New study reveals which coding languages DC devs should learn

Coding Dojo, the Seattle-based coding bootcamp provider that opened a McLean, Va., campus in June 2016, recently took a look at what coding languages are most popular in each of the company’s cities of operation.

The idea is this: What companies are hiring for is what students should be learning, and therefore what Coding Dojo should be teaching.

According to this research, the top five most in-demand coding languages among hiring D.C. companies are:

1. Python
2. Java
3. JavaScript / MEAN stack
4. C#
5. PHP

Coding Dojo found that, by and large, the lineup of most in-demand coding languages is different in different cities across the U.S.

The company takes this to mean that their class offerings should be different in different cities across the U.S. as well.

“At Coding Dojo we’re always revising our curriculum to prepare our students for the rapidly changing technology job market,” Michael Choi, CEO of Coding Dojo, said in a statement. “This analysis shows that the demand for coding skills is local, and knowing a language that will help you get a job in San Jose may not get you hired in Washington, D.C.”

That said, the research also shows that JavaScript is the “safest language to learn,” as demand for JavaScript developers is pretty steady across the 11 markets included.

“This data backs up much of what we’ve known anecdotally in the developer community for years, like the lukewarm job demand for developer favorite language Ruby on Rails and just how high of a demand there is for Java,” Coding Dojo Head of Curriculum Speros Misirlakis said in a statement. “It’s a good reminder that the technology developers like and talk about are not necessarily the same ones that businesses use.”

Coding Dojo also sought to identify the company hiring the most developers in each city — for D.C. there was a tie between Capital One and Amazon.

Coding Dojo conducted the study by looking at job postings that mention coding languages on Dice.com and indeed.com, by “taking the average monthly Google search volume for keywords related to coding languages” and through interviews with Coding Dojo instructors. While this may be a somewhat limited methodology (what about jobs that aren’t posted to Dice.com or indeed.com?), the results are still interesting to consider. It’s also a good reminder that what’s hot in tech changes, so be prepared to be keep learning.