The 2020
HackerEarth
developer survey
(16,655 developers to be precise!)
Hello
from our CEO
The explosion of tech over the last decade has, quite literally, changed everything. It has changed how we live, how we work, how we interact with one another— in fact, it is difficult to find something that tech has not changed.
It’s no surprise that organizations across the globe feel that there’s a tech talent shortage. But that shortage may be even more significant than you’d expected. According to a recent survey, the shortage of tech talent recorded today is at its highest level since 2008. Hence, it is imperative for recruiters and hiring managers to understand the developer landscape and understand the mindset of today’s tech workforce if they hope to meet their demand for tech talent.
One of the key changes that organizations need to do to hire better is to shift their focus from the traditional methods of recruiting to a skill-based hiring process. If we move beyond our current fixation on resumes or degrees and include all the postsecondary pathways at our disposal, far more options will emerge. Skill-based hiring practices can help you cut down recruiting costs and time-to-hire, improve diversity, fill open positions faster, and find the right tech talent your organization needs in a tight labor market.
At HackerEarth, we have a 4 million strong developer community and our mission is to match them to the right opportunities. To continue supporting our mission, we are very excited to bring to you The 2020 HackerEarth Developer Survey. For the first time ever, HackerEarth is sharing the response gathered by surveying 16,000+ developers from across 76 countries.
We believe the data and insights provided in the survey will thoroughly help recruiters to understand the developer ecosystem better, adopt a skill-based hiring approach, and tap into a highly coveted market of stellar tech talent. Additionally, this survey will provide an opportunity for developers to gauge an understanding of what the market looks like today, learn what’s trending, and how to upskill themselves.
I look forward to seeing you use this data to further your technical hiring efforts. Thank you for your time!
Sachin Gupta
Co-Founder and CEO
HackerEarth
01 Developer Skills
It’s 2020, and Data Science still reigns supreme
Data Science knows no bounds! From student developers (63%) to working professionals (61%), everyone wants to have a slice of the Data Science pie.
Other domains of interest for student developers include Cybersecurity and IoT, while working professionals are interested in IoT and Blockchain.
Most sought after programming language
Go is this year’s most sought-after programming language
Among students (29%) and experienced developers (32%), Go has emerged as the clear winner for the most sought-after programming language.
Student developers also prefer JavaScript, Kotlin, and C#, while working professionals are looking to learn Python and Kotlin.
Top programming languages that student developers currently know include C++, Python, and HTML/ CSS, while senior developers frequently code in SQL, Java, and HTML/ CSS.
Upskilling platforms
Developers use online competitive coding platforms and YouTube tutorials to learn new skills
A majority of developers, 70% of students and 53% of working professionals make use of online coding platforms such as HackerEarth to upskill themselves. They also depend significantly on YouTube tutorials to acquire new skills.
Other upskilling avenues include online educational platforms such as Coursera and Udemy and developer platforms.
Programming experience
Developers are most experienced in full-stack development and least experienced in Machine Learning
Most developers, be it a beginner or experienced, have expertise in full-stack development, followed by front-end and backend development.
Though most developers have expressed a desire to work on Data Science projects, not many are experienced at Machine Learning.
- Years of experience vs. area of expertise
02 Developer Assessments
Developers love take-home coding challenges
Most experienced developers favor take-home coding tests, followed by an onsite interview for assessing coding skills. Surprisingly, 10% of developers have said that they wanted an option to decide their interview process.
- Interview preferences
Online Video Interviews
Online video interviews trump whiteboard interviews any day!
Irrespective of the YoE, most developers prefer live video interviews to whiteboard interviews. This could be because the whiteboard approach makes use of a potentially outdated scenario to test a developer’s skill.
Live video interviews, on the other hand, allow candidates to develop and compile code in real-time and give hiring managers a chance to test them for job readiness.
- Live video interview vs. whiteboard interview
03 Developer Benefits
A great career path and a stable job matter the most to student developers
Are you looking to hire great developers and retain them in the long run? It’s time you created a great career growth plan for your developers. Around 53% of students said a career path is a must-have benefit.
Other must-have benefits include a company’s financial stability, challenging projects, and a good compensation plan.
- Must-have benefits for students
Roles and compensation
Experienced developers are looking for a challenging role and good compensation
Experienced developers are looking for challenging roles and high compensation.
Other benefits they look for include flexibility, such as work from home options, and diversity at work.
- Must-have benefits for working professionals
ESOPs and company reviews
ESOPs and Glassdoor reviews? They don’t matter to most developers
Are you using Employee Stock Options (ESOPs) to lure developer talent? Think again!
Most developers are not looking for ESOPs. It is one of those benefits along with Glassdoor reviews that most developers don’t care for.
04 How Developers Unwind
When they’ve some extra time on their hands, they love watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S :)
When asked about their favorite TV show, both students (43%) and experienced developers (42%) said it was F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Other TV shows that they love watching include Game of Thrones and Big Bang Theory.
Around 52% of students and 47% of experienced developers liked movies in the science fiction genre, followed by comedy and action.
Conclusion
Methodology
Our thinking was global
HackerEarth’s mission is to match developers around the globe to the right opportunities. A community of 4 million developers globally uses our platform to hone their skills and learn from each other. Hence, to identify trends in the developer community, we surveyed developers (students and working professionals) worldwide to get their valuable feedback.
Our understanding was derived from several developer responses around the globe
This study presents the results of a survey we conducted in January 2020 to February 2020. We received a total of 16,655 responses from developers across 76 countries.
Our approach was comprehensive
We tried to cover all aspects that have an impact on the developer community, including but not limited to, the most sought-after programming language, the most preferred operating system, the most preferred medium for finding new jobs, and more. Our in-house team of experts analyzed the results. Percentages may not always add to 100% due to rounding.
List of abbreviations
AoE : Area of expertise
ESOP : Employee stock option plans
YoE : Years of experience