Dive Brief:
- Based on data from almost 40,000 developers, the 2018 Developer Skills Report from HackerRank has identified trends in developer education, skills and hiring practices — most notably the desire to self-teach. The report covers talent attraction, qualifications that are in demand and learning practices.
- Lifelong learning and self-directed learning is inherent with coders, with some reporting learning to code as early as age 10. While 67% of the respondents report having a computer science degree, 74% say they were at least partially self-taught. Where did they learn? Stack Overflow took a majority at nearly 90%; YouTube, however, taught almost 64% of respondents.
- Respondents from 17 countries revealed that on average, developers know four programming languages, and want to learn four more. For those under 24, the plan is to learn six more languages; those over 35 are looking to add three.
Dive Insight:
For those involved in coding and development, remaining up to date on the subject's ever-changing nature is its own challenge. This means that from bootcamp immersion classes to MOOCs, self-directed learning is coming into its own.
Businesses are being forced to rethink the four-year degree when it comes to hiring for computer science careers. But as the self-taught move forward as viable, attractive candidates for hire, they're still struggling to showcase their skills. In response, digital badges and credentialing options are emerging, also enabling employers to verify skills.
As developers and other professionals continue to push the boundaries of what they learn, where they learn it and how, employers will have to adapt if they want to capitalize on current and emerging skill sets.
