Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa, and one of the 50 largest urban areas in the world. It is the single largest metropolitan contributor to South Africa’s national economic product. Joburg is a thriving business hub, with many opportunities available for qualified programmers.
Tech start-ups play a significant role in Joburg’s economy, with 55% of South Africa’s tech start-ups located in Gauteng. As the business world shifts its focus to digitally driven innovations, these companies provide exciting environments for new programmers to start their careers.
Johannesburg’s banking and retail sectors have both experienced a rise in online customers, who are now shopping and banking via their laptops and mobile apps. That means coders with web and user interface experience are highly sought after.
Cybercrime is also a growing concern, and organisations are looking to protect themselves. This is leading to more opportunities for network and security specialists.
OfferZen reports a high overall demand in Johannesburg for programmers working in Java and JavaScript, C# and .NET.
With such a large community of programmers in the city, how can you make sure you make the right connections with the right people?
There is a great choice of meetup groups in Johannesburg, for those looking to network with other coders. Here are a few examples:
Code&Coffee JHB A weekly meetup for people interested in learning new technologies and networking with experienced developers.
Developer User Group A vendor-neutral group committed to sharing and learning on a wide variety of tech topics, from software development methodologies to language paradigms.
Jozi.JS A group dedicated to fostering a JavaScript community in Johannesburg. Meetups revolve around all things JavaScript.
UX Joburg A community in the heart of Joburg, for all those interested in user experience design.
Johannesburg also hosts IoT Forum Africa, the premier Internet of Things event on the African continent. The event brings together the biggest industry players, to showcase many of the latest IoT solutions to the public and private sectors.
Here are some quick stats on what coders in Johannesburg can expect to earn on average:
Entry level: R22,000 a month/ R264,000 a year.
2-4 years’ experience: R33,000 a month/ R396,000 a year.
6+ years’ experience: R61,240 a month/ R734,880 a year.
Data science is another highly in-demand career in Johannesburg. Average pay is as follows:
Entry level: R37,202 a month/ R446,432 a year.
Mid-weight: R57,801 a month/ R693,620 a year.
Our on-site programming courses Johannesburg have helped many students to launch careers in programming and data science:
“HyperionDev is a very professional organisation that knows how to train students in the necessary languages, frameworks and technologies that are needed to properly prepare them for a career in tech.” - Aifheli
“Within months of completing my HyperionDev course, I had landed a job at EOH in data science, earning over 40% more monthly than what I was earning before I took the course. The course prepared me incredibly well for this role with EOH; the course’s practical projects in Python improved my set of tech skills, making me marketable to any company as a data scientist.” - Wilbert
