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C#, .NET and SQL Server Make List of Top In-Demand Programming Skills
Microsoft-centric technologies are featured prominently in a new examination of the top in-demand programming skills published by careers site Dice.com.
While Dice periodically publishes such posts based on data mined from its databases, this study is based on an analysis of programming skills from Burning Glass, an analytics software company that provides real-time data on job growth, skills in demand, and labor market trends.
That data resulted in a Jan. 10 post on the top programming skills, based on job postings, from the past 30 days, which resulted in this chart:
[Click on image for larger view.] Top Programming Skills, By Job Postings, Past 30 Days (source: Burning Glass/Dice).
Dice deduced a key takeaway gleaned from the data: "Employers really, really, really want technologists who know how to build, maintain, and scale everything database- (and data-) related."
And that, of course, starts with SQL.
"For those who are just getting into tech and learning about key programming skills for the first time, SQL (a.k.a. Structured Query Language) has been around forever -- in 1974, the year it rolled out, Abba won the Eurovision song contest with 'Waterloo,' and Richard Nixon stepped down from the U.S. Presidency," Dice said. "Having a standardized language for relational database management (such as querying) was a revolutionary concept, although it would take some years before necessary, major features were added.
"Databases have been a thing for companies and governments for as long as many of us have been alive, but the rise of the cloud, the decline in storage costs, and the rise of sophisticated analytics platforms have all contributed to the importance and complexity of data storage/analysis over the past decade or so. As a developer, if you’ve mastered database and data-analytics skills, that makes you insanely valuable to a whole range of companies out there."
Microsoft technologies often fare well in such reports, such as this one that was recently published about in-demand freelancer skills.
"As we head into the New Year, make a point of studying up on the latest and greatest when it comes to database building and management -- there’s clearly a lot of employer demand in that arena," Dice concluded.
About the Author
David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.