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.

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