The nature of professional game developers’ work can vary depending on the type of studio they work for. In this chapter, we will explore the profile of developers working for different types of game studios, focussing on their experience, roles, and technology choices.
For the first time in the latest edition of our Developer Nation survey, we asked professional game developers to describe the type of game studio they work for. The modern game development space has stratified itself into several different studio types, and within these studios, the types of tools and technologies used can vary significantly. Further to this, the profile of developers also shows differences between studio types.
We break down professional game developers as belonging to the following studio types:
Game publishers, who outsource most of their development;
Large-scale studios that develop and self-publish a collection of games;
Third-party developers who work on various games from different publishers;
Indie studios that publish and develop a small number of games
Here’s what we found
Game developers may be equally spread among different studio types, but we observe some important differences in their profiles. Developers with 3-5 years of experience are most commonly found in all types of studios except third-party developers; for this type of studio, their team is most likely to have 1-2 years of experience. Those with more than 11 years of experience in game development make up only a small portion of the general game developer population (11%) but have a much higher representation at indie studios (20%).
The most experienced developers in the industry can choose where they work. They may be choosing to work for indie studios due to greater creative control over projects or a preference for working within small teams, now rarely found in AAA development. They may also make personal decisions to work for studio types that are less likely to be involved in ‘crunch’.
“Developers at Indie studios are twice as likely to be highly experienced – 16 or more years under their belts – than those working for other studio types”
Mid-career game developers–those with 6 to 15 years of experience–make up more than a third (37%) of the developer workforce in large-scale studios, compared to only a quarter (24%) among professional game developers in general. The scope and complexity of the properties that large-scale studios work on may drive demand for more experienced developers. Despite this, the most experienced developers still more frequently choose indie studios, indicating that the previously suggested factors may outweigh the offers large-scale studios can make to these developers.
Of the many roles game developers may hold, we consider game designers, artists, UI designers, programmers, and QA engineers as the ones that consumers would likely identify with game development and are often the ‘core’ roles for producing games. Differences in studios can be seen by the different percentages of developers identifying themselves with these roles. Those who self-identify as programmers account for 39% of those working for indie studios, which is significantly higher than the professional game developer average (24%).
Similarly, the proportion of developers working for indie studios describing their roles as either game designer (46%), artist (27%), or UI designer (14%) is nearly double that of the population average, 23%, 15%, and 8%, respectively. The proportion of these roles between studios makes sense, considering the nature of development within these types of studios. Indie studios are typically smaller than other studios, with 66% of indie developers working for companies with up to 20 employees, compared to only 43% and 34% of developers working for game publishers and third-party studios, respectively. This can lead to more employees in a studio being directly involved in game design and development.
“Third-party studios have twice the proportion of developers in test roles compared to other game studios”
A counter-example can be seen with QA engineers, who are twice as prevalent in third-party studios (10%) compared to the population average (5%). Third-party studios having a larger proportion of QA engineers corresponds to their role in development cycles. These studios do a lot of development in-house, often work on larger projects, and can undertake contract work for larger studios, all of which require dedicated QA departments.
Further differences between game studios can be found in the choices of game engines. Unity and Unreal Engine are the most used game engines, with 33% and 15% of game developers using them as their primary engines, respectively. However, among developers who work for indie studios, these two game engines account for 48% and 20% of developers, compared to less than 28% and 12% for developers at other studios. Both engines are widely used and popular, with Unity being the most used engine for all studio types, but they have specific business and technical aspects that appeal to indie developers.
Why Developers use Unity
Due to its flexibility and ease of use, Unity was the common choice for indie developers when the scene emerged. This has led to a large online community and marketplace to support indie developers with tutorials, assets, and customised libraries. Unreal Engine is also popular amongst indie developers with it being considered one of the most powerful out-of-the-box engines and having a licensing structure that doesn’t require royalties to be paid until a game makes more than $1 million in revenue. The difference in popularity between the two game engines for indie developers likely lies in the availability of assets in the Unity store. Unity Asset Marketplace has over 77,000 assets and tools, compared to Unreal Marketplace’s 22,000, allowing small indie studios to offset development time with ready-made assets and tools.
“Unity and Unreal Engine are the most popular engines for game developers, with particularly high adoption by developers at indie studios”
Unity and Unreal have many tools and utilities but are not capable of performing every possible aspect of game design. In contrast, in-house or custom tools allow developers to focus on working with engines designed around the specific requirements of their games, as well as develop tools to optimise both development and performance. Amongst the large-scale and third-party studios, the second most popular engine choice is the use of either an in-house or proprietary engine–16% and 12%, respectively. These studios have the resources, time, and business motivation to focus on developing their engines. Use amongst large-scale developers is further incentivised by allowing assets and developers to move between projects more seamlessly, with a greater familiarity with the engine.
Engines Game Publishers prefer
Game publishers have a similar level of resources and time, but their in-house engines are often pivoted to commercial engines. Unreal Engine was developed by publisher EpicGames, Source from Valve, and RedEngine from CDProjektRed. Among game publishers, the engines initially developed by a publisher but are no longer in-house, make up another 15% of primary engine choices.
Less than 5% of developers working at indie studios use in-house engines; instead, Godot is the next most common engine choice. Godot is an open-source game engine that has built a strong community of developers around it. It has created supporters due to its dedicated 2D engine and its Python-like language GDScript which accommodates many Python users worldwide and is especially popular among student developers. The open-source nature of the engine also means indie developers do not have to worry about licensing or subscription changes, reducing financial demands and worries.
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Web frameworks speed up and simplify the web development process by providing developers with a set of high-level APIs that allow abstract access to underlying system resources and other low-level functionalities. In this article, we look at how web frameworks have risen or declined in popularity, and we explore the profiles and technology use of the developers who use them.
The big picture of web usage framework
Born out of the necessity to provide consistent web experiences, frameworks revolutionised how web developers create our online world. With standardised approaches to development and framework-specific communities available for support, they are still a popular choice amongst web developers. According to our survey data, 60% of web developers use either client-side or server-side frameworks.
Indeed, web frameworks often present a time-saving option for web developers to do their jobs in simple and efficient ways. When turnaround times are tight, developing a website or a web app from the ground up may not necessarily be the best option, particularly when working with demanding clients. Indeed, when we look at deployment frequency, lead time, and time to restore service, framework users are likelier to be at the elite efficiency level. 12% of web developers who use frameworks deploy their code on demand, 8% have a lead time of less than an hour, and 51%take less than a day to restore service. For web developers who don’t use frameworks, 9% deploy their code on demand,5% have a lead time of less than an hour, and 43% take less than a day to restore service.
“Web developers using frameworks are more likely to deploy code on demand, have smaller lead times, and are quicker to restore service”
However, there are disadvantages to using frameworks. For example, it is unlikely that one framework will provide everything a web developer needs, just as it is unlikely that a web developer will use everything that a framework or a library has to offer. The proliferation of different frameworks with different standards and guidelines only further muddies these waters. In this case, it may be easier to stick to one or two frameworks and supplement their use with custom code rather than creating a bloated working environment.
Indeed, that’s what our data shows–the share of web developers using three or more frameworks is gradually dropping. Now, the average number of frameworks used is approximately the same for developers of all experience levels, around 3.2. However, usage habits change depending on specific years of experience–and may give an indication of what’s in store for the future of web development.
For example, those with less than five years of experience are more likely to use one framework (22%) than those with six years or more (17%). While age is not necessarily correlated with experience, we see a similar trend for those aged 24 and under(22% use one framework) compared to those 45 and above(17%).
We can take a look at specific frameworks to see who is using what. React is by far the most popular client-side library, as it is used by 58% of web developers who use client-side web frameworks. React’s stable popularity as a library is contrasted by jQuery’s decline, which has experienced a 13 percentage point drop in usage in the past 12 months. Comparing the two, React is perhaps more capable of handling the modern web development environment–it’s faster, has a larger library of npm packages and is efficient at creating larger web applications.
Who are the developers using jQuery?
