today and sign up now!

4 secrets to successfully manage global tech teams

Posted on January 17, 2022January 17, 2022 by vallish

It is said that managing a technical team is more of an art than it is a science. Even though the team is consistently dealing with data, it would prove problematic if companies tried to measure an engineer’s productivity through an agile process. Managing a team is already a challenge on-site, and this challenge is compounded in a globally distributed system. When working as a location-independent force, other factors like time zone, language barriers, and working culture come into the mix.

While an administrative role is the natural next step for many developers, the job now is a lot more different than it used to be. With companies going fully remote, most leaders now oversee globally distributed teams, often spread across different parts of the planet.

However, most of us were unprepared for this sudden shift to remote work. 2 out of 3 managers surveyed said that they were untrained for this new transition to managing dispersed teams. Naturally, this proves problematic for aspiring tech leaders or those thrown into the fray in the past 2 years.

So, if this is your first stint as a manager for a global tech team, or you are looking to take on a leadership role, here are a few quick lessons to help you manage a tech team spread across the globe.

Make trust-building the first priority

The absence, or lack, of trust within any team is among the dysfunctions that need to be addressed at the earliest. Mutual trust must exist between team members, and on an interpersonal level between an employee and their manager. Without trust, members of the team are more likely to be defensive in their approach and will often work in silos. This curbs collaboration, which is a fundamental element for any team, especially for remote teams. Hence, it becomes the responsibility of the team leader to build trust within the team.

However, considering the shift to digital communication mediums, leaders have to think beyond the traditional approaches of trust-building. A study conducted with 597 leaders found common approaches to not be as effective as expected. Actions that did not have much impact on build trusting were:

Giving recognition
Promoting complete transparency
Focusing on team building

On the other hand, things that did work were when managers:

Showed vulnerability
Maintained commitments
Communicated true intentions behind decisions

This makes sense, as employees interacting virtually need to know that there’s another human on the other end. As such, exhibiting these traits of genuine trust is sure to help you form the coveted trust bond.

Leverage technology for communication and planning tasks

While it may seem like a no-brainer to manage a remote team with technology, the lesson here is to use all common platforms available to you. Oftentimes, leaders will use a suite of tools for project management, communication, collaboration, conferencing and other such activities, causing a break in the flow. Your goal is to simplify, integrate, and enable teams to efficiently collaborate. Here, popular services like Slack, Asana, Workplace, Zoom, and others are viable solutions. They allow seamless communication and also enable planning, scheduling, and tracking on the same platform.

In a distributed team, project management is a critical process. With the right tools, giving real-time updates, communicating and planning can, and should happen on one platform. This way, everyone involved has access to crucial information, resources, and instructions, without key details being lost to poor management. Besides project management, effective communication is key for any remote leader. Schedule routine meetings with the entire team to stay in tune and get updates from real-time interactions.

Pay close attention to cultural differences

More often than not, a remote leader will have to manage team members of different nationalities. This is mainly because remote teams leverage talent across borders efficiently, thus bringing value to the table. However, for a leader, this means having to navigate the delicate rules and boundaries of culture. With members from different countries, cultural differences are bound to exist and being aware of these is crucial.

For instance, the concept of collaboration may differ based on cultural context. Some team members may be more accustomed to a passive approach, while others may assume a dominating, loud role. Expecting either to act like the other would prove problematic. Additionally, some nationalities may have working culture norms that must be respected. Be it national holidays, timings, or communication cues, it is important to give these factors necessary attention.

Leaders that turn a blind eye to culture are sure to alienate their employees and hurt their effectiveness during communication. Experts and renowned leaders believe that cultural awareness training is absolutely important for all leaders managing geographically dispersed teams. There is a learning curve here, but the best approach would be to work on a personal level. Each individual’s cultural bend will demand a unique approach, and while this is effort-intensive, it pays off in the long run.

Be flexible to foster round-the-clock efficiency

A key lesson for any modern leader to keep in mind is that flexibility is king in today’s workplace. According to one survey, 54% of respondents chose ‘flexibility in the workday’ as the best way in which their company could support them. The ‘always-on’ feeling is a known cause for burnout, and is very damaging if it is established as an appropriate working culture. Instead, as a leader, you should put flexibility above all and ditch the idea that tasks need to be scheduled around ‘HQ-time’. While it can’t always be fair to everyone, there are ways to adapt efficiently.

For instance, company meetings that require members across oceans to get on a call could be split into two to accommodate time zone differences. Another option is to have members work on a late, or early-split on rotation so that there’s never just one part of the team which is required to make adjustments.

Lastly, experts also advocate for the approach wherein the project follows the sun. The hand-off of duties moves from the west to the east; this way, everyone stays on track seamlessly.

Only the truly talented can bring in results, despite all the expected hardships. In some cases, it could also serve as a stepping stone to bigger career opportunities. A surefire way to give yourself this advantage and position yourself among the best in the industry is to sign up on Talent500.

Join an elite global talent network of the top tech specialists and pave the way forward to your dream career. Access a network that enables #limitlesslearning and soar to new heights at leading Fortune 500 companies. Sign up online today in order to #BeLimitless!

Node.js vs. Django: How to pick the right development tool

Posted on December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 by vallish

A good web app or website interacts with users seamlessly, attracting them and keeping them engaged. This makes choosing the right developing tool a critical first step. However, this is no simple task, especially when you have to choose between two equally resourceful, robust, and popular technology stacks.

Node.js is a JavaScript-based cross-platform that can run on both the client and server sides. On the other hand, Django is a Python-based cross-platform that eliminates repetitive tasks, enabling speedy and agile web app development.

Both Node.js and Django are popular open-source frameworks, replete with unique features and functionalities. Choosing between the two can be difficult. To make a sound decision, take a look at this comparative analysis of the two frameworks and make a decision that best suits your needs.

