Steve Jobs Speaks

On June 12 Steve Jobs delivered the Commencement speech to the 114th graduating class at Stanford University. Jobs' message was simple and eloquent. "Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories."

• the first story is about connecting the dots
• the second story is about love and loss
• the third story is about death

A video of the entire address -- 15 minutes total-- is available at YouTube. Why not begin today with words of wisdom from Steve Jobs? Just 15 minutes. "That's it. No big deal."

Boys vs. Girls

Designers beware. Not only must we account for cross-browser design differences, now we must account for cross-gender design differences!

Websites created by men and women are different. So different, in fact, that women prefer Websites developed by women and men showed a preference for Websites developed by men, according to a first-of-its-kind-study published by a Business School in the U.K.

The study's co-author states that "businesses definitely need to sit up and take notice."

The implication is that Websites visited predominantly by one gender (women's beauty products, for example) may be less effective at attracting customers if developed by a person of the opposite gender.

The study evaluated Websites on 23 factors and significant differences were found on more than half of these factors when comparing male vs. female designers. Males, for example, favor the following design esthetics:

• straight lines (as opposed to rounded forms)
• few colors in the typeface and background
• formal or expert language with few abbreviations

Conclusion: If you are an independent Web designer, you might want to obtain feedback from a designer of the opposite sex throughout the design process, especially if your client and/or client's primary target audience is of the opposite sex.

IT Hourly Wages

Hourly wages for Information Technology (IT) professionals averaged $29.38 in the second quarter. This hourly rate equates to an annual salary of more than $61,000.

This hourly pay calculation is based on wage data from 5,000 IT professionals working on short- and long-term projects at 1,000 large employers according to the Yoh Index of Technology Wages.

Not all IT pay is equal, however. Workers possessing skills that are in heavy demand receive higher-than-average pay. A few of the hottest skills, centered largely around database and programming skill sets, are as follows (average hourly wages in parentheses):

• ASP.Net ($50.90)
• C#.Net ($52.09)
• C/C++ ($49.97)
• Java Developer ($52.59)
• Oracle DBA ($53.81)
• SQL DBA ($47.53)

So, Web developers who want to upgrade their skills -- and their earning potential -- will do well by adding a technology such as ASP.Net to their arsenal. ASP.Net is the latest version of Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) technology.

Software and training does not need to be costly. In fact, Microsoft offers "a lightweight, easy-to-use and easy-to-learn development tool focused exclusively on Web development" called Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition. In addition Microsoft provides an online QuickStart Tutorial. Also, be sure to check out W3Schools' ASP.NET Tutorial for complementary training. All resources referenced are free of charge.

Web Design Pet Peeves

A study of 2,500 adult Internet users in United States reveals Web design features that annoy them when accessing commercial Websites. The implications are clear: more than 70% of visitors who are aggravated when viewing a Web page say they are less likely to make a purchase or even return to the Website!

So, what do visitors find annoying? Here are the top offenders:

• pop-up ads
• registration log-on pages
• eye-catching Flash software

Additional "pet peeves" include the following:

• dead links
• confusing navigation
• slow loading pages
• ineffective site search tools

Web developers can use this research to educate clients on effective Website design. To review the details of this study access a press release issued by Hostway, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and sponsor of the study.

Hostway is also sponsoring a free Web seminar entitled "How to Design a Consumer-Friendly Web Site" on Tuesday, August 16. It is designed to look at the business ramifications of these "pet peeves" and provide advice and resources for building appealing Web sites.

Boston Market -- August

This month's job market analysis focuses on two core skills -- HTML and SQL.

HTML is used to display information in a Web page. SQL is used to locate and display information stored in a database. The display of database information in a Web page requires knowledge of both HTML and SQL. In addition, knowledge of a scripting language - the glue that binds HTML and SQL - is the third piece of the puzzle that can make a static page dynamic.

Listed below are five common Web-based scripting languages along with the number of jobs currently listed in BostonWorks.com:

• ASP (126)
• JSP (94)
• ASP.NET (74)
• PHP (31)
• ColdFusion (10)

Listed below are the number of jobs posted on BostonWorks.com for our two core skills:

• HTML (207)
• SQL (463)

SQL job listings have consistently outpaced HTML job listings by more than a 2:1 ratio throughout the year. In fact, knowledge of SQL is vital in developing proficiency in the top five hottest non-certified skills (25% or more pay growth) in the past twelve months. So, Web designers who want to buff up their resume will do well to add SQL to their skill set.

SQL training is a mere click away by accessing a free SQL Tutorial at W3Schools. If you feel you already have a working knowledge of SQL you can test your knowledge with a 20-question SQL Quiz.

