7 reasons why you should learn Java

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This article was originally published in 2017, with the latest updates in 2025.

“What is the best programming language” is one of the most heated debates in the software engineering industry. Everyone has their own opinion, and frankly, it’s all completely subjective based on the type of coding one enjoys.

If you’re considering learning to code to boost your career opportunities and income, it’s important to determine the type of software development you enjoy. For example:

• Web developers who use languages like JavaScript thrive when a website looks and feels awesome, but cringe at the thought of endless hours crunching code on the server.
• While server-side developers who use languages like Python, Java and C are less concerned with how a website looks. Instead, they thrive on the back-end logic and problem solving to make software applications work.
• And nowadays, data scientists, machine learning engineers and AI engineers are most commonly using Python.

If you’re not sure, you can try coding for free on CodingNomads learning platform, to try out different languages like Java, Python and JavaScript. You can also consider the types of companies you want to work for, and research which languages they use.

With more than 250 programming languages in use today, Java is known to be one of the best because it is versatile, transferable, and in-demand across the world. Learning Java changed our lives for the better, and we’re passionate about sharing these valuable skills with our students. Keep reading to find out why learning Java could be one of the best decisions you ever make.

1. Java is one of the most in-demand programming languages

Every year since 2017, we've compiled a list of the most in-demand programming languages. And every year, Java is at or near the top of the list.

Not only are core Java developers in demand for jobs, but there is also a rising demand for Kotlin developers, which is based on Java. Additionally, there is consistent demand for Android developers, which use Java as the base language for native Android apps.

Below are top programming languages and technologies rankings from two different sources - DevJobScanner and TrueUp. These sources analyzed millions of developer jobs globally and included the technologies with job offers that explicitly required a programming language. The highlighted fields are the techs included on both lists, which of course, both include Java.

2. Java is the best language for beginners to break into engineering

After almost a decade of teaching Java, we've seen that our Java graduates have an easier time breaking into the job market than other languages like Python and JavaScript. We see two reasons for this:

1. Stronger market for entry-level Java developers.

As mentioned above, Java developers are in high demand. But additionally, there are more entry-level jobs for Java developers than there are for Python, because most Python jobs are concentrated in more specialized fields like data science and machine learning.

2. Stronger computer science fundamentals.

Once you know Java, it's easier to learn other programming languages like Python and JavaScript. The same cannot be said in reverse. Yes, Java is known to have a steeper learning curve than Python, but after getting good at learning Java, you can learn Python within a matter of weeks, and qualify for those jobs as well. Employers know this too - if you have a strong command of Java, and its related tools like SQL and Spring Framework, you will be qualified to learn anything you need to on the job.

While Java is sometimes criticized for being verbose, inflexible, and tough to learn, these traits can actually benefit new programmers. Because Java is checked for errors before running, new developers are less likely to come across unknown runtime errors. Additionally, Java forces developers to define all aspects of their code carefully, leaving less room for errors as programs grow.

For these reasons, learning Java is the best way to break into a career in software engineering with no prior experience.

3. The world's biggest and best companies use Java

Java was created in 1995 by Sun Microsystems as a platform-independent, open-source language embedded in various consumer electronics. Eventually, Sun Microsystems was acquired by Oracle, with Java as the prized possession. Known for its security, versatility and its portability to run on any operating system, Java quickly became (and has remained) a game-changing technology used across various devices and various sectors.

Companies that Use Java

Java is used by companies in tech, government, finance, healthcare, insurance, education, manufacturing, defense and more. 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Java for their backend architecture, including many of the world’s most prominent companies like eBay, Linkedin, Amazon, Facebook and Google.

Yet because of its speed and scalability, many startups also use Java to power their operations. According to Enlyft:

• 71% of companies that use Java are small (<$50M in revenue per year)
• 21% are medium-sized($50M – $1000M)
• and 8% are large (>$1000M).

Common Java Uses

Oracle estimates there are more than 60 billion Java Virtual Machines running worldwide. Some common Java uses include:

• The Internet of Things (IoT) and APIs
• Big data technologies
• E-commerce websites
• High frequency financial trading platforms
• Scientific applications
• Android mobile devices - the most widely used operating system on earth
• Smartphones, automobiles, medical devices, E-readers, and even the Curiosity Rover on Mars!

