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

What is a lead java developer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Brian Glas,

Kevin Treu Ph.D.

If you see "java" and think coffee, this probably isn't the job for you. However, if you are familiar with Java's programming language, this could be a great opportunity for career advancement.

Java is the second most popular programming language in the world and is used to power a lot of websites and apps. A lead Java developer has to write excellent code and is often in charge of other aspects of development beyond just coding, including design, testing, and more.

You also need good people skills in order to work as a lead Java developer since you will be leading a team of other developers. Be ready to delegate tasks as necessary and help others fix their code. Together, your team will build some incredible things.

What general advice would you give to a lead java developer?

Brian Glas

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Union University

Build relationships: Different technologies will interest and challenge you, but throughout your career, you'll find that it's the relationships that are the most important. This is harder to grasp earlier in your career, but much easier to understand after 15-20 years.
Gain different perspectives: Spend time with people in other roles that your job interacts with, and gain a solid understanding of how they view things; this is most valuable for career progression and understanding of how your work fits into the big picture.

ScoreLead Java DeveloperUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $104,818

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 15.81%

Black or African American 6.41%

Hispanic or Latino 11.94%

Unknown 6.50%

White 58.92%

Gender

female 19.98%

male 80.02%

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 lead java developer

Explore lead java developer education requirements

Most common lead java developer degrees

Bachelor's

57.2 %

Master's

39.0 %

Diploma

1.9 %

Start to develop specific lead java developer skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	16.84%
Spring Boot	8.99%
Web Services	3.29%
API	3.24%
Database	3.15%

Complete relevant lead java developer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead java 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 lead java developer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead java developer resumes.

Research lead java developer duties and responsibilities

Manage the application on FedRAMP accredit AWS windows machines.
Lead team of developers to comply BCBSNC's SDLC process.
Integrate, configure and manage SVN as a source code management system.
Monitor the error logs using Log4J and used JIRA to manage the issues/project work flow.

Get lead java developer experience

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

Prepare your lead java developer resume

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

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lead java developer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable lead java developer resume templates

Build a professional lead java developer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your lead java developer resume.

Apply for lead java developer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a lead java developer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do lead java developers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Lead java developer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023

Pros

Problem solving and cutting edge technology - always learning and evolving my skill set

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

I enjoyed working on creative problems that dealt with the user interface

Cons

I didn't like how technical it could become

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019