There’s no question about it - development is booming in 2014, and the war for development talent is hotter than ever. ~Even back in December 2013, president Obama and key tech companies (Google, Yahoo, Apple, and Microsoft) promoted Hour of Code coding~events for students.

Here is a quick recap and consolidation of the best tweets that we recently shared with you (@Site24x7) to put them all in perspective, and give you a quick list of tips to help you maximize career development opportunities.

1. Follow “the dough”

9 of the top 10 highest paying IT salaries are for languages, databases, and skills related to big data (Source: Dice). ~If you are thinking about learning new skills this year, this is an area that you should definitively explore. Besides your expertise in analytics, having exposure to marketing and business concepts, and speaking the right business strategy language will help you better understand requirements from your business users, and properly communicate expectations. Just consider that 25% of large global organizations will have appointed a chief data officer (CDO) by the end of the year (Source: Gartner), and CDOs will likely emerge from marketing and sales functions.

2. Don’t rush and take the first opportunity

1 in 4 IT pros are planning to change jobs this year (Source: CareerBuilder/Sologig.com), and it’s not always for more money. Career development opportunities, benefits, and flexible working arrangements are topping the list of reasons for leaving a job. According to Stack Overflow Careers, there are five development jobs openings for every candidate so you can be selective and take the time to consider it all –salary, benefits, as well as future career development opportunities– before jumping on-board. Therefore, don’t rush and take the first job offer that comes your way.

3. Stay current—sharpen your skills in key value areas

Mobile, Web development and big data are all seeing terrific growth (Source: CIO magazine). In addition to Java and .NET, demand for Ruby & Python skills is also on the rise. If you have been working with other technology, consider putting together a learning plan and act on it to remain marketable. For example, according to Forbes, mobile and Web development skills are coming together in responsive~Website~design (to ensure that content properly adapts to all desktop/tablet/smartphone devices) —a 2014 must-tackle initiative for organizations of all sizes. If you already have Web development skills, this type of project can help you transition into the hot mobile space.

4. Mobile development is at an all times-high

Mobile and ecommerce were the big winner for the 2013 holiday shopping season. As a data point, a record 21% of all online Thanksgiving shopping came via mobile devices, and smartphones drove most of the Web browsing (Source: IBM). Furthermore, mobile apps are expected to generate $77 billion in revenue by 2017 (Source: Gartner). Developers make 4x more building enterprise mobile~apps than consumer apps (Source:~ VisionMobile). If you are working on consumer applications, perhaps it is time to consider changing mobile gears and joining the enterprise team.

5. Contributing to open source projects can yield significant returns

For example, open source (Linux kernel) powers Google's Android mobile OS, and Hadoop and NoSQL (also open source), play key roles in the big data movement. If you participate in any of the active 10 million open source projects (Source: Github), your chances of being highly sought after will drastically increase. This is a great opportunity for technical folks looking to transition into a development role this year.

Also, don’t forget Web performance optimization is critical in 2014 as well. Check out our recent blog.

Happy development everybody!

~