Beantown Web

Friday, April 13, 2012

Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q2 2012

Boston is one of the 10 largest job markets in America for technology workers.

Boston is also one of the 10 fastest growing job markets in America for technology workers.

Boston is the only city in America to make both lists, according to The Dice Report for March.

The Boston technology job market is large and growing.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

The list of Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for the second quarter. The list is based on keyword searches in job postings at Boston.com. The most in-demand technologies are listed more frequently than less in-demand technologies.

Here are the Five Biggest Movers from early January to early April, listed by percentage increase:

Python | 173 listings 53%
MySQL | 145 listings 48%
Social Media | 238 listings 39%
PHP | 153 listings 34%
jQuery | 156 listings 26%

So, by developing programming skills, particularly in Python, PHP and/or jQuery, customers, recruiters and hiring managers will likely be queuing up to offer you a seat at their table. Add in some MySQL database knowledge and a dash of social media spices and you have a recipe for award-winning Job Jambalaya.

Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston

Here is the complete list of the most in-demand web technologies in Boston. [ or from early January ] listed by number of job postings at Boston.com/Monster.com:

April, 2012

SQL | 874 listings 14%
Oracle | 690 listings 10%
Java | 546 listings 12%
SQL Server | 363 listings 16%
XML | 332 listings 25%
JavaScript | 331 listings 06%
C# | 286 listings 11%
Social Media | 238 listings 39%
"Web Services" | 237 listings 22%
HTML + CSS | 196 listings 06%
Perl | 184 listings 17%
Python | 173 listings 53%
jQuery | 156 listings 26%
PHP | 153 listings 34%
Ajax | 147 listings 04%
MySQL | 145 listings 48%
ASP.NET | 142 listings 03%
UI | 141 listings 16%
SharePoint | 131 listings 21%
Photoshop | 124 listings 22%

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Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Best Business Books | 2011

Nine books catapulted to the top in this year's search for the Best Business Books of 2011.

For the fourth year running Beantown Web has conducted a quasi-scientific meta-search to identify the best business books published in the previous year. The search began by identifying 10 "Best of" lists. This year's research started with the following:

A total of 65 books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. Ten books were mentioned on at least two lists. These 10 books comprise The Honorable Mention list.

Best Business Books | Runners Up

Here are the three books mentioned on at least three lists (The Runners Up):

Best Business Books | Third Place

Four books tied for Third Place honors by being mentioned on four lists:

Best Business Book | Top Honors

The second place finisher was mentioned on five lists:

Enchantment

The best business book of 2011 was mentioned on six of the 10 "Best of" lists:

The Lean Startup

Personal Recommendations

I can personally vouch for four of the nine books honored on this year's list. Feel free to check out my reviews at Goodreads.com:

The other five books are now on my wish list.

Suggested Success Strategy

No matter what your professional discipline is -- Web technology or some other field -- business is the engine that drives economic well-being. The economy appears to be slowly moving forward after several years of being stuck in the mud. You can help improve your economic prospects by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Identify one business book from the nine listed above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career prospects into a higher gear in 2012.

Check out previous lists:

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Dice Salary Survey | 2012

The average salary for technology professionals is $81,000.

One in three technology professionals receives a bonus.

These findings are highlighted in the annual Dice Salary Survey of more than 18,000 employed technology professionals. Dice is the leading career site for technology and engineering professionals.

Industry Matters

Here are the industries where you are most likely to receive a bonus:

telecom
hardware
banking
utilities/energy
software

Technology Matters

Here are the technologies that command the highest salaries, all in excess of six figures:

ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming)
SOA (Service Oriented Architecture)
ETL (Extract Transform and Load)
Weblogic
JDBC (Java Database Connectivity)
UML (Unified Modeling Language)
JBoss
WebSphere

The Here and Now

OK. Now back to the real world.

Let's say you don't work in one of the industries that is most likely to offer a bonus and you don't possess skills in any of the acronyms listed above?

Boston Web Tech Job Market

The previous Beantown Web posting entitled Boston Web Tech Job Market | 2012 revealed the Top Ten most in-demand technology skills in the Boston area.