Django

Django is a free, python-based web development framework that is open-source and designed on the model-view-controller architecture. This enables you to develop a powerful back-end to your web application speedily.

Popular web apps developed using Django

YouTube
Bitbucket
Spotify
Mozilla
Instagram
Dropbox
Disqus

Advantages of Django

Django is a resourceful framework that is not only easy to implement but also easy to learn. Anyone with basic knowledge of Python can master this framework in no time.
Django offers several in-built frameworks that enable the quick and easy development of web applications.
It offers strong security provisions.
Its resourceful framework is capable of running several complex and high-level processes.

Disadvantages of Django

While easy to learn and implement, Django is extensive and requires several lines of code. It may become infeasible for websites with low bandwidth.
Django is ideal for big, interactive, feature-heavy web applications. The performance of a small website with fewer features based on the Django framework deteriorates over time.
The framework can only support single-layered applications.
Django is not built to handle numerous individual requests simultaneously.

Node.js

Designed in 2009, the Node.js framework is based on C, C++, and JavaScript. Similar to Django, Node.js is an open-source platform, using which you can write on the client and server-side. The code is accessible outside the web portal, making Node.js a light and fast tool to build scalable network applications.

Popular web apps developed using Node.js

eBay
Medium
Uber
PayPal
NASA
Netflix
LinkedIn

Advantages of Node.js

It is a flexible and robust framework used to develop both the front-end and back-end of a project.
Node.js helps develop platforms that can be scaled both vertically and horizontally.
It is easy to use with minimum complications.
Node.js is a popular web development tool that has a widespread global community. As such, it is easily accessible and promotes easy troubleshooting.

Disadvantages of Node.js

It requires highly skilled web developers.
Its API changes frequently, resulting in effort-intensive code changes.
Node.js is not as secure.
It does not support coordinated programming, making it complicated for many developers.
It cannot handle intricate CPU-based tasks.

Decoding how Node.js and Django are different

Which developing tool should you choose?

Your choice of developing framework can define the success or failure of your web application. While both are robust and highly advanced frameworks, choosing one comes down to your web-app requirement and your preference. Using the above-mentioned information regarding various parameters, make an informed decision that aligns with your project requirements.

For example, if you require a web app with tight security features and have a short development window, choose Django. On the other hand, if you want to build a highly flexible, feature-heavy, and customizable web app, opt for the Node.js framework.

Remember, there is no wrong answer here! Choosing the one that helps deliver a successful project is pertinent. With enough experience and learning, you can make the right choice and deliver highly satisfying projects. These are the makings of a developer innovating at leading and renowned companies.

Another way to get there reliably is to sign up for Talent500. Join a global network of talent, upskill efficiently, and position yourself for success amongst the top Fortune 500 companies. Get started today and sign up now!

5 secrets to help you ace that technical interview in 2022

Posted on November 12, 2021 by vallish

Regardless of whether you’re an experienced developer or on the hunt for your first job, technical interviews are one of the biggest challenges out there. They can be stressful, time-consuming, and nerve-racking. The pressure is higher for self-taught developers, and the process can be quite demanding simply owing to its multiple stages. Unlike a regular job interview, these sessions can last several hours and usually consist of at least 4 rounds.

However, just like any other test, you can ace it with the right preparation strategy. By knowing what to expect, you can tackle these interviews with confidence and minimal errors. Most of all, being aware of how they are conducted and what recruiters assess and expect from you, can give you a leg up. More importantly, it acts as a testament to your preparedness, which is a clear winning trait.

Here are 5 secrets to help you ace your technical interview in 2022.

Work with a specialized prep book

Technical interviews evaluate your subject knowledge, so it pays to have your fundamentals in place. This applies to both first-time job seekers and experienced professionals. Picking up a prep book has two main benefits:

It refreshes your knowledge and reminds you of core principles, algorithms, data structures, or other such crucial information that may have slipped through the cracks.
It puts you in the right frame of mind as technical interviews will test your problem-solving and critical thinking capabilities. Prep books are the best way to prepare for the intense requirement across a wide range of subjects.

Prep books can be found for a range of levels, interests, and specialties. You can even find advanced books to match your experience.

Be interactive during the phone screening

A phone interview is a sign that you’ve piqued the hiring manager’s interest, and that you have one foot in the door. Your technical skills and capabilities match the position you’re applying for, and now the recruiter will assess your soft skills. This is a common vetting technique to know if you’re a good fit.

Approach this stage with enthusiasm and showcase your excitement to be considered for the position. Being conversational and interactive is bound to bring in brownie points. While phone screening rounds don’t generally focus on your technical capabilities, it is always a good idea to be prepared.

Test your set up beforehand

Interviewers are most appreciative of a prepared candidate. Most interviews for technical positions are conducted remotely, especially considering the recent shift in practices. We recommend testing out your entire setup beforehand.

Check your system, run mock tests, launch applications you will require during the interview and check all your hardware. It’s important to make a good first impression, and this is a good way to ensure that you don’t run into technical difficulties during your interview.

To best prepare for these sessions, contact the hiring manager or whoever will be conducting the interview and inquire about the process. In some cases, you may get instructions via email on what to expect and have ready for the interview, so keep an eye out and ace it!

Approach the remote coding stage strategically

This is usually one of the intermediary stages before the next on-site interview sessions. Here, hiring managers will focus on your technical and analytical capabilities. Some companies may give you an assignment that can be completed in a few hours at home, and others may require you to code in real-time.

The approach will vary based on the company, but in all instances, your hard skills will be tested. To ensure that you don’t lose your way and make too many mistakes, here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

Think-out-loud when formulating a plan to solve the problem at hand, so that you can cue in the interviewer.
Utilize the time given to you on a take-home assignment. A hasty project is no good if it is riddled with errors.
Do not start coding right at the start. This is especially true during a real-time coding test. Take the time to strategize solutions that are sound in logic and approach.
Voice your doubts if the platform allows you to. It showcases your ability to collaborate.

