If you want a job in the tech industry, make sure you're learning a programming language that will get you a job.
Coding Dojo, a boot camp-style school in Bellevue, recently researched the top programming languages in the most tech-forward cities across the country.
Some of the findings were surprising.
"I'm sure that some people will be surprised at how prevalent some of the older languages are that aren't quite as exciting," said Martin Puryear, an instructor at Coding Dojo. "There's a lot more Java in there than people might expect."
For example, Ruby on Rails is a newer language that is perceived as a popular and buzzworthy language yet only broke into the top five languages used in two cities--San Jose and Atlanta. That indicates a moderate demand at best.
Coding Dojo surveyed 11 cities and looked at job listings, student demand, and Google search volume to come up with its findings.
“It’s a good reminder that the technology developers like and talk about are not necessarily the same ones that businesses use," said Speros Misirlakis, Coding Dojo head of curriculum. The school is changing its curriculum at some of its locations to fit the need of the local job market.
In short, languages like Python, Java, and JavaScript are still popular among top employers. Some top languages are dependent on the major employers for that area. For example, C# is popular in Seattle because it was developed by Microsoft. It is also used by Starbucks, another Seattle-based company. Python is heavily used by Amazon.
"We don't mean to say that Amazon only works in Python, in fact, they might have as many people programming in Java," said Puryear. "But around here, they're a very important Python employer."
Coding Dojo has schools based in Bellevue, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco. It is the only coding boot camp that teaches three full technology stacks in a 14-week program.
Here is a list of the top programming languages and the corresponding company advertising the most job openings:
Seattle:
Python and Amazon
Java
JavaScript / MEAN stack
C#
Swift / iOS
New York:
JavaScript / MEAN stack and Bloomberg
Java
Python
C#
Swift / iOS
Los Angeles:
Python and SpaceX
Java
JavaScript / MEAN stack
C#
PHP
Chicago:
Python and Google
Java
JavaScript / MEAN stack
C#
PHP
Philadelphia:
Java and Lockheed Martin
JavaScript / MEAN stack
Python
C#
Swift / iOS
Dallas:
Python and Capital One
Java
JavaScript / MEAN stack
C#
PHP
San Jose:
Python and Apple
Java
JavaScript / MEAN stack
Swift / iOS
Ruby on Rails
Washington D.C.:
Python and Amazon and Capital One (tie)
Java
JavaScript / MEAN stack
C#
PHP
Houston:
JavaScript / MEAN stack and JP Morgan Chase
Java
Python
C#
PHP
Boston:
Python and Akamai
Java
JavaScript / MEAN stack
C#
PHP
Atlanta:
Python and Home Depot
Java
JavaScript / MEAN stack
Ruby on Rails
C#
