Software developers are feeling the heat, and not just because it’s summertime.

Even though there is currently a high demand for programmers, the rumor mill is turning, and it’s saying that AI may soon replace developers for a sizable chunk of their common tasks.

This may be true of repetitive work and some quality testing, but fortunately, market analysts anticipate that there will be a strong demand for experienced developers in the upcoming years, particularly those who know how to leverage AI.

The future may be uncertain, but one thing we do know is: successful developers will require new skills to be valued by many organizations.

The future looks bright for Rust developers in particular. This language is rising in popularity due to its high performance, safety features, and versatility, and is being adopted by some of the world’s leading tech companies.

For ambitious programmers, becoming a Rustacean presents an opportunity to make a mark in a cutting-edge language, and bring home a significant salary too. Let’s take a closer look.

Rust 411

Rust is expected to be in great demand as a systems language as it is versatile, and used to develop low-level system components as diverse as operating systems, system utilities, device drivers, game and VR simulation engines, and Internet of Things devices.

The language started as a side project for a single Mozilla engineer who intended to create a new programming language that would solve the memory management and allocation issues with C and C++. But later, the open-source software company used Rust as the foundation for a new Firefox browser engine, and a love affair began.

Due to its special qualities, Rust is becoming more and more popular, despite not having the same support ecosystem as older programming languages. However, the systems language has advanced quickly in recent years.

Rust is unique in that it has an ownership and borrowing system that is just as fast and compact as C and C++, but it provides memory security without the need for garbage collection.

In contrast to previous programming languages, Rust guards against memory issues like data races and buffer overflows, and its programmers are protected against mistakes that could result in memory errors by strict data typing constraints. Additionally, its contemporary syntax and overhead-free abstractions have also made a mark.

Companies using Rust

Rust is becoming more and more popular among businesses of all sizes, due to its distinctive qualities, but this is especially true for safety-critical projects. Its wide range of applications includes network programming, web development, and system programming.

In addition, there is a growing need for the system language in the fields of app development, blockchain, Internet of Things, and smart contract programming.

Discord, for instance, accelerates its system by utilizing the low-level language. The chat platform's speed increased tenfold after converting to Rust.

The programming language was used by Meta to make changes to the internal source code management software that its engineers utilize. Dropbox synchronizes files between user devices and its cloud storage via the system language.

Rust is a key part of Microsoft and Amazon’s future, while the U.S. government is even advising to lessen "vulnerabilities at scale," programmers should convert to memory-safe languages like Rust.

Earning potential

According to recent analysis of 342 salaries, a Rust developer in the U.S. makes, on average, $156,000 a year. While the majority of experienced Rustaceans can earn close to $200,000 annually, entry-level positions begin at $121,875 per year – not too shabby.

These figures from job titles including Rust compare well with more general software developer job titles. For example, software engineers command $123,594, system engineers $115,184, and developers $112,502.

Regionally speaking, Texas and New York both offer the highest salaries to Rust developers at $187,500, followed by Georgia ($175,00) and California ($150,000).

By Amanda Kavanagh