Major International Study: Chinese Developers Lead Americans in Math and Logic, Still Lag in Programming Skills ... But for How Long?

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Gild, where developers build, share, compare and improve their skills profiles, today announced results of a major international study comparing US and Chinese developers on key skills, and issued a plea to the American education system to urgently review the way math and computer programming are taught in schools.  

The study examined the skills of nearly 500,000 developers via more than 1 million tests and found Chinese developers have overtaken their US counterparts in both math and logic. However, US developers were well ahead when it came to programming skills.

The findings in detail include:

• Chinese developers outscore US developers on math and logic by 20%
• US developers significantly outperform Chinese programmers on mainstream programming languages, including: 
• C (US developers on average scored 22% higher than Chinese developers)
• C# (26% higher)
• C++   (19% higher)
• Java (24% higher)
• Oracle Programming (24% higher)

Sheeroy Desai, CEO of Gild, says, "Software development remains a bright spot for the US, with American programmers the best in the world, but is it sustainable? To ensure this leadership for more than a generation we urgently need to improve the quality of math skills in our schools. In fact, America should embrace and support this leadership position and introduce programming into schools.

"America must invest in education to stay ahead.  Developing nations such as China are clearly putting an immense focus on core skills, particularly math. While nothing can replace creativity and ingenuity the United States cannot afford to ignore the fundamentals." 

Gild is the only major community where skills, as opposed to connections, are the primary focus. Nearly half a million developers from 150 countries use Gild to assess their programming capabilities and compare their skills profiles against others, giving the company a unique insight into skills-based trends across the world. 

About Gild

Gild is where developers come to create, share, compare and improve their skills profiles. Gild skills profiles, based on hard data from testing, endorsements and real world validation, are the best indication of a developer's capabilities. With a focus on what you know, not who you know, Gild is the fastest growing global community of developers. 

Launched in September 2010, Gild has nearly half a million members from all over the world. Backed by Globespan Capital Partners, Gild has offices in San Francisco, California, Bangalore, India, and Beijing, China. 

Visit the site at www.gild.com.

CONTACT:
Elizabeth Gordon
[email protected]
408.840.9883

SOURCE Gild