IT operations engineers are not expected to be expert programmers. This is a job that is primarily for software developers, for whom proficiency in programming languages is essential. Proficiency in programming languages is an important quality for many IT engineers. When engineers can program at least a little, they can do their jobs more efficiently.
Knowledge of programming languages helps IT engineers assist software developers more effectively. The more the IT team knows about programming, the better they can adopt a DevOps strategy focused on continuous collaboration between developers and IT operators. Today we’ve chosen to bring you the top 7 programming languages that IT engineers need to learn according to ItPro today.
Top 5 Programming Languages Important for IT Engineers
Bash
Bash is used by most Linux distributions to provide a command line interface. It is the most important language that IT operations engineers need to learn. Even if you don’t administer Linux systems, many cloud environments and tools also default to Bash or Bash-like interfaces for administration, so knowing Bash will help IT engineers working in cloud environments.
PowerShell
For IT teams that work with Windows systems, PowerShell is an essential programming language. In Windows, IT engineers can use PowerShell to write scripts that automate a variety of tasks. PowerShell can also be used to access many Windows administrative functions (although in most cases these are also accessible through GUIs).
Python
Python is a good choice for IT engineers who want to program. They can use Python to automate system administration tasks as well as write simple applications. Python’s simplicity makes it a good language for IT engineers to learn who want to learn the basics of programming and software development to collaborate more effectively with software engineers.
JavaScript (and Node.js)
JavaScript may not seem like an obvious language for IT engineers to learn, given that most IT operations teams don’t have to write website code. With Node.js, however, JavaScript can also be used to execute code on servers, making it a viable language for system administration. It’s especially handy for IT engineers who want to create web-based interfaces for system administration.
Groovy
Groovy is not primarily used for system administration. But some people do use it for that purpose, which is why Groovy is worth considering if you’re an IT engineer looking for a programming language to learn. Groovy is probably less useful for IT than the other languages on this list, but it has its merits, especially for engineers who want to gain experience with the Java ecosystem.
