Monday, April 27, 2009

InformationWeek's Salary Survey | 2009

The average information technology (IT) staffer in the United States earns $80,000. IT managers are rewarded with a median compensation of $105,000.

These findings were released today as part of InformationWeek's 2009 annual salary survey. More than 12,000 IT professionals in the U.S. responded to the survey.

Listed below are data points that relate to the Boston metro area and to Web-related professionals.

Staff Base Salaries By Metro Area

"What is your annual base salary?"

  • Boston | $90,000

Staff Base Salaries By Job Function

"What is your current annual base salary?"

  • Web design/development | $70,000

Management Base Salaries By Job Function

"What is your current annual base salary?"

  • Web design/development | $95,000

Management Compensation By Job Function

"What is your total annual cash compensation, including salary and all cash bonuses?"

  • Web design/development | $99,000

The Next Step

Here are three take-home messages from the survey:

  • Web-related workers earn less than the median compared to other IT workers
  • IT workers in Boston earn more than the national median
  • IT managers earn more than IT staffers

Web-related workers who continue to develop their technical and managerial skills can be rewarded with six-figure compensation packages. More than half of respondents (55%) reported that their company provided support for training.

Continuous improvement of technology skills that employers value, and leadership skills that all organizations need, is one of the surest paths to above average pay and career security in the information technology fields.

To learn more about which technology skills employers value the most in the current economy, begin by accessing a press release that provides an overview of the InformationWeek annual salary survey results. A comprehensive 59-page report is also available for FREE download (registration is required).

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Mass Innovation Nights | May 2009‏

Mass Innovation Nights is back! More than 160 guests attended the inaugural event in April. The May lineup has just been announced.

Mass Innovation Nights provides innovators with a place to connect with the media, influential bloggers, the marketplace and each other.

May Innovators

The spotlight will be on the following innovators in May:

  • AllFocus | contacts-calendar service with mobile sync

  • Blitz Innovations, Inc. | strategic innovation meets rapid execution

  • Hubunity | tools to collect, organize and manage your connections with everything local

  • IBM/Lotus | work smarter with LotusLive

  • Mixandmeet | small groups - fun times - new friends

  • Nexiwave | find what you've been missing from your conference calls

  • Pixily | go paperless, find documents anywhere, anytime

  • Urban Kitchen | smart solutions for how we live

  • WherePhone | know where your vehicles are

Event Details

Location: Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation | Waltham

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Time: 6:00 PM

To learn more, simply access the Mass Innovation Nights website. Check out Who's Coming to help determine if this FREE networking event might be valuable for you to attend. Then, submit your RSVP to attend this launch party.

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

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Saturday, April 18, 2009

Fastest Growing Private Companies | 2009

The Boston Business Journal identified the 60 fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts. These companies were honored at the 3rd annual BBJ Pacesetters event.

Other metropolitan areas have similar programs. For example, more than 40 metropolitan areas are represented at bizjournals.com. Simply select your metropolitan area from the "Choose Another City:" drop-down list and review upcoming "Events & Nominations."

Boston Business Journal Pacesetters

Fast growing companies need talented people to help sustain growth. Listed below are the 60 fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts.

[ NOTE: Beantown Web now features the LinkedIn Company Insider Widget. Simply log into your LinkedIn account on a separate tab, then click the "in" icon next to the company name below to identify the LinkedIn connections you might have within that organization. ]

The Next Step

Check out the company websites for hiring opportunities in your field of expertise.

Remember, according to the Sources of Hire Study | 2009:

"We continue to advise job seekers to NEVER apply to a company without first networking to an employee in that firm for a referral. The difference in probability of getting "up to bat" is too large to ignore."

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

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Thursday, April 16, 2009

Social Media Hub | Boston

Is your community a social media hub? Boston is.

Mashable: The Social Media Guide has launched a series of articles entitled Social Media Hub. The purpose is to shine the spotlight on local social media communities, companies and personalities.

Two metro areas have been explored so far:

Additional metro areas will be canvased in the weeks and months ahead.

Social Media Personalities

Here are 10 social media personalities that Bostonians should keep their eye on:

Profiles of each personality are listed in Social Media Hub: Boston along with the following:

  • six recurring Beantown social media events
  • eight Boston-baked social media organizations

Social Media Hubs

Additional metropolitan areas will be listed at Mashable once they have been researched and posted.