Looking closely, we find that those with more than 11 years of web development experience are nine percentage points more likely to use jQuery than those with less than ten years (49% vs 40%). Similarly, these seasoned web developers are less likely to use React(52%) compared to their peers (58%). As jQuery was created nearly a decade before React, it makes sense that those with more web development experience are sticking to what they know.
“Experienced developers are more likely to use jQuery and less likely to use React than their peers”
What about server-side frameworks?Next.js and Spring have been on the rise in the past 12 months.Next.js’ and their popularity is likely linked with React–after all, Next.js is a framework built upon React. Infact, 86% of those who use Next.js also use React; for comparison, only 45% use jQuery. As for Spring–a Java-based framework–itsincrease in usage may be explained by a similar increase in Java use amongst web developers–8 percentage points in the past 12 months (27% vs 19%).
A frameworks user mindset
What does framework use mean for the technology use of web developers? If a web developer is forced to configure or write an application in a particular way, it may narrow their skillset as it forms a reliance on a particular architecture. When we look at the web developer population, it seems that those who use frameworks are actually more likely to be self-driven, have technical skills, or use web technologies when compared to those that don’t use frameworks.
Framework users are more likely to have learnt how to code through self-education (66% vs 55%) and are more likely to manually download packages from npm(45% vs 36%). Similarly, they are more likely to use each of the top-ten web development technologies listed in our survey.
“Web developers who use frameworks are much more likely to have learnt to code through self-education”
Of these technologies, continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD)services are particularly worth mentioning–framework users are more than twice as likely to use these compared to non-framework users. As we’ve previously highlighted, framework users are more efficient when it comes to code deployment. However, framework users that also use CI/CD tools are 5 percentage points more likely to deploy on demand (15%) than framework users who don’t use CI/CD tools (10%).
Finally, while the share of web developers who use low-code or no-code tools has increased by 9 percentage points in the past six months (54%)–for framework users this share is 40%. This corresponds to an increase of only 5 percentage points in the same timeframe. In other words, those who are using frameworks are more likely to rely on old-fashioned coding by hand and have the skills to do so.
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In college, as I was finishing up my engineering degree, I roomed with a bunch of English majors. Every now and then, we’d get together with friends and have short-story writing competitions. Admittedly, not the coolest way to spend a Friday night, but it unlocked my love of writing.
Looking back on my career as a software engineer, manager, and CTO, that time I spent writing was actually one of the most impactful of my college career. Besides helping me as I started Draft.dev, writing contributed to my growth as a developer, leader, and professional.
In this article, I’m going to expand on why writing is such a complementary skill for a software developer and the many ways this skill can benefit your career. I’ll also share some pointers to help you get started as a technical writer and improve your skills.
You Write More Than You Think You Do
“Once somebody hits a minimum threshold of technical skill to hold a job in the industry, about 80% of their ability to succeed in software development is determined by their communication and people skills, not their technical abilities” — Ben McCormick, Engineering Manager at Meta
Software development is typically associated with skills like coding, analytical thinking, math, and problem solving. However, equally important is effective communication.
Joel Spolsky, Co-founder of StackOverflow, concurs with this and even goes so far as to say that he wouldn’t hire a programmer unless they can write well:
“The difference between a tolerable programmer and a great programmer is not how many programming languages they know…It’s whether they can communicate their ideas…By writing clear comments and technical specs, they let other programmers understand their code, which means other programmers can use and work with their code instead of rewriting it. Absent this, their code is worthless.”
Spolsky makes a good point, because whether you realize it or not, you’re doing a lot of writing over the course of your day as an engineer. This includes, but isn’t limited to:
Commenting on code
Collaborating with colleagues and clients on Slack and email
Writing bug reports and code reviews
Posting and answering questions on community forums
“In their first few years on the job, engineers spend roughly 30% of their workday writing, while engineers in middle management write for 50% to 70% of their day; those in senior management reportedly spend over 70% and as much as 95% of their day writing.”
In fact, communication is the primary skill employers are looking for now that remote work is here to stay. By ignoring it, you’re limiting your utility at your current job as well as your future career prospects.
How Writing Can Level Up Your Career
Initially, I mostly wrote for fun and to see if I could get some passive income going on the side. None of my early attempts took off. But they did give me deep insight into the value of technical content as well as lots of practice in creating that kind of content.
Come 2020, the pandemic struck and the company I was with at the time hit a rough patch. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do next and I realized writing full-time was a real option. This led to the founding of Draft.dev.
Since then, it’s been a pleasure to see what a difference writing has made, not just for our clients, but also the engineers who write for us, both financially and professionally. Provided you stick with it, writing can help you level up your career too.
Writing Establishes You As a Subject-matter Authority
One of the immutables of life as a developer is that we’re constantly learning. A recent StackOverflow survey found that nearly 75% of developers learn a new technology or framework every few months or once a year.
Writing is a great way to reinforce your learnings and document your experiments with a new tool. It can help improve your critical thinking abilities and integrate prior knowledge with new concepts.
What’s more, your observations can help other engineers learn as well. With remote work as prevalent as it is, junior developers don’t get as much face time with their managers and existing use cases and tutorials can help them get up to speed with their work.
Writing can also help you improve your ability to clarify complex topics to non-technical stakeholders and create better alignment between product and business teams.
In fact, the more you write, the more you build and exert influence, directly accelerating your career trajectory.
Writing Can Help You Find the Job You’ve Always Wanted
Job-hunting in software development can be an aggravating process, especially for newcomers.
Writing can help you bypass the traditional recruitment system by putting yourself out there. A well-written tutorial is social proof of the fact that you understand a tool or framework well enough to implement it. After all, claiming you know React in your resume is one thing. Publishing a tutorial where you’ve integrated it with other libraries to build a working prototype is another altogether.
Recruiters or engineering managers who spot your work will be tempted to reach out to you directly instead of wading through a hundred other applications. I did the same thing when I was an engineering manager, and others I talked to have confirmed this.
“I once got a full-time offer to join a cloud computing startup as a copywriter on the strength of a few blog posts I’d written,” says Stephanie Morillo, a content strategist and technical program manager. “I was offered a role as a part-time technical writer for an open-source organization, and I even started doing freelance copywriting on the side for [software development] agencies”
Adam DuVander, Founder of EveryDeveloper, goes even further, “I owe my entire career to a couple of articles I wrote…A tutorial I wrote on Webmonkey led to my first developer job. They saw how I discussed the technology and knew before we even chatted that I could handle the work.”
Writing Can Be a Lucrative Side Hustle
Engineering salaries can differ widely based on everything from the language and frameworks you specialize in to where you’re located.
According to StackOverflow’s 2021 Developer Survey, Clojure developers enjoy a median salary of $95,000, compared to PHP developers who make just $38,916.
The average salary for a full stack developer in the U.S. is $101,402 plus yearly cash bonuses of $5,500, whereas it’s around $58,000 for one in Germany and approximately $9,767 for one in India.
Writing can provide supplemental income and help you bridge this pay gap by utilizing existing skills and knowledge. Draft.dev, for instance, offers you a chance to do just that. So far, we’ve paid over $600,000 to writers in over 64 countries in the two years we’ve been operating.
Writing Can Lead to Public Speaking and Book Authorship Opportunities
Around 2017, I was writing a lot about using PHP with Docker. While I wasn’t able to monetize the site directly, it did lead to a short, self-published book on the subject that was downloaded by over 1,000 developers.
It also led to a host of conference speaking opportunities and consultancy offers. I wasn’t necessarily an expert on the subject, but I was one of very few people publishing any material on it and so my work stood out.
James Hickey, Principal Engineer at SAVVY, had a similar experience, “I have had many people reach out to me about doing contract work simply by reading my blog and had many offers to write books in the last couple of years.”
Morillo adds, “I wrote a few articles about tech culture in the mid-2010s and was able to secure conference speaking engagements from them.”
Authorship and speaking also tend to bring you more exposure, which leads to similar opportunities in the future, creating a flywheel for yourself.
