Every year, the tech market is evolving. While some programming languages die out, some become more and more in-demand. One of such languages is Elixir that is now actively used by IBM, WhatsApp, Moodle, and Pinterest to guarantee seamless development of their large-scale software systems. F f f f f
If you want to learn more about how to become an Elixir developer, what skills are necessary, and how much money they earn, continue reading this post.
How to become an Elixir developer
First of all, you need to master the programming language. However, if you have never studied programming before, you will have to first learn the basics:
- HTTP. Elixir is usually used for web programming so you should be familiar with how websites work. How does a website communicate to the internet? How does it respond and request data? What is an API?
- Markup Languages. HTML and CSS are a must. Learning these first will also allow you to understand whether programming is even right for you at all. They are very easy to learn and prepare you for the actual work of an Elixir developer. You will learn to layout the components of the web page and build the frontend of web products.
- Databases. You should know the SQL commands to be able to access the database and connect the frontend with the backend.
To learn Elixir faster and start working on real Elixir projects, there are plenty of resources available. Elixir School and the learning resources of Elixir-lang are usually the best places to start learning.
Benefits of Elixir
Why everybody loves Elixir so much? Here is why:
- It has an awesome ecosystem for modern needs with package managers, task execution tools, a testing framework, etc;
- Improved syntax in comparison to older languages like Erlang and the entry threshold has decreased;
- Simplified metaprogramming;
- Useful new abstractions and add-ons.
In addition to all the listed features and benefits of Elixir, functional languages are again becoming popular due to the proliferation and democratization of multi-core processors. In simple terms, they perfectly parallel code in a functional style. Especially if this code is running in an Erlang VM.
If you need increased system reliability, then Elixir should definitely be your choice. It is resistant to errors and falls because the language has mechanisms for handling such situations. Writing secure concurrent code in another programming language is much more challenging.
How much do Elixir developers make?
The salaries of candidates for this role range from $100,000 to $240,000 for seniors. A lot depends on the country of employment because the salaries in the USA, for example, are always much higher than in Eastern Europe. A good thing is that many companies all over the world work remotely and are glad to hire talented people regardless of their locations. The demand for Elixir developers is higher than the offer so you can find a well-paid job online regardless of where you live.
