If you’ve come this far, you probably know your stuff when it comes to web development. But whether you’re looking for jobs for IT developers and know all there is to know about programming or your strengths lie elsewhere, it’s good to keep up to date with what is a fast-evolving part of the IT sector.

The majority of IT jobs will require detailed knowledge about the most popular programming languages and development tools, but if you really want to stand out from the crowd in the workplace, why not learn a few your colleagues might not have heard of?

This goes for people not concerned with development too – after all, having knowledge of something outside your comfort zone and being able to hold an intelligent conversation with an expert on the subject is extremely impressive, standing you in good stead at work.

So with this in mind, here are some programming languages and development tools you might have heard of and some (hopefully) you haven’t.

jQuery

Released in 2006, jQuery is one of the most popular JavaScript libraries around and something that all IT professionals, developers or not, should know about. It is utilised by a whopping 52 per cent of the 10,000 most popular websites and therefore is essential to those plying their trade in the IT business. Put simply, its job is to help with the client-side scripting of HTML, as well as being designed to make it easier to do everything from navigating a document and creating animations to developing an application for Ajax and handling events. Also, because of the way it is designed, jQuery welcomes the development of additions to the tool, meaning there are thousands of plug-ins available online.

MooTools

MooTools or ‘My Object-Orientated Tools’ to give it its full name, is another essential JavaScript tool. MooTools gives a framework for JavaScript, giving you complete creative control over your project and is used by over five per cent of all websites – so it must be doing something right. The beauty of MooTools is that it gives you a number of advantages over native JavaScript, giving you the freedom to build a tailored blend of components.

JQTouch

This tool has become increasingly important as the Smartphone and tablet markets skyrocket in popularity. JQTouch is a JQuery plug-in designed for mobile WebKit browsers and mobile technology developers. This will help you design and develop mobile applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript for the iPhone, Palm and Android. Obviously in the current market, knowledge of mobile technology is integral to your success in the IT sector, so knowing all about this vital tool is a necessity.

Keeping ahead of the latest trends and tools is important in any job but when it comes to IT, this process takes on a whole new significance. No one will employ a developer or IT professional who is not up to date on the latest and greatest tools and programming languages, so do your homework and you’ll soon be enjoying the career you always wanted.