Improving Your Skill As a Writer
“I have never considered myself expressive or eloquent, so I used to doubt that I would make a good technical writer…However, the truth is that writing, like every other skill, can be learned and developed through practice.” — Linda Ikechukwu, Technical Writer and Developer Advocate at Smallstep
New writers frequently experience the resistance that accompanies all creative endeavors. The only way past this is to have a plan and keep at it. Here are a few tips I’ve found helpful over the years:
Start With Something Familiar
The first block new writers tend to face is what to write about. It’s easy to get caught up between something that’s easy to write and something that you believe is more interesting for readers. My advice? Go with the former.
Eze Sunday, Software Developer and Technical Writer, echoes this sentiment, “Start writing about the things you currently know and share them with the community. You’ll be surprised how many lives you’ll impact.”
Pick a problem you just solved or a tool you just tried out and write about it, even if it feels like something trivial. Just the act of putting some words to paper can tell you something about your writing style and the unique perspective you have to offer.
Aim for Quality
Quality trumps quantity every time. It’s much better to write a few outstanding articles than to write a bunch of average ones.
Be selective about your topics and go deep when you find one you really like. Some of my most popular blog posts are the ones that delved deep into a subject, like this 4,500-word guide to API development.
Alternatively, write more often, but keep it short and interesting. David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on Rails, Founder of Basecamp, and a prolific writer over the years, used to employ this method a lot (and still does), almost as if he wants to cut short an article before it loses value for the reader. Doing this may also help you get more practice without feeling pressured to write huge articles.
Write Regularly
On the flip side, don’t get so caught up with perfection that you neglect to publish regularly.
Frequent practice keeps your skills sharp and gives you a constant flow of feedback from your readers. Personally, I like to block four to eight hours of focussed writing time on my calendar each week.
A few other writers I’ve spoken to like to use timeboxes throughout the day to churn out productive content. Choose whatever method works for you, but ensure you’ve set aside some time to write regularly.
Keep Your Goals in Mind
Finally, keep moving towards something. Whether you’re looking to monetize a blog, capture a niche, or just record your own learnings, keep that plan in mind as you work on your articles.
And be honest with yourself. As DuVander points out, “Decide whether it’s a side thing or a main thing. You can make either work, but you’ll want to set your expectations appropriately…There are a lot of ways to use writing in an engineering career.”
Track progress towards your goal with readership metrics. You can do this by creating a newsletter that readers can sign up for, running analytics on your website, and paying attention to comments and feedback.
Conclusion
Many software developers ignore communication skills at their own detriment. I hope some of the data and experiences here offer proof of this, but if you’re afraid to start or don’t think you’re very good, don’t worry. As with anything else, the more you write the better you’ll get at it.
If you’re a developer or an aspiring technical writer looking to start contributing professionally, consider writing for us at Draft.dev. We’re always looking for more writers and we’re open to people of all experience levels!
Finally, I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on writing as an engineer and what it takes to be a better writer. Leave a comment below or connect with me on Twitter.
When one works on a regular job, one has specific external frameworks that control productivity. On the other hand, freelancers do not have any frameworks, so a person either has the superpower of self-organisation or, sooner or later, finds some specialized project management software to use.
It seems as if freelancing is about freedom. Freelancers can choose their projects, regulate their time and plan their future. However, freelancing is just the opposite, accurate organisation and planning. A freelancer must manage work without outside help or guidance to make good money, stay productive, and avoid falling into an extreme workload.
The second stakeholder in streamlining a freelancer’s work is the client. Communication between the two parties must be managed for sustainable work and productive results. The best way to do this is to implement some management.
Why We Need Project Management Software
A freelancer’s work can produce both excellent results and total headaches.
When working with a freelancer, the client, for his part, should understand that he is hiring a specific specialist, such as a designer, an accountant, a copywriter, a developer, etc. More often than not, the freelancer will know precisely how to draw design, reconcile debit and credit, and write text or code. Usually, he cannot or is not required to draft the terms of reference, to be an excellent negotiator or a manager. At the same time, clients want the collaboration with a freelancer to include the following:
A high level of negotiation,
Fulfillment of obligations,
Control of work deadlines.
In companies, these functions are often performed by different people or even departments. The freelancer does everything himself. He can be the most talented performer and, simultaneously, a lousy negotiator, supervisor, and manager. In such cases, project management software comes to the rescue.
Key Criteria for Selecting Project Management Software for Freelancers
Today’s digital project management software for freelancers can solve many aspects of the interaction between the client and the contractor. There are plenty of them, and they are all suitable for one task or another. Let’s discuss the criteria for selecting tools worth paying attention to:
Cost and availability
Availability is the main criterion for choosing a tool for a freelancer. Many of them are free and have a wide range of functions. Therefore, payment is implied only if the user wants to apply additional features.
Budget tracking
Freelancers often work for many different clients with hourly rates, so being able to track hours, payment, or even the cost of a project is essential.
Communication
A unified communication system is critical because chaos occurs when some tasks are sent to messenger, others to e-mail, etc.
Time management
It’s about the importance of matching tasks to a deadline. The software developmentshould have calendar functions, scheduling, reminders, and, if necessary, a time tracker.
Collaboration tools
For many remote activities, it’s vital to be able to share information in real-time to continue the course of the project. It’s also essential to track the progress of tasks, segmenting them by status, deadline, and priority.
Reporting
Automated reporting allows the creation of a comprehensive understanding of the work process, analyzes it, and identifies problem areas.
Best Tools in 2023
Asana
This task manager is convenient when there are a lot of projects. The program is intuitive, and tasks start quickly. A user can assign each task a priority, an executor, and a time limit. Tasks are placed according to projects. For convenience, the user can give a detailed description of the task and subtasks in the “description” section. When the team works on tasks in Asana, they get all the news about updates in the feed.
Freelancers just starting to manage projects can take advantage of Asana’s basic free plan, which includes an unlimited number of tasks, projects, and storage. Up to 15 people can work together on this plan. A mobile version is also available.
Basecamp
It is one of the most popular project management software. The advantages of Basecamp are its simplicity and distribution of tasks and its intuitive interface. In addition, the software integrates into popular development services and allows you to create your add-ons.
Unfortunately, Beyscamp has a partially free version. However, a trial period will allow you to see if the software is convenient for the needs of a particular freelancer.
ClickUp
ClickUp is a versatile project management software. The cloud-based tool allows you to work smoothly in real time. It includes all necessary functions: task creation and management, internal communication, documentation and reminders, and integration of third-party applications. The tool allows you to assign people responsible for tasks, work with repetitive tasks, exchange comments between team members, and so on. In addition, the software cares about the security of free users and offers them two-factor authentication.
The application has a free version with somewhat limited functionality, which is enough for freelancers.
Insightly
The feature of this project management tool is that it allows for managing contacts, tasks, events, and resources. In addition, it integrates with the most popular collaboration services.
Insightly has a free version and a 14-day trial period for paid packages.
Monday.com
It is an excellent tool for freelancers with minimal budgets for operational processes. It also provides the ability to visualize processes in the form of charts and tables in one of its low сost packages, which for many looks pretty convenient. In addition, the service has more than 70 templates for tasks of various kinds. Prepared board templates greatly facilitate the work because they already have a thought-out logistic algorithm for managing many tasks.
Thanks to a simple, intuitive interface, it is easy to work in, and the mobile version allows you to work on a smartphone or tablet.
Notion
Notion is a great all-in-one program for individual freelancers, as it allows them to create tasks, notes, and a mood board for art.
The tool is completely free for individual use. However, a free limit of 1,000 blocks is available if you need to use it for teamwork. That’s enough to see if Notion is suitable for use.
Solo
Solo is a task manager literally made for freelancers. Because in addition to the standard features of many management software, Solo lets you view a list of deadlines, overdue invoices, invoicing projects, average hourly rate, and all major project data and then skip to the details of each aspect. You can send electronic invoices to your clients and view when they are due, overdue, or due to be sent. Turnover reports for the current year, month, or week are also available.
The program is available on iOs for $19 a month, which is not very cheap for freelancers, but it can provide a lot of helpful information for scaling.