Here are The Second Ten:

Perl | 157 job postings
Ajax | 142 job postings
ASP.NET | 138 job postings
jQuery | 124 job postings
UI | 122 job postings
PHP | 114 job postings
Python | 113 job postings
SharePoint | 108 job postings
SaaS | 104 job postings
Photoshop | 102 job postings

The complete list of the Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston is presented in the right-hand column.

It is interesting to consider the year-over-year trends. Postings for 18 of the Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston are up from this time last year. The largest increases were posted by these seven (eight) technologies:

jQuery | 70%
SaaS | 35%
JavaScript | 25%
Perl | 24%
Social Media 23%
Java 22%
Python | 22%
HTML + CSS 22%

Bet The House

You can roll the "Dice" and select an obscure technology to master and earn a six-figure income.

Or, you can play the odds and select one technology that is both in high demand (Top 20) and fast growing (up 70% in one year).

And the award for the single best technology to master in 2012 goes to . . .

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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q1 2012

Technology hiring managers have established their staffing priorities for 2012. They are looking for innovative tech professionals who can demonstrate the following four abilities:

design
code
build
operate

According to data compiled by Dice from nearly 1,200 tech-focused hiring managers and recruiters, here are the top priority skill-sets that will be in demand:

Java developers
Software engineers
Mobile developers
.NET developers
Project managers
Web developers

Details can be found in The Dice Report for January, 2012.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

Beantown Web has been reporting on the job market for Web professionals in the Boston area since February, 2005. Here are The Top Ten most in-demand technology skills in the Boston area:

SQL | 768 job postings
Oracle | 629 job postings
Java | 489 job postings
JavaScript | 312 job postings
SQL Server | 312 job postings
XML | 266 job postings
C# | 258 job postings
"Web Services" | 195 job postings
HTML + CSS | 185 job postings
Social Media | 171 job postings

Clearly, there is no shortage of Web-related work for technically inclined professionals with a balance of knowledge and experience.

It is interesting to consider the year-over-year trends. Postings for all Top Ten skills are up from this time last year. The largest increases were posted by these four (five) technologies:

The data shows that demand for front-end developers (HTML + CSS + JavaScript) has been on the rise over the past 12 months. This trend will likely continue into the first quarter of 2012.

In the next issue we will take a closer look at "The Second Ten" skills and dive deeper into the year-over-year Web technology trends shaping 2012.

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Web Innovators Group | WebInno32

Eleven companies. Eleven hundred networking opportunities. All in one room. All FREE.

If you are interested in previewing the latest innovations on the Internet and mobile devices, and networking with industry leaders, then check out the next gathering of the Web Innovators Group.

This 32nd installment will feature the following presentations:

Main Dishes

BestVendor | Helps you discover work apps you'll love.

Kibits Labs | Lets you instantly connect with the people who matter most, in the moments that matter.

Tasted Menu | Offers diners an unmatched way to rank dishes, not restaurants.

Side Dishes

AppBlade | It's like adding MacGyver to your development team.

Hypr3D | Create 3D models from your images automatically.

Daily Feats | Earn discounts for completing daily feats.

MeetingKing | One tool to manage your meetings.

PowerInbox | Rich apps inside your inbox.

Take The Interview | An efficient video interviewing solution to screen candidates.

Rejoiner | Capture pre-submit data from abandoned forms.

Rocketmind | Develops innovative mobile games.

Event Details

Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 6:30 pm

Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Registration is FREE and the networking could prove invaluable! Check out the Attendee List of more than 900 pre-registrants to determine if this networking event is right for you.

Registrants are encouraged to join the Boston Web Innovators Group on LinkedIn and connect with more than 1,500 members. You can also let your LinkedIn network know you will be attending this event.

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Monday, November 14, 2011

Boston Market | November 2011

Short term slow down or longer term trend?

Global Markets

Reuters is reporting that the chance of a U.S recession in 2012 now is better than 50/50.

As the European debt crisis expands and the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction struggles to find common ground, employers might become more cautious in their hiring.

