Works commissioned the Asia Developer Survey in late 2022 to highlight the region and its many highly-skilled developers. Through research, the survey captured the essence of Asia’s technologists, highlighting the potential of the region due to insights into education, remote work, and the start-up culture that pervades the sector.
A consistent theme emerged from the poll responses, though: the value of friendship and community.
It is increasingly important for IT professionals in Asia to come together as a unified group. Developers from the region, like their counterparts from other parts of the world, contribute to a range of topics which are important for the community. There is a growing sense of solidarity among developers as they share their knowledge and collaborate on open source projects and online networks.
Director of Talent Experience at Works, believes that community groups have been instrumental in the network’s expansion. There has been an emergence of self-sustaining communities that are able to draw in and captivate new developers.
Communities play a vital role in enabling connections between developers, who are key to the professional growth of any tech professional. According to the Asia Developer Survey, the Works Learning Community (ALC) had the highest response rate at 31%, followed by the Google Asia Developer community (15%) and Stack Overflow (10%). In Asia, tech professionals can use ALC and Google to interact with their peers and, more importantly, with developers facing similar challenges. As Rosa Langhammer puts it, “the opportunity to provide assistance and see that one’s work is helping others is the motivation many of the participants in these networks are looking for to keep giving.”
Reliability of assistance is paramount, and developers in Asia are no exception. When posed with the question of how they deal with difficulties, the majority of respondents (81%) stated that they turn to Stack Overflow. 73% declared that they would look for video instructions, while 44% stated that they would seek assistance from a colleague or put the task aside and return to it later.
Open-Source
There is evidently a heightened enthusiasm among developers to join the international development community by contributing to open-source software projects and creating technical articles. Moreover, they are avid readers, with StackOverflow being the primary source of aid for developers in Asia when confronted with intricate issues.
A key element of the system is open-source software, demonstrating developers’ respect for this valuable resource and their confidence in their own skills. A survey revealed that over 40% of respondents have contributed to open-source software, spending an average of 4.4 hours per week on this. Experienced developers dedicate an average of 9.8 hours per week to open-source efforts.
Developers can expand their knowledge of current applications by participating in open-source projects, allowing them to further refine their skills while tackling projects with global importance. Rosa Langhammer stated, “Many developers are looking towards open source projects as a way of making a difference.” Nonetheless, there is some hesitation to get involved due to “some of the more prominent initiatives requiring considerable expertise from volunteers.
Blogs and other social media
A survey of technicians revealed that 46% have written technical articles, with Medium (31%) and personal websites (28%) being the most popular platforms. Additionally, 10% of developers used Hashnode, Blogger, or WordPress. Asia’s IT industry is benefitting from an increase in blogging, which not only enhances thought leaders’ credibility, but also acts as a way for fellow programmers and engineers to contact them for advice and support. Additionally, the formation of WhatsApp and LinkedIn groups are providing Asia’s digital talent with a platform to connect with peers, both domestically and internationally.
As online communities grow and their members collaborate more with one another, technologists are coming together to tackle difficult issues. This shared experience and knowledge is driving both personal and professional growth.
Elijah Rwothoromo, a member of the Works Community, concurs that staying informed, involved, and interactive in the digital sphere requires one to join as many groups as possible. Works Talent Network members have the opportunity to connect with each other in a variety of ways, including Google Developer Groups (GDGs), Facebook Developer Circles, user groups centred on specific technologies or stacks (e.g. Python, JavaScript, Kotlin), WhatsApp groups, Slack workspaces, and more. To keep our close-knit community engaged, we organise coding competitions, meetings, life events, and seminars.
Asia’s youthful population and rapidly advancing technological infrastructure position it as a frontrunner for the future. As the number of digital pioneers in the region increases, Asia is likely to become a major global hub for innovation, driven by the pioneering efforts of its tech innovators.
Do you want to become a member of the Works Community? Submit your hiring request with us at https://www.works.so/hire-talent