TickTick
TickTick is an indispensable to-do list app for a freelancer who works on different platforms. The app also has a web version. Tasks are created quickly and intuitively. The subtasks have as many features as the tasks. The program’s main advantage is the distribution lists with the ability to output tasks from them to a common list of tasks. It helps to distinguish operational work issues, household chores, and long-term tasks.
The application has a free version and a “premium” version. Feature-wise, they are almost similar, and the free one is reasonably competent in its functionality.
ToDoist
It is the task manager with one of the broadest functionalities for freelancers. It is available as an app and a web service. In addition to the standard features for such applications, ToDoist has a recurring deadline feature for tasks. The user can create priorities and delegate tasks to performers. To make sure users remember the charges for the day, ToDoist will notify each of them. Graphs clearly show how productively the user spent his day/week. ToDoist highlights several types of services for integration: automation, communication, email, file management, scheduling, productivity, and time tracking.
ToDoist works on a subscription basis. There are three plans: Free, Premium, and Business.
Toggl Plan
It is a network solution for task scheduling, project planning, and team management. Tasks are created through a “drag-and-drop” interface, which is very convenient. Marking assignments as completed helps track progress and increases accountability in the team. Users can see all the tasks that need to be completed on a single project or get a simple overview of all the tasks that team members are working on. In addition, the Toggle Plan allows for project budgeting, risk management, and personal and team performance tracking. Conveniently, the service is available online and offline.
The free plan allows one to form a team of up to 5 people, create an unlimited number of projects, etc.
Wrike
Wrike allows the creation of conditions for cooperation with high interaction. The program has excellent usability, good logistics, and a friendly interface. It integrates with third-party services. Everything is intuitive. No extra clicks are required to perform the targeted action. Suitable for managing remote employees and freelancers. Wrike contains a network schedule and project reports. It allows setting reminders and logging task times.
The tool is available for free for novice teams. The free plan includes mobile and desktop versions, project management, and a Kanban board view. Paid plans include Team, Business, Enterprise, and Pinnacle.
Have you used any of these tools? What is your opinion please write in the comments.
Thanks to the advanced camera systems and even LiDARs nowadays in our smartphones Augmented reality is subtly blending into everyday consumer life; you can actually see how a new Ikea couch or Apple Homepod will look in your living room before you decide and buy one. Companies like Meta (formerly Facebook) are building an entirely new world using Virtual Reality termed Metaverse where you can create virtual office spaces to have real-time meetings with your colleagues, play a game of basketball and even attend concerts.
AR augments the real-world scene by adding layers on top of your real world, whereas VR creates completely immersive virtual environments that need VR goggles or headsets to experience it. Both of these technologies started as the next chapter of the gaming industry but quickly found their way into other applications like Fashion, Interior Designing, e-commerce, Architecture and Metaverse. You no longer have to visit a physical store to experience how a new jacket or pair of glasses will look on you or a theme park in Florida to enjoy a roller-coaster ride.
Download the Aspiring AR/VR Developer infographic here!
The choice of programming language matters deeply to developers because they want to keep their skills up-to-date and marketable. Programming Languages are a beloved subject of debate and the kernels of some of the strongest developer communities. They matter to toolmakers too, because they want to make sure they provide the most useful SDKs.
It can be hard to assess how widely used a programming language is. The indices available from players like Tiobe, Redmonk, Stack Overflow’s yearly survey, or GitHub’s State of the Octoverse are great, but offer mostly relative comparisons between languages, providing no sense of the absolute size of each community. They may also be biased geographically or skewed towards certain fields of software development or open-source developers.
The estimates we present here look at active software developers using each programming language; across the globe and all kinds of programmers. They are based on two pieces of data. First is our independent estimate of the global number of software developers, which we published for the first time in 2017. We estimate that, as of Q3 2022, there are 33.6 million active software developers worldwide.
Second is our large-scale, low-bias surveys which reach tens of thousands of developers every six months. In these surveys, we have consistently asked developers about their use of programming languages across 13 areas of development, giving us rich and reliable information about who uses each language and in which context.
JavaScript continues to be the largest language community
JavaScript remains the most popular programming language for the 11th survey in a row, with over 19.5M developers worldwide using it. Notably, the JavaScript community has been growing in size consistently for the past several years. Between Q3 2020 and Q3 2022, Javascript experienced a 59% increase as 7.3M developers joined the community – one of the highest growths in absolute terms across programming languages. Not only do new developers see it as an attractive entry-level language, but existing ones are also adding it to their skillset. JavaScript’s popularity extends across all sectors, with at least a quarter of developers in every sector using it.
Developers joined the JavaScript community in the last two years
In 2020, Python overtook Java as the second most widely used language and now counts nearly 17M developers in its community. Python has continued to show strong growth, having added about 8M net new developers over the last two years. The rise of data science and machine learning (ML) is a clear factor in Python’s growing popularity. To put this into perspective, about 63% of ML developers and data scientists report using Python. In comparison, less than 15% use R, the other language often associated with data science.
Java is one of the most important general-purpose languages and the cornerstone of the Android app ecosystem. Although it has been around for over two decades, it continues to experience strong growth. In the last two years, Java has almost doubled the size of its community, from 8.3M to 16.5M. For perspective, the global developer population grew about half as fast over the same period. Within the last year alone, Java has added 6.3M developers, the largest absolute growth of any language community. Our data suggest that Java’s growth is supported not only by the usual suspects, i.e. backend and mobile development but also by its rising adoption in AR/VR projects, likely due to Android’s popularity as an AV/VR platform.
The group of major, well-established programming languages is completed with C/C++ (12.3M), C# (10.6M), and PHP (8.9M). PHP has seen the slowest growth rate of all languages over the last year, growing just 22%, adding 1.6M net new developers. PHP is a common choice for cloud and web developers but has seen decreasing popularity, particularly amongst web developers where it has gone from the second most popular language in Q3 2021 behind JavaScript, to the fourth most popular in Q3 2022, with Python and Java becoming more popular choices.
C and C++ are core languages in embedded and IoT projects, for both on-device and application-level coding, but also in mobile and desktop development, which are sectors that attract 17.7M and 15.6M developers respectively. C#, on the other hand, has maintained its popularity among multiple different areas of software development, particularly among desktop and game developers. C/C++ added 4.3M net new developers in the last year and C# added 2.8M over the same period.
Rust and Kotlin continue their rise in popularity
We have previously identified Rust and Kotlin as two of the fastest-growing language communities and this continues to be the case. Rust has more than tripled in size in the past two years, from just 0.8M developers in Q3 2020 to 2.8M in Q3 2022. Rust has added 0.7M developers in the last six months alone and is close to overtaking Objective C to become the 11th largest language community. Rust has formed a strong community of developers who care about performance, memory safety, and security. As a result, it has seen increased adoption in IoT software projects, but also in desktop and game development, where Rust is desired for its ability to build fast and scalable projects.
Kotlin has also seen a large growth in the last two years, more than doubling in size from 2.3M in Q3 2020 to 6.1M in Q3 2022. As such, it went from the ninth to the seventh largest language community during this time, overtaking Swift and those using visual development tools. This growth can largely be attributed to Google’s decision in 2019 to make Kotlin its preferred language for Android development it is currently used by a fifth of mobile developers and is the second most popular language for mobile development. Despite Google’s preference for Kotlin, the inertia of Java means that, after three years, it is still the most popular language for mobile development.
Swift currently counts 4.2M developers and is the default language for development across all Apple platforms. This has led to a phase-out of Objective C (3M) from the Apple app ecosystem. However, Objective C has maintained its place among IoT developers and increasing adoption for on-device code, and AR/VR developers, leading to a similar increase in the number of Swift and Objective C developers in the last two years; 1.8M and 1.6M respectively.
The more niche languages – Go, Ruby, Dart, and Lua – are still much smaller, with less than 4M active developers each. Go and Ruby are important languages in backend development, but Go is the third fastest-growing language community and has added more than twice as many developers as Ruby in the last two years; 2.3M and 1.0M new developers, respectively. This is likely due to the fast development cycle it offers even though it is a compiled language.
