Over half of web developers have written their first line of code by the time they were sixteen, and Python is now the most popular programming language, according to a new global survey.
The findings form part of Stack Overflow annual Global Developer Survey 2019, covering everything from developers’ favourite technologies to their job preferences.
This year marks the ninth Developer Survey, and nearly 90,000 developers took the 20-minute survey.
Python, the fastest-growing major programming language, has risen in the ranks of programming languages in our survey yet again, edging out Java this year and standing as the second most loved language (behind Rust).
Over half of respondents had written their first line of code by the time they were sixteen, although this experience varies by country and by gender.
The survey also found DevOps specialists and site reliability engineers are among the highest paid, most experienced developers most satisfied with their jobs, and are looking for new jobs at the lowest levels.
Of the top countries on the survey, China has developers that are the most optimistic, believing that people born today will have a better life than their parents. Developers in Western European countries like France and Germany are among the least optimistic about the future.
When thinking about blockers to productivity, different kinds of developers report different challenges. Men are more likely to say that being tasked with non-development work is a problem for them, while gender minority respondents are more likely to say that toxic work environments are a problem.
Read the full report here.