Prepare for common technical interview questions

In a typical technical interview, especially at the final stages, hiring managers will ask you a series of questions. The idea is to assess multiple aspects of a potential employee in order to get a holistic idea of the candidate and their capabilities.

Generally, these questions will be related to:

Technical training
Educational background
Behavioral aspects
Practical knowledge
Technical experience and expertise

Some of the common questions from this diverse set of categories include:

“What are your technical qualifications and how do they make you a good fit for this position?”
“How do you keep yourself updated with the latest trends and innovations in the industry?”
“Do you prefer working solo or as part of a team?”
“If you had to improvise the approach to a project, how would you do it?”
“Do you have any negative experiences when collaborating with others? How did you solve the issues at hand?”
“Can you explain the benefits and downsides of working in an Agile environment?”

Put these tips to use not only to prepare for the technical interview, but also to stand out across various stages. Remember, these interviews are more than just an assessment of your technical capabilities. Hiring managers look for well-rounded people, equipped with both the soft and hard skills expected from a technical professional.

Preparation is key to success here and it gives you an advantage during the process. Another way to give yourself an edge when it comes to your career is to sign up for Talent500. The platform gives you control of your career growth and positions you for success on a global scale.

By signing up, you can also be part of a growing talent pool on the Global Talent Network and get access to exclusive benefits. Talent500 helps you realize your potential and gives you the tools to get #TwoStepsAhead. Sign up today and be a proactive part of your career growth.

7 ways to secure a Node.js application

Posted on September 9, 2021 by vallish

JavaScript was always popular among developers, especially for frontend development. Then came Node.js in 2009, which made backend development possible. It has since been a go-to in a developer’s toolkit, now supported by a suite of libraries, frameworks and tools. What’s more, Node.js has a sizable developer community, helping boost its popularity within the industry. In fact, it is so widely accepted that websites such as PayPal, Netflix, and many others use it too!

Developers across the globe use Node.js for several purposes, one of which is as a backend server for applications. These exist in almost all platforms of technology, and power several services on the internet. Microservices practically rely on such applications; however, due to its popularity, or those of its frameworks, there are myriad vulnerabilities to account for. Hackers or those with malicious intent will try to steal crucial data, impair functionality, or expose a vulnerability.

To prepare for such attacks and secure your Node.js application, take a look at these pointers.

Prioritize input validation and sanitization

Most web applications are designed to perform a certain function based on user input. Therein lies a vulnerability, as certain users can be malicious through their inputs. This is known as SQL injection, allowing users to issue an SQL statement through their input and evoke a response. For instance, when asked to enter a profile ID, attackers can send a DROP TABLE SQL command and completely wipe certain parts of your database.

The countermeasure to this is to validate and sanitize inputs from the user. Through validation, you set the criteria for acceptable inputs, and sanitization modifies inputs, thus ensuring that they are valid. You should also have the application escape values, using libraries that automatically perform escaping. The most common ones include mongoose or node-mysql. While basic in concept, this is something you shouldn’t overlook during development.

Limit error information sent to the client

While it is common to run into errors from time to time, you should be careful about how much error information is being sent to the client. Sending the full error object, while helpful for developers, can help attackers by providing them with critical information. The error could reveal broken paths, libraries in use, or even secrets. Be mindful of the error information you send out and you can address this problem quite easily.

Another tactic to employ is to wrap routes with a catch clause. This not only prevents Node.js from crashing due to a request, but also helps protect against attackers looking to crash the applications with a bad request.

Share only the bare minimum with the frontend

In a bid to save time and effort, many developers revert to a few old, lazy habits. One of which is to send all the data within an object to the frontend, when only specific information from the same object needs to be accessible. This poor practice increases the risk of data leaks as it all available in the developer console, and is only gated by filters.

For instance, if the frontend requires a list to be populated for all the registered users, do not send an SQL query to send all user data to the frontend, and have it filtered there to display only what’s required. The other information is still available there, when it shouldn’t be.

When sending any data to the frontend, always assume that there’s an attacker amongst the users. Your goal should be to protect all the sensitive data in a given object and so, only send what needs to go out. While it does result in more work in the backend, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Use robust authentication mechanism

Any Node.js application is only as secure as the authentication mechanisms in use. Too many developers assume that security should only be part of the final stages in the development cycle, and that simply having it in place is enough. It isn’t. In most cases, authentication mechanisms can be bypassed. Developers must be proactive about security during development and top it off with proven solutions like OAuth or Okta.

Developers who prefer the native approach can use Scrypt or Bcrypt instead of the built-in library, and implement two-factor authentication too. Common modules like speakeasy or node-2fa are two you can rely on to implement and offer this security measure.

Have clear authorization and authentication parameters

With clear parameters, attackers have little room to work with and are likely to fail in their attempts to harm your application. This applies to both authentication and authorization functionalities. In the first case, be sure to cap the number of failed authentication attempts. Brute-force attacks rely on this type of repeated effort, and limiting it by banning the IP for a few hours, known also as rate-limiting, works well. If nothing, it will slow down the attacker.

On the other end, authentication parameters primarily govern data and its access. An application without the right roles for users and associated permissions allows malicious persons to act freely within the ecosystem. Through Node.js, you can assign these roles and permissions with the ACL module.

Implement safeguards against race conditions

Race conditions can be quite uncommon, but it is always best to prepare for them. They can cause crashes, and can be painstaking to debug. Thankfully, they’re rare in JavaScript, but nonetheless, safeguarding against it is a way to secure the application. One way to go about it is to utilise callbacks smartly and efficiently. This way, the process invoking the function applies the values to the parameter and only then invokes the other. Without a callback, you’d likely have a null token.

Run scan utilities to rule out vulnerabilities

Developers are rarely security experts—and they aren’t always required to be. Due to the rising number of exploits and their occurrences, it can be hard to keep track but with Node.js, you don’t have to. You can use a scanning utility like Retire.js to scan the application and find vulnerable dependencies.