Dart has seen steady growth in the last two years, predominantly due to the increasing adoption of the Flutter framework in mobile development, with 13% of mobile developers currently using Google’s language. Finally, Lua is among the fastest-growing language communities, mainly drawing in IoT, game, and AR/VR developers looking for a scripting alternative to low-level programming languages such as C and C++.
There is no longer a stage in the creation of artificial intelligence when the technology is in the experimental phase with minimal proof of concept. Organisations all over the globe are struggling with how to incorporate it into their culture and locate the appropriate individuals to lead artificial intelligence and machine learning initiatives because they are aware that it is a force that must be reckoned with.
According to research, sixty percent of Indian businesses are under the impression that Artificial Intelligence (AI) would have a disruptive effect on their industry over the next two to three years. According to a survey, the number of available positions in the fields of analytics and data science has increased by thirty percent between April 2021 and April 2022.
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and automated systems is opening up prospects for companies, the economy, and society.
Automation and artificial intelligence have been around for some time, but current technological advancements are expanding the capabilities of machines to perform more and more. According to the findings of our study, society needs these advancements to create value for companies, contribute to economic development, and make progress on some of the most challenging social issues that we face.
The rise of AI and new jobs
Although the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by AI, will continue to dramatically transform the world and the way we work and live, it is possible that AI may not result in a significant rise in employment. Instead, artificial intelligence will result in the creation of more employment than it eliminates via automation.
These newly generated positions will call for new skills, which in turn will entail considerable investments in upskilling and reskilling programs for both young people and adults. However, private companies and public administrations may – and are obligated to – collaborate to confront this transition and welcome the beneficial effects of AI on society.
According to the Global Artificial Intelligence Study conducted by the year 2030, AI would cause a software projected rise of $15.7 trillion, or 26 percent, in the total GDP of the world. The expansion of GDP will be driven by consumer spending to the tune of around sixty percent, with increased productivity accounting for approximately forty percent of the overall expansion.
Reskilling and Upskilling
For corporations and authorities to reap the advantages of AI in terms of productivity and profitability, they will need to work together on huge reskilling and upskilling initiatives. These projects will assist workers in retraining and preparing for new and upcoming employment opportunities.
Artificial intelligence can automate 3 percent of employment opportunities over the next few years. Increased digitalization brought about by COVID-19 may speed up this process. As artificial intelligence develops and becomes increasingly self-sufficient, thirty percent of all employment and forty-four percent of people with low levels of education will be in danger of being automated by the middle of the twenty-third century.
According to the World Economic Forum, during the next five years, almost half of all employees will need some kind of further training or retraining to be adequately prepared for changing and new employment opportunities. The fast speed of technological progress necessitates the development of new models for employee training to adequately prepare workers for a future dominated by AI.
The development of workers’ soft skills, which can’t be replicated by artificial intelligence, should be a priority for businesses. It seems probable that the importance of creative thinking, leadership and emotional intelligence will only continue to rise in our ever-changing world.
Since 2018, AI and IoT have managed to land in the top 3 on the list of Emerging Technology Top 10, and with valid reasons that showcase the strength of AI and IoT, alternatives are abundant SUCH helping businesses generate productivity improvements, end up saving time, and raise profits. In other words, AI and IoT are helping businesses create a better future.
Businesses seek managers who can embrace the power of artificial intelligence to make successful business choices that may reform ineffective business models and establish new ones that can have an oversized benefit as the competency of AI continues to rise. With proper training and appropriate programs applicants can make their career in AI may explore the concept of combining value creation and value appropriation in corporate CRM Development Company and changing current organizational procedures and offers.
Author Bio – Ethan Millar is a technical writer at Aegis Softtech especially for computer programming like Asp.net, Java, Big Data, Hadoop, dynamics AX, and CRM for more than 8 years. Also, have basic knowledge of Computer Programming.
The Developer Nation surveys are designed in a way that giving back to the community becomes an integral part of them. For each survey wave we run we donate 0.10$ to the favourite charities of our Developer Nation Community. The goal is to reach at least $2000 in donations.
During our 23rd Developer Nation global survey, we collected a total of 26,183 qualified responses, that means we were able to meet and surpass our goal by donating $2,618- and support the causes that you care about.
Though most of these organisations and NGOs are developer centric, helping people learn software development and grow in their career, we welcome more diversity in theorgs we are supporting . You can use the comments section below and add your suggestions.i
For the 23rd Developer Nation global survey, here is the list of organisations we donated to:
The mission of freeCodeCamp is to help people learn code for free. I’m personally a huge fan of the work they are doing and have myself learned quite a bit from there. A total of 7979 survey participants picked them for support so we were able to donate $798 to freeCodeCamp.
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom. A total of 5622 participants picked FSF, hence we were able to donate $562 to support their cause.
Women Who Code (WWCode) is an international nonprofit dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers. We donated $528 to help support the cause of this wonderful inclusive organisation. They have many local chapters around the world, so if you’re a woman who is trying to learn to code or find some mentorship, the Women Who Code community and local chapter is definitely a place to look for.
A non-profit organisation on a mission to develop and scaling technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. A much needed cause to support in order to sustain the ecological balance or marine ecosystems. Our developer community has enabled us to donate $470 to them.
Ada developer academy offers an immersive and intentional coding school prioritising community over competition. It’s very welcoming and inclusive and we were able to donate $261 for their cause.
It really feels great to give back to the community in a way that can help them further their noble cause and create a more sustainable ecosystem for everyone to live and thrive in.
We’re truly grateful to our community members who have enabled us to do this and without your survey participation it won’t be possible so we extend our thank you and promise to continue to do this in future.
The blockchain ecosystem has seen unprecedented growth with many companies now looking to hire Web3 developers with experience in cryptocurrency.
The web is undergoing dramatic changes. Of the latest changes is Web3, a new version of the internet, which is quickly expanding in size and popularity.
As it’s still a new idea, finding Web3 engineers is a tedious task. It’s mostly cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiast developers who are mastering this new form of the web, which is destined to change the internet in ways we have yet to understand.
Before we talk about how to hire Web3 developers, let’s talk about Web3 itself.
What is Web3?
Web3, unlike its predecessors, Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, is based on peer-to-peer (P2P) decentralized networks, such as blockchain.
Blockchain is a hallmark building block of cryptocurrency, and Web3 is a product of both. Web3 developers create apps that aren’t limited to a single cloud server but are instead distributed on a blockchain or decentralized P2P network that isn’t controlled by a central authority.
In simpler words, Web3 is similar to how most cryptocurrencies work based on the blueprint of Bitcoin.
How does this differ from the existing Web 2.0? While Web 2.0 is user-centric (most of the content is user-generated), Web3 has taken this approach to the next level by introducing more autonomy and keeping things more transparent and relatable. In Web3, computers are heavily involved in interpreting information on a human level.
Web3 has many additional attributes that distinguish it from Web 2.0 — it’s verifiable, self-governing, permissionless, distributed, stateless, and has built-in payment systems (cryptocurrency).
This lack of transparency and verification led to Web 2.0 containing too much content and information, most of which isn’t helpful for general users. Its security is also sub-par, which is why there are too many hackers today and a marked increase in identity theft and other cybercrimes.
Any application built on Web3 would be developed and owned by the users as they help create and maintain the app, earning their stake along the way. This is just how Bitcoin operates, as miners of the currency earn Bitcoins when they facilitate transactions through computing operations.
The apps on Web3 are called “dApps,” which is short for “decentralized applications.” You can expect to hear this term more often in the near future.
An effective Web3 developer is one who is familiar with the concept of Web3, is proficient in the relevant programming languages, and has the right tech stack to back their development work.
What Tech Stack Do Web3 Developers Use: Skills and Tools
The tech stack, or developer stack, refers to the technology or tools the developer uses and excels at. A good example is the MEAN stack, which is comprised of MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS/Angular, and Node.js.
For Web3, there’s a specific tech stack that the developer you’re hiring must use.
Web3 SDKs/dApps
The Web3 SDKs, or libraries, are essential for building any dApp. These libraries support the interaction with a blockchain, such as Ethereum, and conduct transactions.
