One-third of Indian software developers are exclusively self-taught. This proves that the ability to self-teach – not just a college degree – is the best path to becoming a skilled software developer, according to recruitment tech start-up HackerRank.
While 76% of Indian developers have a computer science degree, roughly 37% say they are at least partially self-taught, according to the annual 2018 Developer Skills Report released by HackerRank. In fact, six out of 10 Indian developers learn to code when they are 16 to 20-years old.
The report surveyed over 39,000 software developers around the world to get a pulse on the state of developer skills: what they’re learning, what they care about, and the best way to assess their skills. “Without this, hiring managers will always struggle to find the best technical people,” said Vivek Ravisankar, co-founder and CEO of HackerRank, in a statement. HackerRank provides a technology platform for programmers to hone their coding skills and enable companies such as Facebook and Amazon recruit technical talent.
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The report said 77% of hiring managers in India primarily rely on resumes to evaluate developers at the first stage of the recruiting process. But nearly all report that measuring actual skills is the hardest part of the technical hiring funnel, above talent shortage and time-consuming interviews. Meanwhile, about half of developers said that resumes are not a good reflection of their abilities. “2018 will mark the end of the resume for developers,” according to Mr. Ravisankar.
Work-life Balance
In the hopes of attracting top talent, companies have usually leaned in on perks and stock options. However, when asked what they care most about in a job, developers rank those among the least important priorities. Rather, in India, professional growth and learning opportunities (65%) and good work-life balance (58%) are their true deal-breakers, according to the report.
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The report said 97% of Indian developers have a college degree or plan to obtaining one. On an average, a majority of Indian developers know computer programming languages such as C, C++, and Java with 43% developers saying that Python will be the next language they wish to learn.
Python is universally the most popular language and is most loved by Indian developers while Node.js is the most loved framework.
There is, however, a generational divide between newer languages and frameworks. While millennials generally like programming languages such as JavaScript and dislike Go, the opposite is true among 45-54-year olds. The report said younger developers prefer newer frameworks such as AngularJS and React, while older developers prefer Vue.js.
Software developers are in high demand. Programming is one of the fastest growing professions today, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. By 2020, there will be 1.4 million computer-science related jobs available with only 400,000 computer science graduates to fill those roles.