IT Market Compensation Study

Information Technology (IT) job opportunities will continue to expand throughout 2005 according to a newly released study. Overall, two out of three of the 160 organizations surveyed projected hiring additional technology workers.

In particular, if your technology experience touches on the following areas then IT recruiters want to talk with you:

• project manager
• web applications programmer
• security analyst
• database administrator
• network engineer

Specifically, the skills that IT organizations report having the greatest difficulty recruiting are the following:

• PeopleSoft
• J2EE
• Microsoft.Net
• Java
• Oracle
• Visual C#.Net
• SAP
• XML and XML Web Services

The survey reveals that while Web applications programmers are in demand, the specific technologies that professionals with Web-based skills should consider developing include Microsoft.Net, Visual C#.Net and XML.

The place to start: XML. If you have a working knowledge of HTML, you can add XML to your resume with a little self-paced training. Simply access W3Schools' XML Tutorial and begin your free training today. W3Schools also provides free tutorials on Microsoft.Net and ASP.Net.

To learn more about the 2005 IT Market Compensation Study access a press release from Gartner.

IT Skills & Certification

A survey of 50,000 IT professionals reveals that the offshore outsourcing of technical talent has slowed and has begun to reverse for technology professionals with in-demand skills. According to the survey's author, David Foote of Foote Partners, companies "are once again investing in their own people to build and maintain systems critical to their business strategies."

So what are these in-demand skills? Tech skills were evaluated based on pay growth for individuals with and without certification. The non-certified skill areas that exhibited the most pay growth in the first six months of 2005 were as follows:

• operating systems (8.2%)
• networking/internetworking (5.1%)
• database (4.3%)
• applications development (2.1%)

In particular, four of the top five hottest non-certified skills (25% or more pay growth) in the past twelve months were Microsoft-related:

• SQL Server
• Websphere
• Active Server Pages
• Microsoft .NET
• SQL Windows

For those tech workers with certification the areas that have seen the most growth were as follows:

• Web (3.8%)
• applications development/programming languages (2.3%)
• database (0.7%)

According to the author, companies are searching for "workers with solution-specific experience within a particular industry" to develop "new products and services that will ensure their competitiveness against challengers of all sizes and geographies." He concludes by stating that "most employers favor both experience and credentialing in a job candidate whenever possible."

Web designers and developers should consider obtaining CIW Associate certification, the first in a series of Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) certification paths available from Prosoft. For a complete list of 86 certifications used in this analysis, along with links to certification Websites, access Web Apprentices' Training Center.

A summary of this research is available at Information Week. For a more detailed findings access a Foote Partners Press Release.

Boston Market -- July

The market for Web Developers continues to grow in the greater Boston area. An analysis of job listings in the Boston Globe reveals that the job market has expanded approximately 33% over the past five months. Database (SQL and MS Access) and programming skills (ASP and JavaScript) continue to outpace design skills (Photoshop and Dreamweaver).

Listed below in descending order are a few of the most in-demand Web Developer skills.

• Skill -- number of listings (percent increase from February)
• SQL -- 425 (12%)
• MS Access -- 217 (36%)
• HTML -- 192 (22%)
• ASP -- 124 (27%)
• JavaScript -- 93 (58%)
• Photoshop -- 80 (40%)
• Dreamweaver -- 28 (33%)

The Career Links in the right-hand column provide easy access to job listings from both Bostonworks.com and Monster.com.

Best Places to Work

How does your employer rate? Is your workplace one of the best in Massachusetts? To find out pick up a copy of the June 27 issue of the Boston Business Journal. Or, simply review the interactive list below.



Small (20-100 Employees):
Adheris Inc.
ADS Financial Services Solutions
ath Power Consulting
The Castle Group Inc.
ChoiceStream Inc.
DSCI Corp.
Eliassen Group Inc.
Epsilon Associates Inc.
Imceda Software Inc.
Insight Performance Improvement Inc.
Intranets.com
Kforce Professional Staffing
Mazu Networks Inc.
Pyxis Mobile Inc.
Richards Barry Joyce & Partners
SHIFT Communications LLC
Stacy's Pita Chip Co.
Text 100 Public Relations
Thrive Networks Inc.
Travel Collaborative

Midsize (101-500 Employees):
athenahealth Inc.
BBN Technologies
Boston Communications Group Inc.
Commonwealth Financial Network
Danversbank
Deploy Solutions Inc.
Excel Switching Corp.
Gentle Giant Moving Co. Inc.
MC Communications LLC
Nixon Peabody LLP
Nutter, McClennen and Fish LLP
Seaport Companies
Shawmut Design and Construction
SolidWorks Corp.
Suffolk Construction Company Inc.
TechTarget Inc.
VERC Enterprises
Vitale Caturano & Co.
Wolf & Company PC
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks PC

Large (Over 500 Employees):
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Bingham McCutchen LLP
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Comcast Corp.
Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
Digitas LLC
Genzyme Corp.
Grand Circle Corp.
Hallmark Health System
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
International Data Group
Kronos Inc.
Lifeline Systems Inc.
New England Baptist Hospital
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Progress Software Corp.
Roche Bros. Supermarkets Inc.
Shields Health Care
Simmons College
Winchester Hospital

Technology Skills in Demand

A survey of 1,400 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) reveals that the next three months will provide the best hiring opportunity for technology workers in the last three years. In addition, New England is expected to lead the nation in hiring demand according to the quarterly IT Hiring Index and Skills Report issued by Robert Half Technology.