Even in a high-stress and deadline-bound environment, application security should never take a backseat during development. Staying updated about the various attacks and how they exploit a system is a smart way to stay ahead of the curve, but isn’t always enough. You need to create secure and stable applications, as this is the mark of a reliable developer. There’s an ocean of opportunity for such individuals and if you fit the bill, sign up on Talent500.

This platform aligns your profile with job postings and career opportunities at top companies. Based on your merit and experience, you can work with reputed Fortune 500 companies in the world. Take two steps ahead to your dream job and work with the best. All you have to do is sign up today!

4 Tips to Writing Cleaner Unit Tests in Java

Posted on April 26, 2021 by vallish

Like with any production lifecycle where routine testing is an important part of the QA process, this is also the case when developing applications in Java. Unit testing is the first, and integral, level of functional testing, without which applications are bound to run into serious issues that invariably increase downtime. In essence, the fate of an application largely relies on the quality of testing employed. Good testing, in the early stages, catches issues that may kill the application and this aids the development process. On the other hand, poor testing increases the risk of failure by a large degree and ultimately results in an underperforming application.

However, achieving good testing is easier said than done because it requires clean code, and every developer’s definition of ‘clean’ varies. Thankfully, the universal rule for developing clean test code is to prioritise readability, and this is relatively simple to produce. Additionally, other important properties of a good unit test are:

• Simplicity
• Reliability
• Speed
• True to the purpose

It can be quite complex to develop test code that meets all these properties simultaneously, especially while focusing on the production code, which is why it is recommended that readability take centre stage. Tests that are easy to read allow for improved understanding of the code in question and point directly to the problem at hand. Unfortunately, readable test code is just one part of the equation, but is still a good first step for all developers. To offer insight on a few other reliable ways to write clean tests in Java, take a look at the following pointers.

Use the best framework for the job

It is common knowledge that the two best frameworks for unit testing in Java are JUnit and TestNG. There are several reasons for these being a standard in the industry but there are some developers who may want to try other options such as EasyMock. Do note that while it can work, tools like EasyMock are mainly intended to complement frameworks like JUnit and TestNG. These are fully-fledged frameworks by themselves and offer developers a range of features, such as:

• Simple setup
• Easy execution
• Enables grouping of tests and simultaneous execution or allows developers to ignore tests.
• Allows integration with Ant, Gradle and other build tools, while enabling automatic test execution
• Supports the practice of parameterized testing, which is when a test is run using unique values at run time
• Works with annotations

Ideally, these are all the features to look for in a framework, which is why it pays to seek training in either option.

Develop test code early using the TDD approach

Writing tests in the early stages of development is important for several reasons. Firstly, unit testing covers basic functionality and ensuring the application runs smoothly, and as intended, right from the early stages is key. Secondly, incorporating the practice of writing test code helps deal with the problem of non-testable code. Without frequent test code in the early stages of development, a project may reach the end stages with code that is nearly impossible to test simply because of the complexity.

To put this into place and build a lasting habit, consider learning a practice known as test driven development or TDD. This is when tests are written first, based on the requirements, and any production code that follows must pass the test. If it doesn’t, it is refactored until it is completely optimized.

With this approach, code is easier to maintain as defects are easily identifiable. Moreover, it is known to speed up development too. However, TDD doesn’t always work. In cases when the application is intended to interact with legacy systems or is based on a complex design, the basic test cases may not provide enough scope to cover the entire project. Knowing when to use the TDD approach comes down to practice and experience, but it can greatly help the process when used wisely.

Test for both positive and negative scenarios

When testing an application, it may come naturally to only write test cases to ensure the application works as it should. This means that the tests cases are based on expected inputs and basic application functionality. However, this leaves out a whole section of vulnerabilities. This is where negative scenarios come into play. This is when a system is tested based on its ability to handle invalid data.

For instance, if a function is designed to read numeric characters up to a length of 7, the test cases should include:

• Instances when a user enters a numeric value
• Instances when a user enters a special character
• Instances when a user enters a more than 7 characters
• Instances when a user enters a blank value

This way, the test cases cover both ends of a spectrum. In fact, you can also take it one step further by writing borderline test cases. This tests if the system can handle extreme values. Considering the same example, this would test for functionality if the user entered the value 1 or if they entered the value 9999999.

Name the test appropriately

Naming the test is an essential part of the process and each test name should generally contain the following information:

• The contents of the test
• Conditions of the test
• Expected results

Naturally, there will be cases where following this guide will result in overly long test names. In such cases, you can simply use abbreviations and link to the meaning of the abbreviation in the test Javadoc. This is a simple and elegant way of handling naming. Going one step further, test classes should also be categorised with proper naming.

Typically, a test class can fall into either of the 2 following groups:

Tests designed to test the method of a given class, usually units or integration tests
Tests designed to ensure complete functionality of a single feature

Based on the group a test falls in, here are few rules to adhere to:

Based on the group a test falls in, here are few rules to adhere to:
- <Name of the tested class> Test
If a test falls into group 2, then it should be named as per the following formula:
- <Name of the feature> Test

This simple practice works wonders when pinpointing broken code as it directly points toward a broken class or feature, thus allowing easy rectification.

When it comes down to it, there are experts who believe that clean unit tests are just as, if not more, important than the production code. This makes sense from the developer’s viewpoint because unit tests play a key role in sustaining development. Based on the efficacy of the testing schema employed, Java developers enjoy the freedom to make changes without fear of breaking the application altogether. To add to that, unit tests enable flexibility and improve how easily code can be maintained, even by other developers.

Having the right habits when developing with Java adds to your value as a developer, and makes you a sought-after employee. In fact, by signing up for the Talent500 platform, you can ensure that your skills are aligned with the top enterprises in the world. Our algorithms put your profile among top recruiters and give you the opportunity to supercharge your career growth. To know more, contact us online.