Java is so widely used, that a video spoof was created depicting a doomsday scenario of what the world would be like without Java. It’s a bit silly, but exemplifies the depth and magnitude of influence Java has on our world.

4. Java developers make great money

According to Payscale.com, the average base salary range for an entry-level Java developer is $46,000 - $90,000. With a few years of experience, Java developers can expect to meet and exceed $100,000 USD per year. While salaries vary by company and location, Java salaries are consistently competitive with other common language developer salaries.

Additionally, research by CompTIA found that the median salary of technical jobs is more than double the median wage across all occupations of the U.S. labor force.

5. Java has staying power

Many aspiring software developers want to learn the newest, hottest technologies. However in such a fast-paced, evolving industry, you don’t want to spend time and money learning a language that will be outdated in a few years. With 30 years of breadth and depth of use, Java will undoubtedly remain in demand for the generations to come.

Additionally, after you learn Java, learning other languages becomes much quicker and easier. This is why Java is often the core programming language taught in many university Computer Science (CS) programs throughout the world. While the first language you choose to learn doesn’t necessarily dictate the language you’ll specialize in forever, making an informed and strategic decision will set you up for immediate and long-term success.

Learning a versatile language like Java opens the doors to jobs in all fields of the booming tech economy. Understanding that not all students know what kind of job they want upon completion of our Java coding bootcamp, we prepare students with a solid foundation that paves the way for ample work opportunities upon graduation.

CodingNomads Java bootcamp grads work for great companies

6. Learning Java gives you a competitive advantage

According to coding bootcamp industry research conducted by Course Report, only 12% of coding bootcamps teach Java. 44% teach "client-side" or web application languages like JavaScript and Ruby, and some bootcamp graduates lament that the industry is flooded with web development bootcamp grads.

For aspiring software developers who want to stand out from the rest, learning a server-side programming language like Java will help you stand out, and make you eligible for tens of thousands of server-side programming jobs.

Java bootcamp vs. university degree

So doesn’t that mean that Java bootcamp grads are now in competition with university CS graduates? In short, yes. However our curriculum goes far beyond what you learn in university.

While a university degree is always an asset for finding work, unfortunately today, university programs do not adequately equip their graduates with the day-to-day skills needed as a working software engineer.

When CodingNomads’ co-founder and Java curriculum developer Ryan Desmond got his first job after obtaining his CS degree, he had to learn practical software engineering tasks on the job, and on the fly. As employers today value the work you can do over the credentials you have, our job-focused curriculum helps successful Java bootcamp students stay competitive, even with university graduates.

7. Java has a strong and active community

Oracle estimates that there are more than 9 million Java developers worldwide. Any developer can tell you the immense role the programming community plays in their ongoing education. When you are stuck, you turn to Stack Overflow, a programming question and answer platform. When you are curious, you browse code repositories on Github. The growth and success of any programming languages depends on its community of developers eager to share knowledge. Without this support system, a language simply wouldn’t survive.

GitHub

GitHub is where developers store project code and collaborate with other developers. GitHub has an extremely active Java presence, with more than 4 million GitHub repositories in Java, and 226,000 active Java developers.

PYPL Index

Java ranks #2 in the The PYPL PopularitY of Programming Language Index, which analyzes how often language tutorials are searched on Google. According to PYPL, “the more a language tutorial is searched, the more popular the language is assumed to be.” We certainly agree!

PYPL PopularitY of Programming Language Index

Image Source: PYPL

TIOBE Index

The TIOBE Index ranks the popularity of programming languages based on quantity of search queries across 25 search engines. Java is the #3 most searched programming language, demonstrating its strong popularity and usage worldwide.

TIOBE Index Most Popular Programming Languages

Image source: TIOBE

Whether you want to build your career at a large firm or a small start-up, the community of Java developers will play a critical role in your growth as a professional. With Java, you’ll have thousands of trained and experienced mentors just a click away. And because Java is used so widely around the world, this community is built to last!

Interested to learn Java?

CodingNomads' curriculum goes deep into Java, SQL, object oriented programming, data structures & algorithms, database management and more. From our years in the professional workforce, we know firsthand that this well-rounded combination of skills are needed by employers today, and will differentiate CodingNomads students from the rest.

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