Boston Job Market for November

The list of Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated and appears in the right-hand column. Job postings have taken a turn in the southerly direction with only two technologies reporting an increase in postings since early October.

So, we might be witnessing an early indicator of a hiring slowdown, or perhaps, merely an early sign of a normal seasonal slowdown as we approach the year-end Holidays.

None-the-less, every technology listed features at least 100 job postings mentioning that technology. The most-frequently mentioned technology, SQL, features more than 800 job postings. So, opportunities abound for Web technology professionals with in-demand skills and experience.

Next Actions for November

Web technology professionals are encouraged to keep their skills fresh and maintain their professional connections. Two resources that Boston area Web technology professionals should consider monitoring to help expand professional connections include the following:

~ VentureFizz
~ Greenhorn Connect

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Saturday, October 08, 2011

Boston Market | October 2011

Hiring demand for Web developers remains strong according to a new report. The most commonly advertised job titles during the study period were the following:

Java Developer
Web Developer
.Net Developer
Sharepoint Developer
Web Designer
PHP Developer
J2ee Developer

The report was issued by WANTED Analytics™. It also stated that the nationwide candidate pool consists of less than one potential candidate for each job listing.

Meaning: There are not enough Web Developers in the workforce to fill available job openings!

Hiring Demand for Web Developers

Source: WANTED Analytics™

The Dice Report for October is also reporting steady demand for developers, especially those with Microsoft .NET experience.

Boston Job Market for October

The usual suspects appear in the Top Five:

SQL | 968 job listings
Oracle | 789 job listings
Java | 631 job listings
JavaScript | 393 job listings
SQL Server | 378 job listings

Take home message:

Database skills + programming skills = career security
Note: There is no such thing as job security.

Boston Training Opportunities

Here are two training opportunities in the Boston area to consider.

wakanday 2011 | Saturday, October 15

Wakanday is a one-day event designed to show how far JavaScript has come along as a programming language.
Pricing & Registration

RIA Unleashed Boston 2011 | Thursday & Friday, October 27 & 28

What will be covered? Flex, AIR, ColdFusion, Flash CS5, Flash Catalyst CS5, JavaScript (including jQuery), mobile development, HTML5.
Pricing & Registration (Enter "BeantownWeb" to receive a 10% discount.)

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Monday, September 19, 2011

Startup Watch | June 2011

Startup companies create jobs. According to StartUpHire.com there are currently more than 800 job openings at startup companies in the Boston area.

FounderMatchUp Boston

If you are looking to make personal connections with entrepreneurs in the startup arena, check out FounderMatchUp -- Where Co-Founders Connect.

Opportunities exist in the areas of web design, web development, finance, marketing, sales, and more. To make a personal connection simply register for this FREE networking event and begin making connections.

Event Details:

Wednesday, September 21, 2011
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Microsoft NERD
Cambridge, MA

Startup Watch for June

In addition to this networking opportunity, check out Mass High Tech which highlights startup companies each week in a series called "Five You Should Follow."

Here are 16 startup companies to keep your eye on:

[NOTE: Hover over company name to view a tooltip summary of that company's value proposition.]

» Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Cambridge

» DailyFeats, Inc. | Cambridge

» Elerts Corp. | Braintree

» GrabCAD | GrabCAD

» LuckyLabs, Inc. | Cambridge

» Made in the Commonwealth LLC | Boston

» Objective Logistics LLC | New Bedford

» Orban Bioscience | Brookline

» Senexx, Inc. | Cambridge

» Smarterer, Inc. | Boston

» SmartRM, Inc. | Boston

» Strohl Medical Technologies, Inc. | Norwell

» Sun Catalytix Corp. | Cambridge

» TotalTab | Uxbridge

» VeloBit, Inc. | Boxborough

» Wing Power Energy, Inc. | Salem

Five new startups are listed every Tuesday at Mass High Tech -- The Journal of New England Technology. Access Startup News for details. If your company was founded within the last three years, and would like to be considered for the Watch List, contact the Startup Watch editor.