The most important of these SDKs are web3.js, web3.py, and ethers.js. These are also linked with smart contracts, which are explained further below.
Cryptocurrency Wallets
If you’ve ever dabbled with cryptocurrency, you probably already know what a crypto wallet is. It holds your cryptocurrency and can be either a digital or hardware wallet. For Web3 applications, a wallet is required to facilitate transactions.
There’s a fee for the writing operations on the blockchain, which must be drawn from the wallet. For Web3, the developer can create an ETH (ethers) wallet using any of the common languages, such as Python, JavaScript, or Ruby. Alternatively, developers can use an existing wallet platform like MetaMask.
Nodes
Nodes make up the blockchain and retain a copy of it. These are also called Web3 providers for this reason, as the application’s connectivity with the blockchain hinges on these nodes. Without these nodes, dApp cannot communicate with the smart contracts.
The most commonly used provider is QuickNode, which provides a global network of nodes powered by speedy operations.
Smart Contracts
In the crypto world, smart contracts are pieces of code that live on the blockchain. Written in Solidity, these cannot be altered or mutated. This code runs when the conditions for it to run are met.
This automates the workflow when the participants of the blockchain confirm an outcome. These smart contracts (pioneered by Ethereum) also helped give Ethereum the edge over Bitcoin in terms of transaction speed.
Web3 Developer Salaries
The average yearly salaries for Web3 developers can vary greatly depending on what you’re hiring them for. Here’s an overview of the most popular Web3 expert roles and their salaries.
Blockchain Developer
According to ZipRecruiter, the average yearly salary for a blockchain developer is $154,550 or $74 per hour. Note that this average is mostly drawn from larger companies. If you add smaller companies and startups into the mix, the average yearly salary drops to $80,000 per year.
Since the term “blockchain developer” is a broad descriptor, the associated salaries tend to vary. In general, there are two types of blockchain developers: blockchain software developers and core blockchain developers.
Blockchain software developers: Blockchain software developers are responsible for creating applications based on blockchain protocol and architecture. One of their main duties is to create smart contracts, which are programs stored on a blockchain that automatically run when conditions are met. Small contracts are usually used to automate workflows and agreement execution so every participant will immediately know the outcome.
They also create decentralized applications (dApps) that run on the blockchain, making them comparable with web developers, who use web architects’ design and protocol to create web applications. Additionally, these software developers are responsible for the front-end and back-end development of dApps and supervising the stack that runs them.
Core blockchain developers: These blockchain developers are responsible for creating the architecture, design, and security of the blockchain system. They also:
Design the blockchain protocols
Design security patterns and consensus protocols for the network
Supervise the entire blockchain network
Despite their differences, both types of blockchain developers require a similar skill set. Here are the main blockchain developer hard skills you should look for when hiring a blockchain developer for your team:
Cryptography: Cryptography is the study of blockchain protocols that prevent unauthorised and unwanted parties from accessing your data. A popular concept in cryptography is public-key cryptography, which forms the backbone of cryptocurrency transactions. Another hot topic is cryptographic hashing, which transforms cleartext passwords into enciphered text for storage. This slows down threat actors since they’ll have to decipher these hash values if they want to exploit the passwords.
Data structures: Every blockchain developer needs to have extensive knowledge of data structures. This is because blockchain networks consist of data structures.
Blockchain architecture: Blockchain developers need to know what ledgers are, how smart contracts work, and what consensus is. They should also be familiar with all four types of blockchain architecture: consortium, private, public, and hybrid.
Web development: Blockchain developers should also know how to develop and create web apps, particularly if they’re blockchain software developers.
A variety of programming languages: Finally, your blockchain developer should have experience with at three or more of the following programming languages:
Like the rest of the roles on this list, blockchain developers need the following soft skills:
Commitment to and passion for the Web3 landscape
Interest in learning more about blockchain technologies
Client and project management skills
The ability to meet deadlines ahead of time
The ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams
Solidity Developer
The average base salary for a Solidity developer is $127,500 per year. Remote Solidity developers can earn up to an average of $145,000 per year, depending on which company they’re working for.
Solidity developers use the Solidity language to create and deploy smart contracts on Ethereum-based apps. The syntax of Solidity is similar to C and Javascript, so developers who already know those languages can quickly learn Solidity. Compared to other languages, Solidity offers multiple benefits, such as:
Statically typed programming
Accessibility to JavaScript debuggers, infrastructures, and other tools
Preciseness
With Solidity, developers can craft applications with self-enforcing business logic in smart contracts, creating a non-repeatable record of transactions. Solidity also supports libraries, a complex user-defined type, and inheritance. Thus, it’s a good choice for creating contracts for crowdfunding, voting, multi-signature wallets, and blind auctions.
Solidity developers are usually responsible for:
Integrating Solidity code across various platforms
Managing the full lifecycle of blockchain development
Ensuring blockchain integration with existing applications
Building smart contracts and ensuring that all timelines and expectations are met for finished smart contracts
Reviewing smart contracts for security and functionality
Supervising web services that use blockchain technology
Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and product managers to discover new ideas for smart contract development
Assessing technical reviews of proposed solutions
Analyzing usage and transaction statistics to pinpoint and prioritize areas for improvement
Besides having a deep knowledge of Solidity and blockchains, Solidity developers should also have the following hard skills:
Blockchain technology, especially Ethereum blockchain
Strong background in Javascript, C, C++
Knowledge of AngularJS, React JS, and Ember JS
Portfolio experience with Ethereum testnet and mainnet
CSS/HTML/JS/React for application binary interface (ABI) integration
Experience with RESTful APIs
Experience with staking protocol implementation for liquidity pair and single-token staking
Familiar with different ways to deploy smart contracts, such as Remix, Truffle suite, and Hardhat
Experienced in staking implementing and test-driven development (TDD)
Knowledge of libraries, data structures, blockchain architecture, web development, and smart contracts
Smart Contract Developer
According to Glassdoor, the average annual salary of a smart contract developer in San Francisco, CA, is $94,674 with an average additional cash compensation of $20,950.
As their name suggests, smart contract developers are responsible for developing smart contracts for blockchain platforms. They use various programming languages, such as Solidity and Vyper, to create smart contracts, which, as we covered above, are blockchain programs that automatically run when conditions are met.
Unlike blockchain software developers who create dApps as well as smart contracts, smart contract developers are only responsible for designing and building smart contracts architecture and related tasks. As such, they have fewer responsibilities and lower salaries.
Here’s what they’re typically responsible for:
Designing, building, and deploying smart contracts architecture, yield pools, incentive structures, and strategies
Working with smart contract auditors and the rest of your IT team to implement fixes
Create, implement, and test smart contract additions and upgrades
Explore and research smart contract design implications
Most companies require smart contract developers to have the following hard skills:
Over four years of full-stack web development (client-facing apps and APIs)
Programming languages such as Solidity, NodeJS, and JavaScript
Cryptography
Experience in creating, developing, deploying, and testing smart contracts for all four blockchain architectural types
Experience with patterns that will make their Solidity code more readable and improve performance, such as:
Oracles
Pull over Push
Eternal Storage
Tight Variable Packing
Guard Check
Emergency Stop
The ability to write secure code that prevents threat actors from taking over contracts
Optimization of smart contracts
User experience (UX)
Rust Developer
There’s a lot of variation in the salaries of Rust developers.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average Rust developer earns $91,709 per year or $44 per hour. However, in certain major cities, the average salary of Rust developers is higher. For instance, the annual average salary of a rust developer in San Francisco, CA, is $106,131 with an average additional cash compensation of $11,867.
Rust developers are responsible for coding and developing web browsers, blockchain platforms and projects, servers and systems software, and operating systems in the Rust programming language. They may also be responsible for testing, debugging, and ensuring the security and safety of the systems, software, and platforms they develop.
