Podcast Summary
High-paying roles for programmers in AI era: Top-tier experts in programming can secure high-paying jobs by teaching AI in their field or creating datasets for training models. High-demand and well-paid programming languages include Zig, Erlang, F#, Ruby, and Closure, with median salaries ranging from $96,381 to $103,000.
While the tech industry is focusing on AI retraining, it's not necessary for all programmers to abandon their expertise. According to Christian Rebernik, a co-founder of Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, top-tier experts can secure high-paying jobs by teaching AI in their field or creating datasets for training models. Three such high-paying roles are DevOps Engineer at Accenture Federal Services, Principal DevOps Engineer at Autodesk, and Staff/Senior Staff DevOps Engineer at Site Tech, with salaries ranging from $76,000 to $228,800. Meanwhile, programmers can focus on learning the newest and well-paid programming languages. One such language is Zig, which is still relatively obscure but commands the highest median salaries in a Stack Overflow survey. With a median salary of $103,000, Zig is the only programming language to hit six figures in the survey. Other high-paying languages include Erlang, F#, Ruby, and Closure, with median salaries of $99,492, $99,492, $98,522, and $96,381, respectively. In summary, programmers don't need to throw away their expertise for AI, and they can secure high-paying jobs by deepening their knowledge and focusing on the newest and well-paid programming languages. Zig is one such language that offers high salaries, making it an attractive option for those looking to advance their careers in tech.
Unique languages, potential for higher salaries: Less common languages like Zig and Finch have potential for higher salaries due to their unique features and growing demand. Zig offers performance gains and compatibility with C codebases, while Finch optimizes control flow for structured data.
While Visual Basic, Net, MATLAB, PHP, and Dart have median salaries ranging from $55,862 to $65,000, less common languages like Zig and the new Finch offer potential for higher salaries due to their unique features and growing demand. Zig, an open-source language with a smaller community, is compatible with C codebases and offers performance gains, making it a solid choice for systems development, embedded systems, game design, and scripting. Finch, the latest language from MIT, focuses on optimizing control flow for structured data, providing time-saving automatic specialization and smooth control flow, particularly in image processing and scientific computing. However, both languages have limitations, with Zig's rarity requiring a willingness to troubleshoot and Finch's lack of extensive libraries making it unsuitable for large-scale projects. Swift, Apple's established language, is set to release its next iteration, Swift 6, offering potential improvements. Overall, the programming landscape continues to evolve, with unique languages and updates offering potential for higher salaries and increased efficiency.
Swift 6 update: Swift 6 marks a significant update since Swift 5, bringing new capabilities and challenges for developers, but high demand for Swift programmers in the tech industry
Swift 6 is here, marking a significant update since Swift 5, which was released five years ago. Swift's safety, speed, approachability, and built-in C and C++ interoperability make it a strong contender to surpass C++. However, migrating projects to Swift 6 may be challenging for legacy codebases. Despite the challenges, there is high demand for Swift programmers in the tech industry, with companies like Accenture, Data annotation, and Netflix seeking iOS developers and senior mobile developers. To advance in a long, productive, and well-paid programming career, it's crucial to keep up with the times. If your current role doesn't allow for experimentation and upskilling, it might be time to explore new opportunities. For those looking to pivot to AI or utilize their coding expertise, the Hackernoon Job Board is a great resource. Swift's expansion on async, await, existential, and macros capabilities from Swift 5 is a major update, and while it may bring challenges, the demand for Swift programmers is clear.