If you feel you are a social media player in your community, or know someone who is, contact Mashable to request inclusion in an upcoming article about your Social Media Hub.

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

IMA Web Awards | Q1 2009

Nine websites were honored with Interactive Media Awards (IMA) during the first quarter.

If you are involved in designing, developing, managing, supporting and promoting websites, then you are eligible for The Interactive Media Awards™ competition.

Typically, nominations from around the world are accepted from the following groups:

  • web design firms
  • advertising agencies
  • corporate marketing departments
  • individual web designers & graphic artists

IMA judges evaluate websites based on the following five criteria:

  • design
  • content
  • feature functionality
  • usability
  • standards compliance

Boston-based judges include the following:

Best in Class

The Best in Class award winners in selected industry categories for the first quarter include the following:

You can search the Winners Gallery for additional honorees in the Outstanding Achievement Award Level.

How to Enter

If you would like to be considered for an award, simply complete and submit an entry form by June 30, 2009. To review the categories for the second quarter and download an entry form, simply access How to Enter.

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 240 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

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Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Web Design Survey | 2008

"The Survey for People who Make Websites" has been compiled and the results are now available. In 2008, more than 30,000 readers took part in the A List Apart survey. Presented below is a snapshot of key findings.

Show Me the Money

The "average" person who makes websites for a living earns $1,000 a week:

  • average salary (weighted) | $52,095
  • salary range (median) | $40,000 - $59,999

Not all web workers are "average." Here are the highs and the lows:

  • earning over $100,000 | 9%
  • earning under $40,000 | 39%

Show Me the BIG Money

If you are looking to become one of the nine percent who have made it into the six-figure club ($100,000+), here are the titles most likely to get you there (percentage of job-title holders who earn six-figure salaries):

  • Creative Director | 25%
  • Usability Expert/Consultant/Lead | 21%
  • Information Architect | 20%
  • Web Director | 16%
  • Marketer | 16%

Job Titles

While the above list represents the high-paying titles, here are the three most popular job titles (other than "other"):

  • Developer | 28%
  • Web Designer | 13%
  • Designer | 8%

Young and Male

A relatively new medium attracts relatively young practitioners (age range | percentage of respondents):

  • 18 - 29 | 52%
  • 30 - 44 | 40%

A somewhat surprising 84 percent of respondents were male.

Work Style

The majority of survey respondents work for someone else. Employees outnumber independents by a two-to-one margin:

  • employee | 56%
  • contractor/freelancer | 26%

Next Career Move

Responses to the question "What is your next career move?" differ dramatically by work style -- employees vs. independents.

For employees the top three "next moves" were as follows:

  • Get a promotion at my current job | 95%
  • Get a new job in a new organization | 86%
  • Attend a conference/take classes/other educational activity | 79%

For independents the top three "next moves" were as follows:

  • Find a partner whose skills complement mine | 73%
  • Get my first job in the field | 69%
  • Start pitching a better class of client | 68%

The Next Step

Here is the "70 | 40 | 10" take-home message based on the findings from this survey:

  • 70% of all independents want to convert their work status to employee
  • 40% of Web workers earn less than $40,000 per year
  • 10% of Web workers earn a six-figure salary

Beantown Web suggests the following two recent resources to help guide you through the "70 | 40 | 10" career transition process:

Detailed findings from the A List Apart Web Design Survey, 2008 are available in an interactive Web format.

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 240 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

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Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Mass Innovation Nights | April 2009


Mass Innovation Nights allows companies large and small to showcase their new products to an audience of social media enthusiasts, mass media and potential customers. The inaugural event takes place this week.

Charter Members

Here are the Charter Members of this monthly event:

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2009
Time: 6:30 PM
To learn more, simply access the Mass Innovation Nights website. Check out the list of 100+ who have preregistered for this event to help determine if this FREE networking night might be valuable for you to attend. Then, submit your RSVP.
[ NOTE: You can now search more than 240 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>
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Sunday, April 05, 2009

Boston Market | Q2 2009

Spring has arrived and job opportunities for technology professionals with Web-related skills are starting to come alive. Green is the color of the month as 13 of 20 skills show an increase (green up arrow) from last month.