Additional duties may include:
Collaborating with customers, management, and relevant departments to pinpoint end-user specifications and requirements
Analyzing user feedback to boost software performance
Creating technical documentation
Like Solidity, Rust is a popular language that has a wide range of Web3 applications. It’s particularly popular due to its use in the Solana blockchain, a potential competitor to Ethereum as the leading platform for dApps. As of March 2022, Solana is currently ranked ninth in market value on CoinMarketCap, making it the highest-ranked blockchain platform that uses Rust.
Most companies require Rust developers to have the following skills:
C++, since the Rust language is similar to it
Other programming languages such as Golang, Python, Java, Node.js, and React.js
Knowledge and experience with secure coding practices
Experience with network programming skills and multi-threaded programming
Familiarity with solana-web3.js, Solana’s official SDK (Rust developers use this SDK to develop Solana dApps)
The ability to create and launch Programs, which are the Solana equivalent of smart contracts
Experience with specific operating systems such as Android or Linux
Experience with certain databases, such as MongoDB and Apache CouchDB
Many organisations also prefer to hire Rust programmers who have at least three to five years of Rust coding experience since it’s a difficult language to master.
According to the Rust Survey of 2019, most Rust programmers rated their expertise as 7 out of 10 or below, even though over 68% of them wrote Rust code weekly. Additionally, 22% of Rust users indicated that they didn’t feel productive while coding Rust and the steep learning curve was the second most common reason for not using Rust on some projects.
As such, it’s important to get a good idea of how familiar and comfortable your potential hire is at Rust. Give them a few test assignments and make sure that they know how to create, test, and debug the programs and apps you want them to create.
Where to Find Web3 Developers
Whether you’re looking to hire Web3 developers for a long-term project or a small gig, knowing where you can find the best talent for this specific set of skills can substantially cut down your search time.
Web3, like cryptocurrency in its early days, is driving impressive innovation. It’s an excellent opportunity to be a part of the blockchain ecosystem and help formulate the future of the web.
Unless you live in a tech hub where you can find talent locally, it’s probably easiest to hire remote developers. Here are the best places to find these developers and Web3 engineers:
Crypto Job Boards
Even while talking about something as cutting edge as Web3, you may find the age-old approach of searching job boards to be quite convenient. However, you’ll want to choose a job board that’s known for harboring blockchain and crypto developers.
There are several recruitment websites that focus solely on crypto-related jobs. You can increase your chances of finding the right person by posting the position on more than one of these platforms.
LinkedIn is another online job board, but it’s also a social media platform. Many startups begin their talent scouting here.
Not only do you have the opportunity to post Web3 development jobs on LinkedIn, but you can also search for professionals with experience by viewing the profiles of prospective employees. Profiles present workers’ skills, experience, and education, and if you like someone, you can communicate with them directly on the website or app.
While LinkedIn is an excellent place to find a developer, it also provides a great platform for promoting your business, especially if you’re looking for financing. It offers opportunities to show off the talent you hire as well, to make your venture appear even more valuable.
Talent Marketplaces
Online talent marketplaces are another viable option when searching for Web3 developers. These usually have both remote workers and freelancers, so you’ll first need to figure out exactly the kind of worker you need.
Do you want a permanent member of the team? Do you want a contractual freelancer? These are serious considerations. For example, for long-haul collaboration, you’d likely want the developer to be an employee of the company.
There’s nothing wrong with going with a freelance developer, provided this kind of relationship meets your needs and you can find someone suitable. But if you’re looking to embed developers in your team and hire them permanently, Revelo is an excellent place to start. You’ll be connected with top-notch remote talent specializing in Web3 engineering or development, or whatever technology you need to grow your business.
One of the most significant benefits of using Revelo is that the developers are pre-screened, so the skills and experience they list on their profile are what you’ll get. Therefore, there’s no need to confirm their experience — you can just move along with the interviewing process.
How to Hire Web3 Developers
You probably don’t want to spend endless hours reviewing resume after resume and conducting dozens of interviews. At the same time, you also don’t want to miss out on good talent by overlooking their applications.
To help you pick out the best from the rest, here are some examples of job postings and some guidelines for the interviews themselves.
If you find hiring daunting, don’t worry — hiring developers doesn’t require the formal interviews, group discussions, or IQ tests that many big corporations use. If you’re all for decentralization anyway, you might as well do things a little differently than more centralized corporations.
Web3 Developer Job Post Example
The first thing you need to nail is the job post itself. Whether you choose to go with a job board, LinkedIn, or a talent marketplace, you’ll need to define the position you’re offering.
This is important because, believe it or not, many recruiters and contractors end up using the wrong terms in their posts or adding too much detail. This can cause candidates to overlook the most important requirements of the position. In these cases, you’ll end up with irrelevant resumes and often too many of them to sift through.
When you’re looking to hire Web3 developers, the post should be direct. It should address that you’re looking for a blockchain developer who specialises in Web3 development and has the right tech stack to support it.
Ideally, you would want people with experience working with blockchain to apply. So, make a list of the relevant keywords to put in your post. Those keywords will also help the post rank better on search engines, so anyone who types those keywords will see your job posting.
To help you write an immaculate job post to hire Web3 programmer, here is an example:
“We are looking for a passionate and experienced Web3 developer to help us build our project XYZ.
Our ideal candidate is someone with experience developing blockchain-based applications, especially those for Web3 (dApps). They should be aware of and use the latest technologies in crypto, blockchain, and Web3 development. With collaborative energy and willingness to learn, the right candidate will readily communicate with and assist other team members on the project.
Necessary Qualifications:
Experience with blockchain development
Experience with Solidity and dApp development
Basic knowledge of front-end development of dApps to bridge the gap between the complex blockchain and usable Web 2.0–based interface
Ability to work remotely and collaborate with the team when necessary
Responsibilities
Help create scalable applications with Ethereum blockchain
Analyse and solve problems in the development phase
Communicate and collaborate with back-end and front-end teams
Develop and optimise smart contracts
Help document the development process of the blockchain and dApps
Optimise development and implementation
Adopt best practices for Web3 and blockchain development”
You can follow this layout or create your own based on this sample structure:
Begin by briefly introducing your company or the idea of the project without giving too much away, especially if you’ve come up with a new idea.
Then, talk about what the ideal candidate should have, including the desired skills and qualifications. Don’t be too general with these but try to be straightforward. Keep in mind that Web3 is relatively new, so asking for 5 or 10 years of specific experience may be unreasonable and limit who applies. This could cause you to miss out on exceptionally qualified candidates.
Consider adding a pay rate or range in the job posting. This transparency will ensure that neither you nor the candidates waste time with interviews or application materials if your expectations are drastically different.
Lastly, list the responsibilities that the developer will have. Include both technical and non-technical responsibilities that you’ll expect of a new hire.
Remember that a clearer job description will attract more relevant applicants.
Web3 Developer Interviews
Once you have shortlisted the candidates, you can begin setting up interviews. You already established during your initial review that they meet the requirements you defined in the job post. Now, it’s time to get to know them a bit better.
You’ll most likely be conducting the interview remotely via a web meeting tool, like Zoom.
It’s always a good idea to formulate your interview questions beforehand. You should write down your most significant concerns with hiring Web3 engineers and keep each candidate’s resume handy either in paper format or on your computer screen.
Ask them how they plan on working remotely, especially if they are located in a different region with a significant time zone difference. Discuss the communication tools and methods of your team and whether they have any experience with those.
Make sure to formulate these discussions and concerns into a set of questions and create a smooth flow. For example, consider dividing the interview into technical and non-technical sections. However, it’s not necessary to stick to your script. If you think of something during the interview, you can go ahead and ask and come back to your pre-written questions after.
Lastly, discuss their salary or pay expectations. Do they prefer to be paid hourly, annually, or by the project?
Here are some sample questions you can use in your interviews:
How do you think Web3 is different from the previous versions of the web?
What blockchain projects have you been part of? What was your role?
What Web3 development tools and technology have you used before?
What coding languages are you experienced in?
How do you respond to feedback from other team members?
What testing methods do you use for your code?
What is your preferred mode of communication?
Don’t forget to keep the mood light and friendly!
