Learn these Highest-Paying Programming Languages to Boost Your IT Career

Programming languages are formal means of communication that enable individuals to write instructions or code that a computer can comprehend and execute. These languages consist of syntax, rules, and semantics that define how computer programs should be written and interpreted.

There are 3 broad categories of programming languages i.e., low-level, high-level, and domain-specific language. Let us understand these language families:

• Low-Level Languages
  Low-level languages are programming languages that are closer to the hardware and can interact directly with the computer's physical components, such as the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and memory. These languages are often referred to as machine languages or assembly languages and are used to write programs that can be directly executed by the computer's hardware. Low-level languages are typically used in system-level programs, such as operating systems, device drivers, and firmware.
   
• High-Level Languages
  High-level languages are programming languages that abstract away the complexities of the computer's hardware and provide a more intuitive and user-friendly way to write programs. These languages are designed to be more readable and easier to learn than low-level languages. For example: C, C++, Python, etc.
   
• Domain-Specific Languages
  Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs) are programming languages that are designed for a specific domain or task. Unlike general-purpose programming languages, which can be used for a wide range of applications, DSLs are tailored to a specific set of requirements or use cases. DSLs are typically easier to learn and use than general-purpose programming languages since they are designed specifically for a particular industry or application. For example, SQL is a DSL used for working with databases, and HTML and CSS are DSLs used for web development.

According to a recent report by Burning Glass Technologies, which analyzes job postings across the United States, nearly 70% of the top IT jobs require proficiency in multiple programming languages. In addition, the report found that job postings for positions that require proficiency in more than one programming language grew by 68% between 2015 and 2020. This growth was particularly strong in fields such as data science and cybersecurity, where the ability to work with multiple programming languages is increasingly important.

Furthermore, a survey conducted by Stack Overflow in 2020 found that nearly 60% of professional developers worldwide use 3 or more programming languages regularly, highlighting the importance of polyglot programming skills in the industry.

A polyglot developer is somebody who has mastery in numerous programming dialects and can work flawlessly across various programming ideal models and structures. In the technology industry, polyglot programmers are highly sought after due to their capacity to quickly learn new technologies, adapt to varying project requirements, and contribute a diverse set of skills to a team.

Due to the need for developers to work across a variety of platforms and devices and the rapid pace of technological change, polyglot programmers are in great demand. In addition, a lot of businesses are searching for developers who are capable of working on intricate projects that involve a variety of technologies and programming languages.

Companies that place a high value on adaptability and flexibility in their development teams look for polyglot programmers. They are frequently hired for senior positions or specialized roles that necessitate an in-depth comprehension of numerous frameworks, tools, programming languages, and languages of their own design.

Here are 5 major reasons why being a polyglot programmer can be a career-defining move for an individual:

• Versatility
  Learning multiple programming languages allows individuals to be versatile in their skills and to be able to adapt to different project requirements. By being proficient in multiple languages, developers can easily switch between projects or tasks, making them valuable assets to companies that require flexibility and adaptability.
   
• Career Opportunities
  Having proficiency in multiple programming languages can increase an individual's career opportunities. Companies that are looking for skilled developers often prefer those with knowledge and experience in multiple languages, as it shows the developer's versatility and ability to adapt to different projects and environments.
   
• Better Problem-Solving
  Learning multiple programming languages exposes individuals to different programming paradigms, concepts, and techniques, which can lead to better problem-solving skills. By understanding different approaches to problem-solving, developers can find innovative solutions to complex problems, making them more valuable to their employers.
   
• Knowledge Transfer
  Knowledge of multiple programming languages can facilitate knowledge transfer between different teams and projects. Developers who are proficient in multiple languages can work on projects that use different languages and frameworks, and they can help other team members learn new languages and technologies.
   
• Keeping Up with Technology
  Technology is constantly evolving, and new programming languages and frameworks are being developed all the time. By learning multiple programming languages, individuals can stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends in the industry, and position themselves as valuable assets.

