Two Truths And A Lie: Software Development In 2020

When getting introduced to a new subject or new people, we sometimes play a game called ‘two truths and a lie.’ The basics of the game are simple, anyone introducing a subject – or themselves – state two truths, and one lie. The audience then has to identify what the lie is. 

Below you will find three bullets related to our future of software development research. Two are truths as identified by our research, one is a lie. 

• Software’s fueling today’s disruption, becoming embedded in everthing to make technology useful, usable, and desirable.  
• Software development expertise will increasingly be centered around Java, .NET, and proprietary development and application platforms. 
• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects software development related roles and jobs to increase at double the national average through 2020. 

What are the truths? What’s the lie?

If you have been reading our recent research you probably know what the lie is. 

Jeffrey Hammond’s and John Rymer’s recent open Web research shows how a growing community and culture emphasizing openness, transparency, and developer freedom is changing the software development landscape. The open Web community recognizes engagement matters with today’s mobile and social population. Delivering that engagement has open Web developers favoring a right tool for the job approach, shunning the use of proprietary development platforms while developing in many dynamic languages, delivering systems of engagement. Our research shows that even while closed and proprietary interactive apps suggest the golden age of the Web is dying, the open Web community and culture – and the software developers embracing it – will keep it open. 

Now, some additional details on our two truths. 

Phil Murphy’s recent BT 2020 research points out that software fuels today’s tech led disruption. Without software, social media’s just media; cell phones aren’t smart; record stores are at every mall; we rent movies and TV shows from our neighborhood Blockbuster; and Amazon is just a really big river in a shrinking rain forest. You know the rest of the story – no industry is immune as technology becomes more powerful and embedded into our daily work and personal lives, and software makes it useful, usable, even desirable. We have entered the golden age of software, and software is your business. 

This brings me to the last truth, and more evidence of, and why, software is your business from the U.S. Department of Labor of all places.

On February 1, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics updated its projected 2020 employment tables. The Bureau forecasts an overall 14.3% increase in projected employment from 2010 to 2020 (growing from 143 million to 163 million). What’s helping to drive that increase? Software and application development! The table below shows the Bureau expects jobs and roles related to software development and application delivery to grow at roughly twice the national average rate through 2020. High growth isn’t simply projected for software vendors and technology services firms. Dig into the data and you’ll see the Bureau expects high growth in industry – your industry. Software is your business. 

(source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)