Exploring Micro-frameworks: Everything You Need to Know About Spring Boot

Posted on April 15, 2021April 16, 2021 by vallish

For well over a decade now, in fact, since its inception in 2003, Spring has been among the most popular and highest-ranked Java backend frameworks. The lightweight, open-source framework for Enterprise Java built its niche with revolutionary features like Dependency Injection (DI), Aspect-oriented Programming (AOC), POJO implementation (no need of EJBs!), JDBC compatibility, and so on.

Tech giants like Amazon, Netflix, and Accenture use Spring, and, with a powerful gamut of modules and a massive community backing it, Spring enjoys a powerful foothold in the Java web framework space. Put simply, you are bound to cross paths with Spring, sooner rather than later, as it lends itself well to all types of Java app projects.

However, despite being the best Java framework out there, Spring has some downsides. For instance, you may find yourself with too many options and need to invest too much time in configurations and figuring out dependencies. And that’s where Spring Boot comes in the picture. It makes Spring more accessible.

Pivotal designed Spring Boot to work as kind of a liaison between the Spring framework and the developer. The result is that with Spring Boot you can get off the blocks at a much faster pace and spend more time on code, less on configurations.

Sounds great? Here is a quick primer on Spring Boot.

What is Spring Boot?

Spring Boot is a microframework that works on top of the Spring framework. Its raison d’etre is to greatly reduce the complexity involved in configuring beans, while also giving you the option to override default configurations. In other words, it’s a convention-over-configuration solution for the Spring framework.

“We take an opinionated view of the Spring platform and third-party libraries so you can get started with minimum fuss” – Pivotal (Spring Team)

Spring Boot is opinionated in the sense that it decides for you how to configure defaults and this allows you to start building your application without delay. Worry if it’s too opinionated? Well, you can override configured beans. Either way, Spring Boot is great at helping you create standalone Spring-based applications, with an embedded web server like Tomcat for deployment, and auto-configures your libraries based on the dependencies you add.

Three of Spring Boot’s most loved features are:

● Auto-configuration
● Opinionated
● Standalone

Keeping these basics in mind Spring Boot can be intelligently represented with a mathematical equation:

Spring Boot = Spring Framework – XML Configuration + Integrated Server

Provides an ecosystem for building microservices

Microservices is more than just a buzzword and the architecture, with its loosely coupled autonomous components, makes for immense scalability and agility. The likes of Google, Netflix, Amazon, and eBay use Java-based microservices and Spring Boot is a great springboard for developing microservices. Why so? For one, it’s absolutely easy to get up and running with Spring Boot – the learning curve isn’t steep, and configurations are taken care of. Moreover, for deployment you have options of embedded and standalone servers.

However, the cherry on the cake is Spring Cloud. Deploying applications in the cloud is convenient and with Spring Cloud you have the tools, modules, and architecture to ensure your microservices applications interact with each other without glitches. To view the gamut of tools available simply head off to the Spring Cloud page and scan through the menu bar on the left-hand portion of the screen. Here are some top tools:

Netflix Eureka: A service registry and discovery tool, Eureka clients register with the Eureka server and microservices query the discovery server to communicate with other microservices.
Netflix Hystrix: When microservices are dependent on each other, a failure in one microservice can lead to a cascading or domino effect, and to check this, you can use the Hystrix fault tolerance library as a circuit breaker.
Netflix Ribbon: A client-side load balancer, Ribbon automatically interacts with Eureka and provides control over HTTP and TCP clients.

Helps developers boost productivity and focus on coding

Spring Boot has a handful of features that make for immense time saving. And time saved on stuff you can avoid is time you can use to improve your code!

Autoconfiguration: Spring applications can have a lot of configurations, which translates to a whole chunk of boilerplate code if you are setting up things manually. Spring Boot’s AutoConfiguration is an intelligent solution to this problem and it automatically configures your Spring application based on dependencies you’ve added to your Classpath.
a. If you have added HSQLDB, Spring Boot will auto-configure an in-memory database if you don’t already have database connection beans manually configured.
b. If spring-mvc.jar is on the Classpath, Spring Boot will automatically configure DispatcherServlet, InternalViewResolver, HandlerMapping, ModelAndView, and other components.

Autoconfiguration in Spring Boot isn’t a default condition, you need to opt-in as it is in a disabled state otherwise. To do so, add the @EnableAutoConfiguration or @SpringBootApplication annotations to any of your @Configuration classes. You can find the autoconfiguration implementation in spring-boot-autoconfigure.jar.
Starter POMs: This is Spring Boot’s starter dependency feature, and like autoconfiguration, it takes an opinionated view of what you require to get started with your project. Here, however, the feature works to add the necessary dependencies to your project.

Starter POMs are dependency descriptors that you include in your project to avoid a lot of copy-pasting. For instance, if you are working on a full-stack web development project and need to include descriptors like spring-webmvc.jar, tomcat-embed-core.jar, and spring-web.jar, with starter POMs you just need to add spring-boot-starter-web to your pom.xml. The benefits of smarter POMs include non-copy-pasting, consistency in properties, and dependency version conflicts.

Starter POMs follow the format spring-boot-starter-* and you can refer to Spring Boot’s documentation for a list of application starters. Bear in mind, however, that you can build your own starter POMs to kickstart your projects.
Actuator and Initializr: This feature allows you to glean metrics and insights pertaining to operational information of the running application in production. Spring-boot-actuator provides features like a health check, monitoring, and management over HTTP/ JMX, auditing, etc.

If you are having issues with kickstarting a project Spring Initialzr is your answer. It gives you a GUI through which you can enter project details and metadata alongside dependencies. Once you have filled the fields, simply download your ZIP file and edit it in your IDE. So, yes, you do not have to have a thorough understanding of the Spring framework to get started with Spring Boot.

