UAE jobs: How tech skills can get you an annual salary of up to Dh750,000

An expert explains what coders and developers do and why their skills are among the most in-demand today

Nandini Sircar

Published: Wed 21 Sep 2022, 4:24 PM

Last updated: Wed 21 Sep 2022, 10:14 PM

An immersive boot camp in Dubai has turned the spotlight on some of the most in-demand experts in the tech sector today: Coders and game developers.

Considering how the tech industry has grown exponentially over the years, a lucrative career awaits those who can master coding skills.

At a three-day coding boot camp held as part of the ongoing Ru’ya Careers job fair in Dubai, an expert highlighted the current salaries of developers.

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“A chief technology officer can annually earn up to Dh750,000, with a vice-president drawing a salary of Dh500,000. A director/manager can earn Dh320,000, a senior developer can draw a salary of Dh240,000, and with entry-level developers earning Dh100,000," said Amer Chaar, data product manager at AstroLabs.

Encouraging Emirati youth to continue honing their digital skills and consider setting up businesses in the sector, Amer stressed that coders and developers are in-demand because nearly every aspect of life now involves some technology.

“Everything you use like phones and laptops is because of coding. Developers have designed these things. Imagine life a few years ago without Zoom or Instagram. Whatever you see today is because of coding," Amer said.

"Hospitals now do robotic surgeries. During Covid, children were attending online school and a lot of work was getting done because of this technology."

This, he said, shows the importance of having coders in the community and how their roles are crucial for the development of the country’s economy.

The number of developers has been growing every day, Amer added.

"The global software development market size was valued at 429.59 billion in 2021. If you compare this to any other industry this is an exponential growth.”

The job fair’s 'Top Coder' programme — in collaboration with AstroLabs Digital Academy — is a three-day immersive coding boot camp.

During the camp, participants were tasked to develop a game on their own with a personal customisation.

Explaining what developers do, Amer said: “People think developers are web developers or mobile developers. So, we have software developers who, for example, develop the Zoom software on our laptops, or Microsoft Excel, Adobe or Photoshop or anything.

"They are developed by software developers not app developers. So, app development is different… which has front and back end."

The front end, he said, is about "the artistic side of coding" and how things should look, including colours and fonts.

"The back end is functionalities, for example when you see CLICK, SIGN UP. Then there is something called ‘cluster’ which is someone who does both – front end and back end which is very common here because it’s very cost- efficient. So, now we increasingly have people who can do both," Amer said.

"Hardcore developers care about what goes behind. But there are people who like both.”

The demand for game developers, in particular, has been rising.

Vacancies have increased by over five per cent and the demand is expected to rise by more than two per cent every year, according to reports.

“I think we take game developers for granted. But that isn’t the case. When it comes to the gaming environment it’s a bit different. That’s because there you have to focus on specifications which are not simple at all, rather, tricky, and also much in demand," Amer said.

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