Access previous Startup Watch lists:

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Web Innovators Group | WebInno31

Nine companies. Nine hundred networking opportunities. All in one room. All FREE.

If you are interested in previewing the latest innovations on the Internet and mobile devices, and networking with industry leaders, then check out the next gathering of the Web Innovators Group.

This 31st installment will feature the following presentations:

Main Dishes

SnapApp | Get more leads, fuel Facebook likes, drive Twitter followers and acquire more customers.

SocMetrics | Helps leading agencies and brands identify and engage topical influencers and turn them into advocates.

Yesware | Makes products to help salespeople do their job better.

Side Dishes

GoodTwo | Provides a free, unique fundraising tool.

Cravelabs | Get your customers to drive word-of-mouth.

synchtube | Synchronize various types of media across the web.

Addie | A new approach to real-life sharing and cloud storage.

Curisma | Explore community discovered, cool tech products.

RepTivity | Real time leaderboard for your sales teams.

Event Details

Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 6:30 pm

Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Registration is FREE and the networking could prove invaluable! Check out the Attendee List of more than 900 pre-registrants to determine if this networking event is right for you.

Registrants are encouraged to join the Boston Web Innovators Group on LinkedIn and connect with nearly 1,500 members.

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web. ]

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Boston Market | September 2011

As President Obama addresses the nation about job creation in America, workers with in-demand skills are fairing better than others.

Notably, residents of Massachusetts are experiencing a 7.6 percent unemployment rate, considerably better than the national average rate of 9.1 percent. And residents of Massachusetts with the right mix of technology skills and experience have more options than most.

Developers In Demand

WBUR, Boston's NPR news station, ran a Labor Day story entitled In Tough Labor Market, Software Developers Wanted. The story featured Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO of Cambridge-based HubSpot. Not only is he having a challenge finding talent, he is willing to give you $10,000 just for helping him find the right developers to join his team.

Boston Job Market for September

So, what are the Web-related technology skills that are most in-demand in the Boston metro area? The list of Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated and appears in the right-hand column. Each technology links to job postings at Boston.com that list that technology keyword in the job description.

The number of job postings for most technologies has increased since early June despite the uncertainty surrounding our elected leaders' inability to form a consensus around the best way to steer our economic ship.

Technology Training Opportunity

One challenge that faces many job seekers is "How can I learn the skills I need to qualify for one of these jobs?" Boston PHP has a solution. Boston PHP is the largest Web technology Meetup in New England with more than 2,000 members.

Boston PHP offers two virtual self-study groups targeting Web technology beginners.

~ PHP Percolate! for beginners who want to learn the basics of PHP and MySQL

~ jQuery jAM for beginners who want the learn the basics of JavaScript and jQuery

Why these technologies? Simply because employers are looking for workers who have these skills:

#4 JavaScript | 372 job postings
#12 PHP | 177 job postings
#14 MySQL | 165 job postings
#20 jQuery | 132 job postings

If you would like to participate in one of the Boston PHP self-study groups, simply become a member of Boston PHP and state your interest in joining either PHP Percolate! or jQuery jAM when you sign up. Membership is free.

Full Disclosure: PHP Percolate! and jQuery jAM are lead by the author of this blog article.

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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Startup Watch | May 2011

Today's new businesses are lean. Businesses less than a year old are hiring fewer employees than they have in years past.

"Not only are these businesses starting out smaller than their predecessors, they are staying smaller."

"We won’t fix our core unemployment problem in the United States until young businesses get back on track."

Details can be found in a new report from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation entitled Starting Smaller; Staying Smaller: America’s Slow Leak in Job Creation [ press release | 20-page report ]

Startup Watch for May

Mass High Tech highlights startup companies each week in a series called "Five You Should Follow."

Here are 22 Massachusetts-based startup companies to keep your eye on:

[NOTE: Hover over company name to view a tooltip summary of that company's value proposition.]