As you explore Spring Boot, you’ll realize why it ranks so highly in the Java community. You would probably also find it very handy when working on RESTful web services and if you fancy using Groovy you can use Spring Boot CLI for a command line tool that you can use to quickly develop Spring applications.

Having Spring and Spring Boot as skills on your CV is a huge draw, given their popularity across the industry. Finding the best job listing, however, can be a tedious task, and that’s why we at Talent500 setup a smarter way of going about recruitment. Simply sign up with Talent500 and take our skill-based assessment. Once you do that, we’ll match your profile to multiple job openings at top companies. That right, just as is with Spring Boot, so it is here – you sidestep repetitive work upfront to focus on what matters the most!

How Agile Methodology Improves Development Process and Time-to-Delivery

Posted on April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 by vallish

In the modern workspace, efficiency trumps all and you’d expect nothing less from the management tools and practices that power top organisations. This is especially relevant to companies that operate within the IT sector as delivering large workloads while maintaining consistency and quality is largely a project management problem. In 2001, the IT world gained the Agile Manifesto, which revolutionised software development for the years to come. It started out as a methodological guide for optimising internal processes and has now become a staple for project managers across industries.

Simply put, Agile methodologies involve an incremental and iterative approach to software development. These enable teams to stay focused on their deliverables more consistently, increase their business value and minimise project overhead. It is believed that these primary benefits are a result of the unique continuous-delivery approach. As a matter of fact, data from 2020 indicates that over 70% of companies have adopted the Agile methodology, with around 98% of these finding the change beneficial. To further highlight its relevance, the reported Agile failure rate is just 8%, which is a great improvement considering that around 50% of IT projects are known to fail.

Considering these statistics, it comes as no surprise that it is likely that Agile approaches will soon be the most adopted worldwide. To know more about why it works as well, take a look at how Agile methodology improves the development process and time-to-delivery.

Encourages client involvement

Software development projects can be quite a task to handle without proper collaboration with the stakeholder. Miscommunication or the lack of communication can greatly hamper progress as developers are left in the dark on what’s expected from them. Agile methodology addresses this problem area as it provides ample opportunities for team engagement. This is during all key stages of the process, be it during the pre-planning stage, during the execution and finally at the review step.

By having the client actively involved in every stage of development, developers have the ability to truly understand the goal or vision of the project. Moreover, considering the iterative nature of the Agile approach, having clients involved also means giving them access to results in a consistent manner. This goes a long way in building trust between the two entities and makes for good business. In fact, this may be one of the reasons why Agile has a low failure rate. By providing a consistent stream of results, projects rarely end up in a disastrous state. Even in the event of a crisis, due the fact that projects are worked on in iterations, there are always parts that can be salvaged and used towards a solution.

Improves project scalability

When managing development projects, a key responsibility is to determine whether company resources are getting utilised optimally. This is particularly important for larger organisations as the overall yield from resources is higher. In such cases, Agile methodologies are the perfect fit because it clearly answers the very important question, ‘What else can be achieved with these company resources?’.

By conducting a thorough productivity analysis, project managers are able to identify ways to better leverage team members. This includes finding ways to have them work smart, more efficiently and while avoiding additional investment. All of these factors provide for easy scalability as Agile methodologies give companies the ability to mix and match team members as per needs. This way, projects get scaled optimally and there is no over-investment into any one field, thus ensuring employees don’t get overworked or another project gets side-lined.

Enhances transparency

Working with the Agile approach means having the stakeholders be an active part of development. This transparency plays a pivotal role in the success and outcome of any given project as clients have access to information about the work in motion. For instance, during development, clients may require certain features prioritised or may need to plan out the next iteration of the project. Agile methodology allows for that fosters a beneficial exchange that can be crucial for staying on course.

Helps deliver quality

The Agile approach to development employs a unique ideology, which is known to help secure desirable results. Projects are broken down into smaller units or iterations, thus prioritizing quality at every stage. The inherent and unparalleled flexibility works wonders for organizations that are dealing with high-pressure projects that usually require changes or deliverables on short notice.

Moreover, by going this route of working on smaller, more manageable units, there is more room for quality assessments and testing, all of which is key to delivering a polished product. Frequent reviews also help identify potential problem areas and this helps with employing fixes too. In rare cases, clients may also be presented with the opportunity to reassess their expectations, and address mismatches before it is too late.

Fosters a culture of improvement

Per the Agile manifesto, one of principles is to strive for continuous improvement. This is fostered through the methodologies as projects are handled in iteration. Each sprint is treated with the learning from the last and this can have a compounding effect on overall efficiency. Team members involved are less likely to repeat mistakes and will find ways to optimise the approach for a better time-to-delivery. Additionally, the Agile approach encourages collaboration and the culture of exchanging ideas. This is a great way to ensure improvements as the team learns through shared experiences and can collectively progress consistently.

There is no doubt the Agile methodology is an incredibly powerful tool when used for software development. As a developer, learning to work within the Agile lifecycle and framework is definitely important to furthering your career. In fact, with the right set of skills, you may be able to work alongside some of the best minds in the industry. All you have to do is sign up for T500 and our intuitive platform will align your profile with best-suited openings at Fortune 500 companies.

Dos and Don’ts When Using Node.Js to Build APIs

Posted on March 25, 2021March 25, 2021 by vallish

Part of the reason why Node.js is a household name is because web applications designed with Node.js simply outshine those developed by most of their counterparts. Moreover, thanks to the demand for JavaScript, this technology is widely adopted by most developers. In fact, those with knowledge of JavaScript knowledge can easily pick up Node.js in just a matter of weeks, and this is among the key reasons for its popularity among developers.

Node.js is also praised for its scalability and this is what has grabbed the attention of the larger corporates. It can easily handle large volumes of simultaneous requests without burning down the servers. The flexibility of development across platforms is another point in its favor. However, despite its many benefits, it does have some problem areas and incorrect usage simply adds to them. This is where Node.js gets its ‘complicated ’ label from. In reality, the solution may involve tweak in coding practices or incorporating different approaches to building APIs.