The list of the most in-demand Web-related technologies appears in the right-hand column. Links are also provided to job postings mentioning that skill. All jobs are located within a 50-mile radius of Boston.

This quarterly analysis expands the popular monthly Top 20 ratings. Listed below are the Top 50 most in-demand Web-related skills in Boston.

The Top 10

Here are the Top 10 most mentioned Web-related skills [number of times mentioned in job postings]:

  1. SQL [ 512 ]
  2. Oracle [ 468 ]
  3. Java [ 287 ]
  4. SQL Server [ 229 ]
  5. XML [ 212 ]
  6. JavaScript [ 158 ]
  7. C# [ 153 ]
  8. Perl [ 125 ]
  9. "Web Services" [ 125 ]
  10. Ajax [ 96 ]

If you are currently in the job market, demonstrating proficiency in several of these skills will enhance your employment opportunities. Note that all ten skills are database- and programming-related -- core skills for Web Developers.

11 Though 20

  1. JSP [ 86 ]
  2. e-commerce [ 85 ]
  3. ASP.NET [ 76 ]
  4. Flash [ 73 ]
  5. SharePoint [ 70 ]
  6. IIS [ 70 ]
  7. Apache [ 67 ]
  8. HTML + CSS [ 64 ]
  9. MySQL [ 62 ]
  10. SOAP [ 54 ]

Back end server skills (SharePoint, IIS and Apache) dominate the Second 10 along with Web development skills (JSP and ASP.NET). Web Design skills (HTML + CSS and Flash) begin to make an appearance on this list.

21 Through 30

Rounding out the Top 30 are the following 10 technologies:

  1. Python [ 53 ]
  2. PHP [ 52 ]
  3. Photoshop [ 49 ]
  4. DB2 [ 48 ]
  5. Tomcat [ 44 ]
  6. SEO [ 43 ]
  7. Visual Studio [ 42 ]
  8. Illustrator [ 40 ]
  9. Web 2.0 [ 39 ]
  10. API [ 38 ]

The programming theme continues with Python and PHP. Additional design skills (Photoshop and Illustrator) appear on this list along with more nebulous Web skills such as search engine optimization (SEO) and Web 2.0.

31 Through 40

Rounding out the Top 40 are the following 10 technologies:

  1. Social networking [ 35 ]
  2. SSL [ 34 ]
  3. VB.NET [ 31 ]
  4. DHTML [ 30 ]
  5. "Content Management System" [ 26 ]
  6. Acrobat [ 24 ]
  7. ColdFusion [ 22 ]
  8. Struts [ 21 ]
  9. SaaS [ 21]
  10. blog [ 21 ]

Popular Web 2.0 buzzwords (social networking, content management systems and blog) are less popular and fall out of the Top 30. Viable, yet more obscure, technologies also populate this Top 40 list.

41 Through 50

Rounding out the Top 50 are the following 10 technologies:

  1. InDesign [ 19 ]
  2. Ruby [ 19 ]
  3. VBScript [ 19 ]
  4. XHTML [ 18 ]
  5. wiki [ 17 ]
  6. Dreamweaver [ 16 ]
  7. jQuery [ 14 ]
  8. JSON [ 11 ]
  9. RSS [ 10 ]
  10. CS3 [ 9 ]

The hoopla around technologies such as Ruby, jQuery and JSON simply does not translate into mass-market job opportunities. Adobe Creative Suite programs such as InDesign and Dreamweaver also don't generate much excitement in the current technology job market.

NIT Candidates

Popular Web-related technologies that weren't invited to "The Big Dance" this quarter include the following:

It's not that these technologies are not valuable, it is simply that there is relatively little market demand for Web professionals with expertise in these skills compared to the Top 20 Web Technologies.

The Final Four

If you want to compete in today's Web technology marketplace, you should be proficient in at least one of the top four skills. The most versatile skill from this list is the following:

  • SQL

To round out your Final Four skill set, you should possess four additional Sweet 16 skills. Web developers should consider the following:

  • JavaScript
  • Ajax
  • ASP.NET
  • Flash

If you walk onto the court with these five skills, you can compete with any team in the country!

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 240 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

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