» AcuityBio Corp. | Newton

» Aid Aide | Cambridge

» Alpinewerx, LLC | Cambridge

» Bioarray Therapeutics, Inc. | Boston

» Click Diagnostics, Inc. | Lexington

» CraveLabs | Tewksbury

» EmptyCabin | Watertown

» Enlight Biosciences LLC | Boston

» EveryFit, Inc. | Cambridge

» Fundraise.com, Inc. | Boston

» Junctions | Brookline

» Kaminario, Inc. | Newton

» Loxal Rewards | Cambridge

» Modo Labs, Inc. | Cambridge

» Noblegen Biosciences, Inc. | Boston

» NuOrtho Surgical, Inc. | Fall River

» RippleFunction | Boston

» Thermedical, Inc. | Somerville

» Transatomic Power Corp. | Cambridge

» Typesafe, Inc. | Cambridge

» UsTrendy, Inc. | Cambridge

» Zigswitch, Inc. | Cambridge

Access previous Startup Watch lists:

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Thursday, June 23, 2011

Boston Market | June 2011

Web technology professionals should target advertising and marketing executives to enhance employment prospects. A net 19 percent of advertising and marketing executives plan to increase staffing levels in the third quarter. Here are the positions in top demand:

Web designers/developers
Mobile apps designers/developers
Interactive marketing managers

Only legal professionals are in greater demand according to the Robert Half Professional Employment Report for the third quarter of 2011 . Complete details are available in an 11-page report.

Boston Market

The list of Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated and appears in the right-hand column.Each technology links to job postings at Boston.com that list that technology keyword in the job description. The number of job postings has declined over the past 30 days and this may reflect a seasonal slowdown as the summer months begin.

None-the-less, jobs are plentiful. Even the technology in position #20 -- MySQL -- is mentioned in more than 100 job postings.

~ SQL Server is mentioned three times more frequently than MySQL.
~ SQL and Oracle are mentioned eight times more frequently than MySQL.

So, the ability to store and retrieve data is at the center of today's advertising- and marketing-driven, Web development landscape.

Next Action

If you are a Web technology professional and are interested in exploring opportunities in the marketplace, start with your LinkedIn list of connections. Search your connections for those that list "Marketing and Advertising" as their industry. Then, send each a message with an update on how you might be able to help them.

Advertising and marketing executives are looking for talented and experienced Web technology professionals. Let them know of your interest and availability. (If you also have a law degree, don't be shy in mentioning that skill as well!)

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web. ]

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Web Innovators Group | WebInno30

Eleven companies. Eleven hundred networking opportunities. All in one room. All FREE.

If you are interested in previewing the latest innovations on the Internet and mobile devices, and networking with industry leaders, then check out the next gathering of the Web Innovators Group.

This 30th installment will feature the following presentations:

Main Dishes

Lockify | Take control of your private communications..

Pintly | A new kind of beer website -- one that only recommends beer you're sure to love.

Smarterer | Show what you know by taking tests and sharing your skills.

Side Dishes

Apptegic | Do you know what your customers are doing?

Fantourage | Get rewarded for fandom!

GamesForLanguage | Learn languages the fun way!

Goshido | Focus on doing the work that matters.

The Happy Cloud | How longs are you willing to wait for your games?

TourSphere | The mobile app generator for museums & cultural destinations.

Zaarly | Helps you buy and sell with people around you.

CLOVR Media | Card Linked Offers with Virtual Redemption.

A Startup's Guide to Navigating Agencies & Brands

A special optional breakout session will begin at 8:00 pm. The panelists will discuss how to overcome the challenges that small startup companies have in attracting the attention of digital agencies and large brands with significant ad spending power.

Moderator: Dave Balter | CEO of BzzAgent
Panelist: Edward Boches | Chief Innovation Officer of Mullen
Panelist: Jeff McMahon | CEO of Agency Oasis
Panelist: Jessica DeVlieger | V.P. of Strategic Accounts at Communispace

Event Details

Monday, June 13, 2011, 6:30 pm

Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Registration is FREE and the networking could prove invaluable! Check out the Attendee List of more than 1,000 pre-registrants to determine if this networking event is right for you.

Registrants are encouraged to join the Boston Web Innovators Group on LinkedIn and connect with nearly 1,400 members.

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web. ]