To offer further insight into these practices and address common shortcomings, here are a few dos and don’ts to keep in mind.

Dos

Pick the right framework

When developing APIs, find the one that suits your use best. For instance, Restify excels in building REST services, whereas Express works wonders with web apps. Different frameworks have their own features and you shouldn’t restrict yourself to those you’re familiar with if the job can be done more efficiently with another tool.

Practice forward-compatible attribute naming

The objects in your API responses will have attribute names, which shouldn’t be picked out without giving it a fair bit of thought. Consider the future use of the API and ensure that the name doesn’t break flow or pose problems as updates roll out. Another key point to remember when naming is that adding new fields to an object doesn’t affect compatibility, but changing the type does. So, pick wisely when you do decide to name an attribute.

Create API documentation

Node.js REST APIs can be used quite extensively, but in order to share these, you need to provider other developers with API documentation. This is crucial and you should consider its importance when you decide to use APIs written by someone else. Work on this healthy practice and use either ‘Swagger’ or ‘API Blueprint’, both open-source projects, to create documentation easily.

Follow the ‘Robustness’ principle

The ‘Robustness’ principle is to be conservative with what you do and be liberal with what is accepted by others. The best example of this principle in action is when dealing with HTTP headers. When responding to the client, the principle states that you should use the preferred header casing. However, with any incoming HTTP headers, you should normalise them into a consistent format, thus making it easier to interpret the values. Apply the principle on a case-by-case basis as there are situations that could lead to errors that are hard to debug.

Don’ts

Block your event loop

JavaScript and Node.js aren’t the only technologies that utilise asynchronous programming with callbacks. However, they are the reason why it is as popular as it today. In any case, with other languages, it is safe to assume a predictable order of execution. For instance, you may be accustomed to a situation where two statements will execute in order, one after another.

Naturally, this process would only be interrupted if there is a specific instruction to jump between the statements. This would include, and be limited to, loop statements, condition statements and invoking of a function. But, this is not the case in JavaScript. When dealing with callbacks, it is important to note that a particular function or command may not run until the task assigned before is finished first. As such, whatever is already being executed will continue to do so until it ends, without any interruption. However, should you be required to execute such a command, code it into the callback and invoke it from within itself.

Take encryption lightly

While the ‘md5’ algorithm is still quite popular, don’t make the mistake of assuming it is all you need in terms of security. The golden rule, and one you’ll do well to never forget, is that you should always assume that the server will be compromised. The when of it all is a non-issue, but preparing for the inevitable breach is the principle to keep in mind. Naturally, this is a tedious process but one that is well worth it, especially when it comes to user credentials.

Customers trust you with their personal credentials and subpar security measures put a great deal at risk. This is why it is important to employ a more robust and reliable password hashing algorithm. These include:

• Argon2
• Scrypt
• Bcrypt

Such algorithms protect against brute-force attacks and even make the server or application resistant to these in some ways.

Invoke multiple callbacks

It is common knowledge that JavaScript relies on callbacks. With the help of Node.js, they were the only way to enable some form of communication between two asynchronous elements of your code. This was until the advent of ‘promises’— a value returned by an asynchronous function once it has completed the tasked process. However, despite the fact that promises exist, it is still quite common to find developers use and multiple callbacks when designing APIs.

The problem here is that these developers may be viewing a callback as the end point of the function. As such, there is potential for error and or ‘callback hell’, which is when the code has several complex nested callbacks, often representing a pyramid pattern. In such situations, code is harder to debug as each callback has an argument in the previous callbacks. Thus, errors in any one function impacts all that follow. Naturally, this should be avoided at all costs.

It may be interesting to also note that there is a workaround for this. Developers may add a ‘return’ before the callback to keep from invoking multiple times. However, since the return statement has almost no significance, it helps avoid the problem too!

Confuse floating points and integer data types

When representing numbers in JavaScript, it is crucial to note that these are represented in floating points. Usually, when developing APIs, numbers big enough to strain the limits of float are not common; however, this doesn’t mean it can’t happen. When it does is exactly when mistakes end up happening. Breaching the limits of the float causes havoc and could render the entire function unless.

The main reason for this is that operators work differently with the data types. So, during development, if you find yourself needing to work with larger numbers, the ideal solution is to include or utilise a big integer library. These will have the necessary operations to give you the desired results on large precision numbers.

Arming yourself with the right practices when developing using Node.js is easier said than done, but these pointers can help a great deal. In fact, it can help you develop code more efficiently and take your career as a Node.js developer to the next level. To take that step seamlessly and work amongst the best in the industry, sign up with Talent500. Our specialised skill-assessment algorithms is equipped to align your profile with job opening at some of the top Fortune 500 companies.

10 Ways Java Developers Can Upskill To Prepare For 2021

Posted on September 23, 2020September 23, 2020 by vallish

Java marked its 25^th anniversary on 23 May, 2020, and the perennial programming language is still very much in vogue. Java is a constantly evolving field, and this keeps Java developers ever-relevant to the contemporary job market. However, this also means that what one perceives to be the complete Java developer skill set is subject to ongoing enhancements and refining. Today, hiring trends suggest that alongside a good grasp of core Java concepts, current-day Java developer roles and responsibilities include some expertise in skills such as AWS, Android development, Git, Docker, and Spring.

But, even as Java developer skills in 2020 embrace new horizons, the on-ground reality is that as a programmer, it is a challenge to keep yourself up to date. Perhaps the last time you returned to the drawing board was to master Java version 8 or maybe 9! While this may seem like yesterday, the latest launch of Java 15 this year brings some interesting new features.