The skills sets reported to be in greatest demand by CIOs were the following:

• Microsoft Windows (NT/2000/XP) administrators (77%)
• Wireless network management (48%)
• SQL Server management (47%)

In addition, nearly a quarter of CIOs reported a demand for Active Server Pages (ASP) development and .NET development skills.

While help desk/end-user support (17%) and networking (17%) are the job categories experiencing the most growth, data/database management (11%) and internet / intranet development (8%) professionals continue to be in short supply. These findings bode well for Web professionals with database knowledge and network administration experience.

Since many of the skills in demand are Microsoft-specific (SQL Server, ASP, .NET, etc.), Web professionals should consider obtaining certification in one of nine core skills. A 15-minute video is available to learn more about Microsoft certification.

Boston Market -- June

As discussed in yesterday's post, E-commerce Trends, online commerce continues to expand at greater than 20% annually. This month's Boston Market explores the skills necessary to be proficient in developing an e-commerce Website.

The two basic skills of HTML and SQL are the starting point because they represent the knowledge required to create a Web page (HTML) and access information from a database (SQL). Of the two skills SQL is in greater demand as reflected by current job listings in the Boston Globe:

• SQL (412)
• HTML (228)

A search on the combined skill set of SQL and HTML reveals 77 listings.

In addition, knowledge of a scripting technology that facilitates the connection between a Web page and a database is the third basic skill necessary to develop Web applications. Of the three primary scripting technologies, Microsoft-specific skills (ASP and ASP.NET) continue to be in the greatest demand in the Boston marketplace:

• ASP (133)
• ASP.NET (81)
• PHP (34)
• Cold Fusion (8)

A search on the combined skill set of SQL and HTML and ASP reveals 30 listings.

The links on the right-hand side provide easy access to these and other job listings in both BostonWorks.com and Monster.com.

E-commerce Trends

E-commerce -- the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet -- continues to expand at greater than 20% per year according to latest research available from Shop.org. Categories with products purchased largely by women will see the most growth this year. These include online sales of the following:

• cosmetics and fragrances (33% growth)
• over-the-counter medications and personal care (32%)
• jewelry and luxury goods (31%)
• flowers, cards, and gifts (30%)

The report entitled The State of Retailing Online 8.0 is a detailed survey of 137 retailers that explores the opportunities and challenges facing retailers selling and marketing on the Web, including store-based, catalog-based, and Web-only retailers.

These online retailing trends bode well for Web developers with e-commerce skills. To learn more about how to work with clients who might want you to develop an e-commerce Website access a five-lesson tutorial available from Web Monkey, The Web Developers Resource. Topics include the following:

• Lesson 1 -- Making a plan
• Lesson 2 -- Sales techniques
• Lesson 3 -- Online transactions, taxes, security, credit card processing
• Lesson 4 -- Software solutions
• Lesson 5 -- Attracting customers
  

Spring Business Barometer

According to the Spring 2005 Business Barometer, a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 leaders of small and medium-sized businesses, two out of three business leaders believe that business Web sites influence overall sales. More than half of the small businesses surveyed now have Web sites in place, and a full 96 percent of those say their online identity is critical to their success.

The top three business priorities according to these business leaders all tracked back to the bottom line:

• revenue growth (79 percent)
• customer retention (70 percent)
• expense reduction (46 percent)

Web developers can use this survey data to help position their services and assist business leaders with helping to meet their business priorities. In particular, the following three "e-commerce features" were listed as valuable to small business owners:

• online payment transactions
• online business forms
• email requests

In addition, small business owners ranked these Web-based marketing strategies relatively low: e-mail marketing, search engine keywords, and banner advertising. The top three marketing tools critical in driving business for their companies were as follows:

• community relations (55 percent)
• Web sites (47 percent)
• public relations/media coverage (31 percent)

By sharing this survey data with small business owners, Web developers can position themselves as business advisors and increase the likelihood of developing cost-effective Web projects that meet the needs of small business owners.

