Thursday, February 02, 2006

Boston Market -- February

The Monster Employment Index hit another all-time high in January -- its ninth new high in the last 13 months -- indicating strong job demand. "Online opportunities for white-collar workers in accounting, IT and legal professions surge, demonstrating broad strength in business services," according to a Monster press release.

Businesses are actively acquiring technology talent, but only professionals with the right skill sets and requisite experience. One way to gauge the current demand is through a keyword search on specific technology skills at selective online job sites. Beantown Web monitors two sites: BostonWorks and Monster.

Skills sets are grouped into four categories: Tools, Acronyms, Containers, and Knowledge (TACK). A few of the common keywords associated with Web design and Web development jobs include the following:

Note: the numbers in parentheses indicate the number of job postings that list that keyword in the job description. [ First number: BostonWorks.com ][ Second number: Monster.com ]

Tools (software)

  • Photoshop [ 77 ][184]
  • Flash [ 48 ][ 36 ]
  • Dreamweaver [ 31 ][ 57 ]
  • Visual Studio [ 25 ][ 70 ]

Acronyms (languages)

Containers (databases)

Knowledge (certifications)

  • The demand for certified professionals varies by discipline. All things being equal certification helps to distinguish you from your competition. An appropriate certification entry point for Web design and Web development professionals is Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW). For a complete listing of all technology certifications, along with links to the appropriate certification Website, be sure to check out the Web Apprentices Career Center.

A few quick observations:

  • Monster.com consistently lists twice as many opportunities as BostonWorks.com
  • Acronym (language) skills are in greater demand than Tool (software) skills
  • Container (database) skills are in greater demand than Tool (software) skills
Web designers and Web developers who want to advance their careers should focus on one Acronym (language) and one Container (database) and set a near-term goal to obtain additional training and experience. Feel free to check out my "Tour Dates" (right-hand column) for training opportunities in the coming months. You have a choice of attending a traditional "classroom" workshop or beaming me directly into your PC for a "virtual" training session!
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