For those in the field, how is the job market for Web Developers? How has the recession affected the industry, and how will outsourcing affect the future?

I’ve been self-educating on .Net (C# + VB) via video tutorials and I think it’s something I can be great at. It’s definitely something I’m interested in. I’d like to get into the field but I’m deeply worried about the stability of IT jobs.

IT jobs will always be there. No matter how much outsourcing happens. The technologies you are talking about are pretty good and you will be able to get some good jobs.

While you are working on them also try learning the development for mobile tools. Thier is a huge market for mobile apps and with Google Android and Apple SDK you can create a lot of apps and sell them online.. Its quiet a revenue and very full filling.

Just a suggestion. Also please please please remember its not only important to know the tools but also the business. So dont neglect your knowledge of any business where you have worked earlier and highlight the fact that you have good understanding of the business behind the technology. Its this knowledge which will make you indespensible and an asset to the company. ( you will keep your job) also when you are on the job make it a point to understand the business and always think how you can better it.

Cheers,
Perso

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I work 5 days/week, in the contract its said u should work 45 hr/wk, which makes it 9 hours a day, and they dont pay overtime too!! Is that unfair or usual for SW developers.
Thanks Brendan, actually I’m happy with the job, and the pay good, and yes im a full time employee

I just wanted to know if thats usual in computer science or not thats all

Well this is a double edge sword. Before you took the contract, did they say to you; You can only bill 40 hours a week? If so, then that’s all they are budgeted for. If they then said that you are required to work 45hours a week, then this is wrong. Now if you are a fulltime employee, then you will most likely be working over 40 hours a week. It’s normal in computer science fields especially when they expect so much. If they are paying hourly as a contractor, and you work 9 hours a day then they should pay you overtime. This is something to dance lightly around for sure. Since if you bring it up they may think you are trouble and let you go. Don’t know what else to tell you.

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I can think of XML, Javascript, AJAX, JSP, ASP … What else are developers using?

What gets sent to the browser is usually flash, html ,javascript and css (Client side technologies) .. XML is usually used in this scenario by exposing server technologies through AJAX, REST, SOAP and transformed using XSLT

Server side processing creates client side languages and this will also have XML, but here you have Java, JSP, PHP, ASP, Ruby, Perl

And these run on the servers Apache/Tomcat/IIS to name a few.

But hopefully: Web developers will stick to using the appropriate content management systems (e.g. Wordpress for blogs, Joomla/Alfresco/OpenCMS for websites)

The bane of the internet is do it yourself notepad and php programmers!

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Im about to start a web design business.I know PHP,CSS,HTML,XML,APA and JAVA.I can do graphical design such as Photoshop CSS and Adobe Illustrator.How much should I charge?

Normally, the charge or fee is for an overall project and is not expressed in an hourly rate. And it can be expressed in a monthly fee for a certain period of 12 months or more depending on the maintence fee for websites and whether or not you offer SEO services which truly markets your websites on major search engines. A competent, fully White Hat SEO optimized website with a PR1 through PR5 status usually garners around $21,000 or more in the U.S. marketplace.

Good luck!

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How much money do entry level Web Developers make?

I have a few friends who are web design consultants, and even though they are very experienced with html, css, and graphic design, they usually only charge $25 an hour, in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area.

Beginning web designers make between $15-20 an hour here… you have to have a portfolio or a few of web sites that you’ve designed to show to potential employers.

If you want to be a Web Developer, it is not enough to know HTML, you should also know:

1) Programming: C programming, Perl, PHP, ColdFusion, or some type of programming: you need to be able to program your site and create dynamic Web sites.

2) Basic and Advanced HTML: Chances are, companies will have tools to help you create HTML. However, if you don’t know what the HTML tags are and what they do, then you will have a hard time fixing problems that come up, especially when you have to convert someone else’s HTML.

3) Graphics: You should be able to use a good graphics program like Photoshop. Paint Shop Pro is fine, but most corporations do not use it. You should also be confident in your ability to put together a graphic. You don’t have to be the next Van Gogh, but you should know how to do it.

4) Design and Layout: Know basic and advanced design principles, both of the Web and in print. If you can lay out a page that looks "cool" people are going to forgive your lack of programming experience. However, remember that what is cool today will be deadly boring tomorrow.

5) Writing: Content isn’t king, like it used to be, but you should still be able to put a coherent sentence on the page. Use spell checkers, and grammar checkers if you have to, and know your limits. If you know you can’t spell, then spell check even your name.

6) Confidence: This is still a new profession. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Job postings often ask for all types of things when they might be looking for you. You know that you are the perfect person for the job, they just haven’t hired you yet.

Good luck!

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I am looking for a decent checklist of things that web developers should know, or be doing to have good search engine optimisation.

Take a look at this tutorial it’s the best there is on the subject http://www.seo-blog.com/tutorial.php

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I am thinking of doing a diploma in web development, but am wondering will I need to for an entry level job. Could I teach myself web development and showcase some of my work to an employer and this be enough. Just wanting some opinions.

Will I be wasting my time by doing a diploma in web development?

A diploma is seldomly a waste of time. Understand that while every employer is different, and there are no laws mandating a degree, most employers will require one unless you have an abundance of relevant experience. You could teach yourself, but where would you work to gain experience to offset the need for the degree? Additionally, a degree is transferrable, is seldomly questioned, and lasts forever where your experience may be questioned especially if it’s through an internship or working for yourself and if it isn’t recent it may not be accepted.

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