What Skills I Have Acquired Beyond Java

My Primary Tech Stack

For a long time, my tech stack has been building REST APIs/Microservices and Web application with Java(Spring) and JavaScript like jQuery and React.

My Interest in Other Tech Stacks

However, I’ve always been curious and open to exploring other languages and tech stacks. Over time, I’ve ventured into learning MERN (MongoDB-Express-React-Node.js), Kotlin, and Python (Flask and FastAPI).

I’ve gained knowledge through reading documentation, watching tutorials, and, most importantly, building projects with these technologies. Some of my code is hosted on GitHub. I’m still constantly improving them.

While I’m not as proficient in them as I am with Java, I’ve gained enough understanding to use them effectively in my work.

Spring AI

Given there is no official Java version of OpenAI’s open api, I found Spring AI. I highly recommend every Java Developer to give it a try. When I finished my first program with it to use OpenAI’s service, I was so excited.(especially when it’s not accesible in China)

Kotlin

Kotlin is often considered a “better Java,” and with good reason. It’s more Object-oriented and concise, making tasks like defining Singleton and data classes much simpler.

Kotlin is compatible with existing Java ecosystem like JVM, IDEs and frameworks(like Spring Boot). It also has its own framework, like Ktor. A Java developer can pick it up very quickly.

While it was initially popular for Android development, it’s now increasingly used for backend/server-side development.

MERN

While the “M” in MERN typically stands for MongoDB, it could also be MySQL, right?

I find the ability to use JavaScript on both the front and backend pretty neat. This setup is especially appealing for JavaScript developers interested in working across the full stack, offering efficiency and consistency with a single language and toolkit.

Python

As a Java developer, Python presents an entirely different and interesting approach, especially with its unique syntax and indentation style. But what’s more fascinating is its extensive ecosystem. Python excels in web development, REST APIs, and is incredibly popular in data science and AI—key reasons I wanted to explore it.

Flask vs FastAPI

FastAPI is a newer, rapidly growing framework. As the name suggests, it’s built for creating REST APIs quickly and comes with built-in OpenAPI documentation generation. It also supports asynchronous programming, making it a powerful tool.

Human Languages

In addition to programming languages, I’m also fascinated by human languages. In 2024, I started learning German and am currently enrolled in an A2 course on DW. As an IT professional, it’s more practical than typical languages courses like Geothe or TestDaF.

I’m also interested in other languages like Spanish and French. But, it’s not my top priority for now.