Let us understand different families of programming languages and their corresponding salaries:

Object-Oriented Programming Languages

These are programming languages that use the principles of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) that represent real-world concepts as objects that have attributes and behaviors. One such language is Python, which is the most demanding programming language in India. Other examples of popular OOP languages include Java, C++, Ruby, PHP, Swift, and Objective-C. These languages are widely used in various industries such as software development, web development, mobile app development, and game development, among others. 
 

• In the USA, the average salary for an OOP developer ranges from $80,000- $140,000 per year, with Java developers earning an average salary of $100,000 per year and C# developers earning an average salary of $110,000 per year.
   
• The average salary for an OOP developer ranges from £35,000-£65,000 per year, with Java developers earning an average salary of £45,000 per year and C# developers earning an average salary of £55,000 per year. 
   
• In India, the average salary for an OOP developer ranges from  ₹3,00,000-₹2,00,000 per year, with Java developers earning an average salary of ₹6,00,000 per year and C# developers earning an average salary of ₹7,50,000 per year.
  
  OOP Language Courses Available on Careervira
  • Complete Java 9 Masterclass- Beginner to Expert by Eduonix
  • Python Fundamentals by Corporate Finance Institute (CFI)
  • Coding for Everyone: C and C++ Specialization by Coursera

Scripting Languages

These languages are designed to simplify repetitive tasks, typically used in a variety of applications, such as web development, system administration, and automation of software processes. Unlike traditional programming languages, scripting languages are often interpreted rather than compiled. Examples of popular scripting languages include Python, Perl, Ruby, JavaScript, and PHP, and without a doubt, JavaScript is one of the highest-paid programming languages.
 

• In the USA, the average salary for a scripting language developer ranges from $70,000 to $120,000 per year, with JavaScript developers earning an average salary of $90,000 per year and PHP developers earning an average salary of $80,000 per year.
   
• In the UK, the average salary for a scripting language developer ranges from £30,000 to £60,000 per year, with JavaScript developers earning an average salary of £40,000 per year and PHP developers earning an average salary of £35,000 per year. 
   
• In India, the average salary for a scripting language developer ranges from  ₹2,50,000- ₹10,00,000 per year, with JavaScript developers earning an average salary of ₹5,50,000 per year and PHP developers earning an average salary of ₹4,50,000 per year.
  
  JavaScript and Ruby Courses on Careervira 
  • JavaScript by Guvi
  • Ruby Fundamentals by QuickStart

Functional Programming Languages

Functional programming languages are a type of programming language that emphasize the use of functions to solve problems. Unlike imperative programming languages that use statements to change the state of the program, functional programming languages rely on the evaluation of expressions to create values. Functional programming languages also have features such as immutability, higher-order functions, recursion, and pattern matching. Some examples of functional programming languages include Haskell, Lisp, ML, Erlang, F#, and Scala which is also a programming language in demand.
 

• In the USA, the average salary for a functional programming language developer ranges from $90,000-$150,000 per year, with Haskell developers earning an average salary of $120,000 per year and Scala developers earning an average salary of $130,000 per year.
   
• In the UK, the average salary for a functional programming language developer ranges from £40,000-£70,000 per year, with Haskell developers earning an average salary of £55,000 per year and Scala developers earning an average salary of £65,000 per year.
   
• In India, the average salary for a functional programming language developer ranges from ₹3,00,000-₹12,00,000 per year, with Haskell developers earning an average salary of  ₹7,00,000 per year and Scala developers earning an average salary of ₹9,50,000 per year.
  
  Functional Programming Language Courses on Careervira
  • Haskell Fundamentals Part 1 by Pluralsight
  • Scala Programming for Data Science in Collaboration with IBM by DataTrained

Database Programming Languages

These are specialized programming languages used to manage and manipulate data stored in a database. These languages are used to create, modify, and retrieve data from a database, and to perform other database management tasks such as data modeling, database design, and query optimization. Some popular database programming languages include SQL (Structured Query Language), PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language), T-SQL (Transact-SQL), and NoSQL (Not Only SQL) languages such as MongoDB's query language and Cassandra Query Language (CQL).
 

• In the USA, the average salary for a database programming language developer ranges from $75,000-$120,000 per year, with SQL developers earning an average salary of $90,000 per year and Oracle developers earning an average salary of $110,000 per year.
   