Web3 Coding Challenges
No matter how well the interview went and how experienced the candidate claims to be, it all comes down to their skill.
To measure and confirm their level of knowledge and experience in Web3 development, you should conduct several small coding challenges. These can be presented to the candidates in written form or as video presentations to explain the purpose of the assignment. The task shouldn’t be longer than an hour unless you plan to pay them for their time.
If you’re hiring a developer to carry out different coding tasks, you should create different coding challenges, each dealing with a specific need of your project — for example, creating nodes, writing smart contracts, or developing the front end of a Web3 application.
Another popular approach to coding challenges is pair programming. In these tests, two developers work together on a problem, either in person or remotely. This is a great way to test their technical skills and their team and communication skills. The code wouldn’t be written by both of the developers, however. One would formulate the code or define the approach, while the other would actually write it. You can reverse the roles for a second test.
Here are some tips for developing coding challenges:
Utilise problems related to your project. You want to see the developers working in the context of your application. You should take a problem related to your project and present it as a challenge to see how the candidate might benefit your team.
Focus on the process, not the result. When examining the coding challenge results, don’t just look at whether they solved the problem. Even if they didn’t quite find the solution, their results can help you get to know how they work and whether they have the potential to learn more.
Use the same challenge. For a single job posting, use the same coding challenge to see how different candidates compare. However, don’t reuse the test once you’ve hired someone successfully.
Create from scratch. It’s best to create the challenge yourself, using a real problem related to your project. Pre-designed coding tests may not provide the best outcome, and many times the solutions have been published online, which defeats the purpose of testing. If you’re not a developer yourself, consider asking your current developers, especially those responsible for testing, to create these tests for you.
Conclusion
Hiring Web3 developers is not difficult if you search in the right places, conduct the interviews effectively, and design a solid coding test. Even if you believe a candidate is not seasoned, you can always train them. However, they should have the drive to learn more.
Revelo can solve your talent hunting issues by presenting some of the best developers from Latin America to become an integral part of your team and take your Web3 project to the next level. Contact Revelo and get matched with vetted developers within 3 days.
Personality theories provide a blueprint for understanding why people behave the way they do. In the latest edition of our State of the Developer Nation 22nd Edition – Q1 2022, we incorporated a measure of the widely accepted ‘Big Five’ personality dimensions. We did this in order to better understand the personality traits of software developers. Here, we share some of our findings on developer personalities. Our aim is to discuss how this kind of information can help to support interactions with developers.
Personality measures are a powerful tool for understanding people’s preferences and behaviours. Software teams need diversity not only in terms of skills, experience, and knowledge, but also require a variety of personalities. This will help teams collaborate effectively on complex and challenging projects.
The Ten-Item Personality Inventory
We used the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) methodology in order to measure the ‘Big Five’ personality dimensions. These dimensions are: emotional stability, extraversion, openness to experiences, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The TIPI method is well-suited for situations where short measures are required. The results have been shown to have good alignment with other widely used Big Five measures1. Although more comprehensive and accurate personality measures than TIPI exist, they typically require an entire survey to themselves.
The TIPI method presents respondents with ten pairs of personality traits and asks them to rate how strongly these traits apply to them. Below, we show responses to these items for over 12,000 developers. We find that developers, in general, see themselves as complex and open to new experiences (86% agree or strongly agree that this applies to them), dependable and self-disciplined (79%), calm and emotionally stable (76%), and sympathetic and warm (74%).
Diving deeper into the TIPI data allows us to identify more specific personality types within the general developer population. We collapsed these ten items into five distinct measures, one for each of the Big Five personality dimensions. For example, statements about being ‘sympathetic, warm’ and ‘critical, quarrelsome’ combine to give an overall measure of agreeableness. We then derived a score for each developer on each of the five dimensions. This helped us identify the developer personalities at the polar ends of each dimension, e.g. labelling those who are at the top end of the agreeableness scale as ‘agreeable’ and those at the bottom end as ‘disagreeable’.
Finally, we segmented all developers into a set of distinct personality types. We did this by using the personality labels that they had been assigned as inputs to our segmentation algorithms.
Approximately 8% of all developers differ from the aforementioned group. They showcase a higher level of openness to experiences – often related to intellectual curiosity. These software developers have personality traits that suggest they are likely to investigate new tools and technologies. They are also more likely to stay up to date with the cutting edge of technology.
The Five Developer Personalities
The following charts show the characteristics of five example developer personalities revealed within our data. A well-rounded, ‘balanced’ personality type accounts for 52% of the developer population. These are developers who sit firmly at the centre of each dimension. They are neither introverted nor extroverted, highly agreeable nor disagreeable, emotionally unstable nor lacking emotion, etc.
5% of developers fit a ‘responsible and cooperative’ personality type. These developers score highly in conscientiousness, openness to experiences, and agreeableness in comparison to the majority of developers. Increased conscientiousness often relates to setting long-term goals and planning routes to achieve them, e.g being career-driven. Higher scores for openness to experiences reflects a preference for creativity and flexibility rather than repetition and routine. Our data backs this up. These developers are more receptive to personal development-related vendor resources. For example, 35% engage with seminars, training courses, and workshops compared to 25% of ‘balanced’ developers. Their high scores for agreeableness also correlate with greater engagement with community offerings. For example 23% attend meetup events compared with 17% of ‘balanced’ developers.
5% of developers conform to an ‘achievement-driven and emotionally stable’ profile. As with the previous personality type, they are conscientious and open to experiences. However, they score much higher in terms of emotional stability but slightly lower in terms of agreeableness. Developers who score high in emotional stability react less emotionally. For example they favour data over opinions. Lower agreeableness can be a useful trait for making objective decisions, free from the obligation of pleasing others.
We also find a segment of developers with an ‘introverted and unreliable’ profile. They indicate that they are less involved in social activities, disorganised, closed to new experiences, and less agreeable than other developers. Fortunately, these developers, who are likely hard to reach and engage in new activities and communities, are a very small minority, at 2% of all developers.
Developer Personalities, Roles and Content Preferences
Finally, we show how the characteristics of these developer personalities vary, in terms of both associations with developer roles and the kinds of information and content that they consume. Developers in the ‘balanced’ profile are most likely to have ‘programmer/ developer’ job titles. However, those who fit the ‘responsible and cooperative’ profile are disproportionately more likely to occupy creative (e.g UX designer) roles. This aligns with their increased creativity/openness, and senior CIO/CTO/IT manager positions, reflecting their self-discipline and achievement striving.
Those who are ‘achievement-driven and emotionally stable’ are less likely than other personality types to have ‘programmer/developer’ job titles, but disproportionately more likely to be data scientists, machine learning (ML) developers, or data engineers. They tend to deal mainly in facts and data rather than opinions and emotions. Those in the ‘introverted and unreliable’ profile are more likely to have test/QA engineer and system administrator job titles than those in other personality types.
When it comes to where developers go to find information and stay up to date, perhaps unsurprisingly, the ‘introverted and unreliable’ personality type uses the fewest information sources overall, affirming that they are a difficult group to engage via community-focussed events and groups. However, their use of social media is in line with other personality types, suggesting that this may be a suitable channel for catching the attention of this hard-to-reach group.
Both of the high-conscientiousness and high-openness personality types use the widest range of information sources overall, however, those who are more cooperative are considerably more likely to turn to social media for information about software development (53% of the ‘responsible and cooperative’ type vs. 44% of the ‘achievement-driven and emotionally stable’ type).
‘Intellectually curious’ developers are the most likely to make use of official vendor resources and open source communities. Hence, the audience that vendors reach via these resources may be slightly more keen to experience new products and offerings, than the typical ‘balanced’ developer.
What’s Next with Developer Personalities
We just began to scratch the surface of developers’ personality profiles. The personality types we have shown are indicative of just a few of the differences that exist among developers. By capturing this kind of data, we’ve opened the door for more extensive profiling and persona building, along with a deeper analysis of how the many other developer behaviours and preferences that we track align with personality traits. If you’re interested in learning more about developer personalities and how this can help you to reach out to developers, then we’re very excited to see how our data can support you.
