Did you know that in the U.S. News 2014 annual ranking of jobs, software developer is the number one “Best Job”? It is the most attractive profession, and with a 22.8% employment growth between 2012 and 2022, there will be nearly 140,000 new jobs for software developers over the next several years.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for a software developer in the United States is nearly $100,000 (the median is $90,060). And there is research that points to developers making salaries of $200,000 or more in some markets.
Needless to say, there is an explosive demand for software developers in enterprises, especially around the development of mobile apps and technologies that drive innovation, such as Big Data, in-memory computing, and HTML5. In fact, in its Best Jobs report, U.S. News attributes the demand for software developers partly to people’s increased dependence on mobile software.
A 10X combination: Creativity and the right tools
While people may think of enterprise software development as “simple programming”, you all know it’s more than that. Enterprise developers also test, debug, and maintain the programs they create – so they essentially are responsible from inception through to on-going operations.
However, what often distinguishes the brilliant developers from the everyday ones is the creative aspect of development. There are always many ways to solve a problem through building applications, but the most inventive problem solvers will be the ones most in demand in enterprises that thrive on innovation within their businesses.
In late 2013, there was news that the senior vice president of engineering at Twitter, Inc. earned $10.3 million. Many consider this person a “10x” developer. This kind of developer is one whose ideas can save the company millions via a program that can be built easily and effectively or drive millions in revenue through some unique innovation.
These rare 10x folks know what needs to be done – they are driven by the next ‘big idea’ and are resourceful when it comes to finding the right tools to empower their applications – where they are proprietary, open-source, or custom-development ones.
In today’s competitive enterprise development market, some of the tools 10x developers use include an in-memory computing environment powerful enough to drive fast access to mobile apps – the ones that empower Big Data analytics. HTML5 is also becoming a language of choice for enterprise software developers, as its cross-platform capability is creating great efficiencies and saving time and money. This means faster and more productive development – something more and more enterprises are craving following earlier trends in the consumer sector.
The more you’re in demand, the more you can demand
You may not describe yourself as a rare 10x developer. But if you’re able to drive enterprise innovation through creative, real-time mobile apps and Big Data analytics on in-memory computing platforms, you may discover yourself in great demand.
If you’re not already in an enterprise environment, take the time to learn the cutting-edge technologies that you can later use for creating solutions for a company that values innovation.
A great place to start is at the ASUG pre-conference session at SAP TechEd && d-code. Register Here:
http://scn.sap.com/community/events/sap-d-code/blog/2014/07/28/announcing-asug-sap-teched-d-code-pre...
Take a look at what SAP offers for in-demand enterprise software development, including technology and tools for Big Data, mobile apps, and in-memory computing. You’ll find them all on this SAP HANA Platform page, which we created specifically for developers like you who are scouting for the “next big thing.”
Originally posted on SAP Business Innovation.