• In UK, database programming language developers earn in the range from £35,000- £60,000 per year, with SQL developers earning an average salary of £45,000 per year and Oracle developers earning an average salary of £55,000 per year. 
   
• In India, the average salary for a database programming language developer ranges from ₹2,50,000- ₹10,00,000 per year, with SQL developers earning an average salary of ₹4,50,000 per year and Oracle developers earning an average salary of ₹8,00,000 per year.
  
  Database Language Courses on Careervira
  • PostgreSQL for Everybody Specialization by Coursera
  • MongoDB by Guvi
  • SQL Fundamentals by Corporate Finance Institute (CFI)

Markup Languages

These are used to annotate text documents with additional information about the structure and presentation of the content. Markup languages use tags to indicate how text should be displayed, organized, and formatted. Examples of markup languages include HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), XML (Extensible Markup Language), and LaTeX. Markup languages provide a standardized way of representing data and content, which can be easily processed by computers and displayed in different formats.
 

• In the USA, the average salary for a markup language developer ranges from $60,000- $100,000 per year, with HTML/CSS developers earning an average salary of $70,000 per year and XML developers earning an average salary of $85,000 per year.
   
• Markup language developers range from £25,000-£50,000 per year in the UK, with HTML/CSS developers earning an average salary of £30,000 per year and XML developers earning an average salary of £40,000 per year. 
   
• In India, the average salary for a markup language developer ranges from ₹2,00,000- 8,00,000 per year, with HTML/CSS developers earning an average salary of ₹3,50,000 per year and XML developers earning an average salary of ₹6,50,000 per year.
  
  Markup Language Courses on Careervira
  • Basic HTML 5 by One Education
  • XML Fundamentals by Pluralsight

Systems Programming Languages

These are programming languages that are used to develop system-level software, including operating systems, device drivers, firmware, and other low-level applications. These languages are typically designed to have direct access to computer hardware and memory, allowing developers to write highly optimized, efficient code that can interact with the system at a low level. Examples of popular system programming languages include C, C++, Rust, Assembly language, and Ada.
 

• In the USA, the average salary for a system programming language developer ranges from $90,000-$150,000 per year, with C and C++ developers earning an average salary of $120,000 per year and Rust developers earning an average salary of $130,000 per year, one of the highest paying programming jobs.
   
• In the UK, system programming language developer’s salary ranges from £40,000-£70,000 per year, with C and C++ developers earning an average salary of £55,000 per year and Rust developers earning an average salary of £65,000 per year in the UK. 
   
• In India, the average salary for a system programming language developer ranges from ₹3,00,000-₹12,00,000 per year, with C and C++ developers earning an average salary of  ₹7,00,000 per year and Rust developers earning an average salary of ₹9,50,000 per year.
  
  Assembly Programming Courses on Careervira
  • Assembly Programming For All Platforms by One Education

(Note: The numbers mentioned are just for reference. The salary of a person can depend on a variety of factors, including their level of education, years of experience, skills, job title, industry, location, and company size.)

It is very important we know which job role in the IT industry requires which programming language. We have listed a few most sought-after IT professions and the language stack they mostly use

Front-End Developer

They use:

• HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) to structure the content of a web page
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to style the content of a web page
• JavaScript to add interactivity and functionality to a web page
• Frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular

HTML and CSS are also two languages that most developers learn for their beginner programming projects, or website projects. 

Back-end Developer

They use:

• Java, which is one of the most useful web application programming language, is used for enterprise-level applications
• Python for web development and data science
• Ruby for web development and building web applications
• PHP for building dynamic web pages
• Node.js for building scalable, real-time applications
• Frameworks like Django (Python), Ruby on Rails (Ruby), Laravel (PHP), and Spring (Java)
• Databases like PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra

Full-Stack Developer

Full-stack developers have knowledge of both front-end and back-end development and use a combination of all the above-mentioned languages.

