How To Become A Java/J2ee Developer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a java/j2ee developer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Tao Ju,

Kevin Treu Ph.D.

Java/J2EE developers are IT professionals who create web and software applications for businesses, using a particular version of the Java coding language. They are technology enthusiasts who love learning and constantly improve their skills to stay on top of their game.

J2EE developers participate in every aspect of the development of the application or software, from creating the concept to the implementation of the technical design. They write the application code, according to specific business requirements. They run tests, perform software analysis, and maintain software. Debugging is a big part of the job, constantly improving and making changes in the software to troubleshoot issues.

Software developers are in constant demand, and computer science appears to be the best choice for students to major in. With a BA degree and some years of technical experience, you will not find it difficult to land a J2EE developer position.

What general advice would you give to a Java/J2ee Developer?

Dr. Tao Ju

Vice Dean for Research & Professor, Washington University in St. Louis

They are not in this alone. The opportunities are out there, but it is up to them to be proactive and take ownership of their career. They should become familiar with and use all of the resources available to them-alumni, faculty and career advisors, job search sites, mentoring programs, career fairs, professional associations, and networking events. Take advantage of their existing network and seek out ways to make further connections. Keep an eye on trends, follow news, and research companies. Dream big but be flexible. In this time of constant transition and change, graduates who can shift their plans to the conditions of the job market will have less stress and more success. Talk with companies they've never heard of and explore careers they've never considered. They might be surprised at what they find and where it leads them. Lastly, remain confident and positive. They've worked hard to get to this point and they can be rest assured that their choice to pursue engineering will pay off in the short and long run.

ScoreJava/J2ee DeveloperUS Average

Salary

7.1

Avg. Salary $90,995

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.2

Growth rate 13%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 15.96%

Black or African American 6.44%

Hispanic or Latino 12.01%

Unknown 6.51%

White 58.65%

Gender

female 28.20%

male 71.80%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress level

5.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a java/j2ee developer

Explore java/j2ee developer education requirements

Most common java/j2ee developer degrees

Bachelor's

80.2 %

Master's

18.6 %

Diploma

0.8 %

Start to develop specific java/j2ee developer skills

Skills	Percentages
Web Application	5.58%
Java	5.35%
JavaScript	4.03%
HTML	3.88%
Database	3.64%

Complete relevant java/j2ee developer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New java/j2ee developers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a java/j2ee developer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real java/j2ee developer resumes.

Research java/j2ee developer duties and responsibilities

Manage maven environment by setting up local, remote and central repositories with require configuration in maven configuration files.
Develop the presentation layer and GUI framework base on spring framework involving JSP, HTML, JavaScript, AJAX, CSS.
Develop server-side common utilities for the application and the front-end dynamic web pages using JSP, JavaScript and HTML and CSS.
Design and develop front end using JSP, JSTL, JQUERY and other custom tag libraries.

Get java/j2ee developer experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a java/j2ee developer. The most common roles before becoming a java/j2ee developer include java developer, j2ee developer team lead and software engineer.

Prepare your java/j2ee developer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your java/j2ee developer resume.

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