Keeping this mind, updating yourself and learning advanced Java skills is essential to your career growth. With multiple paths to honing your Java skills available today, starting now may be more important than where. To set you on the right track, here are 10+ ways to upskill and remain relevant in 2021.

1. Deep-dive into basic software engineering concepts like data structures

Even intelligent people make silly mistakes in conversation, such as saying ‘first come, first serve’, instead of ‘first come, first served’. In such cases, it is generally a question of going back to theory, to the basic elements of the language, and understanding the nuances one is missing out on. The same idea applies to coding languages. Just like the rules pertaining to verbs, for instance, pertain to other spoken languages, so too, in computer language, there are core concepts that apply to pretty much every script, old and new.

Here are 10 concepts you can delve deeper into and build a stronger foundation:

Multithreading
Data structures
Algorithms
Code locking
Data types and data abstraction
Control flow and control abstraction
Variables
Conditional statements
Functions
Looping and iteration

2. Keep pace with Java version 9, 10, 11… 15

Java is, at times, called a vintage language, but is still very much in use with new releases launching often. If Java development is your core skill then what you’ll want to do is stay abreast of the features being added, improved, and deprecated. For instance, JDK 15 is just days away from general availability (launching on 15 September, 2020) and some of the JEPs targeted were:

339: Edwards-Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (EdDSA)
360: Sealed Classes (Preview)
371: Hidden Classes

You can find all this information on the Open JDK project page and, in fact, you can even get a sneak-peek into JDK 16 there.

3. Get a grasp of Java EE & the Spring framework

The Java Enterprise Edition provides companies with the libraries, APIs, services, and tools to build large-scale distributed systems. However, companies can also adopt the immensely popular Spring framework, which being open source reduces licensing costs. That said, as an adept Java developer you should try to master both arts and not side with just one camp. Doing so is feasible owing to the commonality of the APIs and moreover, gives you an idea of which stack will be better for a given application.

4. Supercharge your skills with the combo of Docker & Kubernetes

The combination of Docker and Kubernetes has been termed as ‘lethal’ and if you have some years left in your career there’s more than a fat chance you’ll cross paths with them. A Gartner study projects that over 70% of global organisations will run more than 2 containerised applications in production. This is a jump from less than 20% in 2019. To get started with both, you can turn to online materials or read books such as The Docker Book by James Turnbull and Kubernetes: Up and Running: Dive into the Future of Infrastructure by Brendan Burns, Joe Beda, and Kelsey Hightower.

5. Add a frontend framework such as Angular or React to your toolkit

Over time, you may find yourself developing apps with only a particular client-side framework such as jQuery, but it is helpful to, time and again, find out what’s popular or even the status quo worldwide. React, Angular and Vue are popular and powerful; however, the State of JS 2019 report adds Svelte, Preact, and Ember to the top-ranked front-end frameworks as well. The online tutorials, courses, forums, and communities are plenty and so, you are sure to find yourself with adequate resources.

6. Step into the world of Blockchain technology

Deloitte’s 2020 Global Blockchain Survey on ~1,500 senior executives reveals that 88% agree that blockchain is broadly scalable and will achieve mainstream adoption. As a Java developer, blockchain can seem to be a world of its own. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to get a handle on it:

Study Bitcoin and Ethereum
Explore Java-based blockchain projects like BitcoinJ, Corda, and FundRequest
Master Solidity and Hyperledger

7. Find your way around the microservices architecture with Spring Boot 2

The microservice architecture lets you build large systems with small, independent, collaborating components. This system makes for efficient deployment and scalability. Netflix, in fact, used this system to speed up global development and achieve a quick time-to-market. In the world of Java, Spring Boot is a leading, if not the leading, microservice framework. It is currently in edition 2.3.3 and, once again, there are plenty of online resources including those by spring.io to get you started quickly.

8. Explore open source big data tools such as Apache Spark and Hadoop

An IBM study forecasted a 28% spike (5-year growth) in Data Scientist and Advanced Analyst roles by 2020. Java can be a great starting point for becoming a big data developer and the future of Java with big data looks bright. There are a handful of open source tools that you can use by Apache to begin processing huge datasets:

Hadoop
Spark
Mahout
Storm

There are other tools like MongoDB, RapidMiner, and Cassandra that you can use as well, however, you can’t really go wrong with learning Hadoop.

9. Prepare for cloud environments by learning platforms like AWS

According to 451 Research in 2018, about 90% of organisations will be on the cloud soon. As a developer, this means the ability to develop cloud-based applications is a key skill and, here, it’s worth noting that the bulk of the enterprises, even 88% as per one statistic, use Amazon Web Services (AWS) as their platform of choice. However, you can also learn Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or Microsoft Azure, and what you learn in one will help you navigate the other.

10. Implement Machine learning algorithms using Java

Google’s AlphaGo is a potent example of self-teaching algorithms and machine learning has many real-world applications: from self-driving cars to product recommendations and fraud detection. To prepare for the world of tomorrow, you can try your hand at some ML algorithms using Java. Top ML libraries and tools you can use are:

MLib (Apache Spark)
Deeplearning4j
Java-ML
Mahout
Weka

So, there you have it! These 10 avenues can see you grow leaps and bounds as a Java developer. However, here are a few additional things you can do to hone your skills:

Experiment with writing mobile apps for Android
Master more than a handful of basic Git commands
Discover the worth of message brokers like ActiveMQ and Kafka
Play around with automation tools such as Gradle and Maven

As you gain additional skills, you’ll simultaneously make forays into DevOps (see this roadmap), even as more organisations adopt the methodology. That’s something of great importance in the job market, which can be easily tailored to your new-found abilities with Talent500’s dynamic skill assessment and machine learning algorithms. These pair your software development skills to the needs of Fortune 500 companies in search of the top 10% of talent!

As the fourth quarter of 2020 dawns, pick one of these 10+ skills to make headway as a Java developer and sign up with Talent500 to get access to premium jobs with Fortune 500 companies.