Mobile/Android App Developer

They use:

• Java a primary programming language that is easy to learn and write
• Kotlin a statically-typed language that is more concise and expressive than Java Developers use it alongside Java in their Android projects
• XML, a markup language, used for creating the user interface of Android applications 
• Android SDK that provides tools and libraries needed to create Android applications
• Gradle, a build automation tool, that is used to manage dependencies and build Android applications

Game Developer

They use:

• C++ for developing game engines, core game logic, and other performance-critical components
• C# for game development like scripting, game logic, and user interfaces 
• Java, which provides a high level of abstraction and allows for easy cross-platform development
• Python for game development, including scripting, artificial intelligence, and data analysis
• Lua, a lightweight scripting language, for scripting game logic and events.
• JavaScript to create interactive interfaces and animations.

Data Analyst/Scientist

They use:

• Python for data cleaning, data visualization, and machine learning
• R, which has a large collection of packages, such as ggplot2 and dplyr, that makes data manipulation and analysis easier
• SQL for querying relational databases
• Java for distributed computing and big data processing using frameworks like Apache Hadoop and Spark
• SAS, a commercial software suite, used for statistical analysis and data visualization.
• MATLAB for academic research, engineering, and scientific computing

DevOps Engineer

They use:

• Scripting languages to automate tasks and configure systems like Python, Ruby, Perl, and Bash
• Configuration management tools like Ansible, Puppet, and Chef are used by DevOps Engineers to manage and automate infrastructure configurations
• Containerization technologies like Docker to package applications and dependencies into a single unit
• Cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform to deploy and manage applications 
• Monitoring and logging tools like Nagios, Zabbix, and Splunk to track the performance and health of applications and infrastructure.

Cloud Engineer

They use:

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) which allows for version control, testing, and automation of infrastructure deployment. Cloud engineers use tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, and Ansible to write IaC.
• Cloud Providers' Native Languages where each cloud provider has its own set of services and APIs that can be accessed through native languages.
• Scripting languages like Python, Ruby, or Bash to automate tasks and manage infrastructure.
• Containerization through Docker and Kubernetes to containerize and orchestrate their applications.
• Monitoring and logging tools like Grafana, Prometheus, and ELK stack.

Blockchain Developer

They use:

• Solidity for writing smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, Solidity is a great option that has become popular quite recently
• JavaScript for programming on the Ethereum blockchain, as well as other blockchain platforms.
• Javas for blockchain development, particularly in the development of Hyperledger Fabric applications.
• Python for blockchain development, particularly for creating tools and libraries.
• C++ for blockchain development, particularly for creating smart contracts on the EOS blockchain.

MPL (Multi-Programming Language) knowledge can be very valuable for professionals who work in software development, particularly those who are involved in developing software systems that need to interface with a variety of different programming languages and platforms. Here are some trends and statistics that suggest a positive future demand and scope for professionals with MPL knowledge:

• The Increasing Complexity of Software Systems
  As software systems become more complex and involve a greater number of components and subsystems, the ability to work with multiple popular programming languages becomes increasingly important. The MPL approach allows developers to select the most appropriate language for each component, leading to better performance, greater flexibility, and easier maintenance.
   
• The Growth of the Internet of Things (IoT)
  The IoT involves a large number of connected devices that use a variety of different programming languages and platforms. Professionals with MPL knowledge can help to integrate these devices and ensure that they communicate effectively with each other.
   
• The Rise of Microservices Architecture
  Microservices architecture involves breaking down large software systems into smaller, independent services that communicate with each other. Each service may be developed using a different programming language, and MPL knowledge can be useful in this context to ensure effective integration and communication between the services.
   
• The Increasing Demand for Full-Stack Developers
  Full-stack developers are professionals who are proficient in both front-end and back-end development. They need to be able to work with multiple programming languages and platforms, and MPL knowledge can be a valuable asset in this context.

The tech industry is known for its rapid pace of change, and it is thus important for professionals to stay up to date with the latest trends and skills to advance their careers. One key area of focus for many tech professionals is programming languages, as the language used in a project can have a significant impact on its success. 

The pay for programming languages experts can vary depending on various factors. But, keeping up with the latest languages and honing your Web Development skills is crucial to advancing your career in the tech industry. Focusing on popular languages like Python, Java, Ruby, and JavaScript, and staying informed about the trends in your specific industry and location, can increase your chances of securing a high-paying job and thriving in your tech career.