Microsoft Access Training

As detailed in the Boston Market - May blog posting, database expertise continues to be in high demand among companies seeking technology professionals in the greater Boston area. In particular, nearly 200 job postings are available via BostonWorks.com for individuals with Microsoft Access knowledge and experience. More than 370 job postings are available at Monster.com.

Microsoft Access training is available for free at Microsoft's New England District offices on Wednesday, May 18. The agenda is as follows:

• Introductory sessions -- 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
• Intermediate sessions -- 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• Developer sessions -- 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM

For further details go to Boston Access Day.

Yahoo! Website Service

I decided to test Yahoo!'s new Website development service. I used it to list Web Apprentices in Yahoo!'s local business directory. Check out the results here:

http://ma.local.yahoo.biz/webapprentices/

It took me about one hour to set this site up. It's easy to do once you know what you want to say -- it might take another hour to capture and edit the content.

As you will see, this approach has limitations (advertising, lack of flexibility, etc.). However, this might be a solution for some businesses who merely want to establish a temporary Web presence until a custom solution is developed.

Check it out. We are all aware of a local business that could use a simple Website. Your sister's Beauty Salon. Your nephew's lawn mowing service. Your local church, mosque, or synagogue. Offer to get them on The Web using this service. Keep in mind that your time has value. At the very least you should barter for two hours worth of service in exchange for your efforts.

Boston Market -- May

Database expertise continues to be in high demand among companies seeking technology professionals in the greater Boston area. Currently, the Boston Globe lists the following opportunities (number of listings in parentheses):

• Oracle (369)
• SQL Server (225)
• Microsoft Access (188)
• MySQL (19)

Monster.com lists the following opportunities (number of listings in parentheses):

• Oracle (831)
• SQL Server (507)
• Microsoft Access (366)
• MySQL (53)

Regardless of the database product Web developers can enhance their career prospects by learning SQL, the standard programming language used to access information from databases.

• The Boston Globe lists 404 SQL opportunities.
• Monster.com lists 931 SQL opportunities.

The links above and on the right-hand side provide easy access to Web development job listings in the greater Boston area.

Webby Award Nominees

Nominees for the 9th Annual Webby Awards have been announced. The Webby Awards is the leading international award program honoring excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality. Five nominees were recognized in each of 63 categories. Winners will be announced in early May.

Web developers can benefit from reviewing the nominee websites and incorporating the "best of breed" concepts into future development projects. Simply click the category below to gain access to the five nominee Websites in that category.

Webby Award categories:

• activism
• arts
• associations
• automotive
• banking
• beauty & cosmetics
• best copy writing
• best home/welcome page
• best navigation/structure
• best practices
• best use of animation or moving images
• best use of sound or music
• blog
• broadband
• celebrity/fan
• charitable organizations nonprofit
• community
• consumer electronics
• cultural institutions
• education
• employment
• events
• family/parenting
• fashion
• financial services
• food & beverage
• games
• games-related
• government
• guides/ratings/reviews
• health
• humor
• insurance
• investor relations
• IT hardware/software
• law
• lifestyle
• magazine
• movie & film
• music
• news
• newspaper
• personal web site
• pharmaceuticals
• politics
• professional services
• radio
• real estate
• religion & spirituality
• restaurant
• retail
• school
• science
• services
• social networking
• sports
• student
• telecommunications
• television
• tourism
• travel
• weird
• youth
  

Disruptive Technology

According to a recent report issued by The Kelsey Group, 70 percent of households in the United States now use the Internet to gather information when shopping locally for products and services. However, another report from June, 2004 by the same group revealed that nearly half of small to medium sized businesses did not yet have a Website and 30% of those businesses indicated that they intended to have one within 12 months.

Yahoo! has decided to capitalize on these trends by launching a new feature that provides free Web sites for small businesses. The service features five free pages that can be customized from a variety of templates, as well as, free listing in the Yahoo! local search engine.

If you are a veteran Web developer you merely need to be aware of this service. Small businesses with limited resources are probably not in your target market.

Junior developers, on the other hand, can position this free service as an entry level offering in a portfolio of services. You can offer to develop a limited "free" Website for friends and neighbors with small businesses and charge an hourly rate for your service. You can use the Yahoo! local search engine to identify prospects. As you develop a client base you can interest these small business owners in additional value-added services, such as database connectivity, as their needs expand.

You can learn more by accessing the Yahoo! local website beta site.

Boston Market - April

HTML skills continue to be in demand. This month's analysis of the Boston job market reveals that 153 jobs listed in the Boston Globe require HTML skills. This compares to 61 listings for Photoshop and 23 listings for Dreamweaver.

Database skills are in even greater demand with 390 listings for individuals who can demonstrate an understanding of SQL, the language used to access information from databases. Individuals with knowledge of proprientary database management systems such as Access (156), SQL Server (209) and Oracle (385) continue to be in high demand.

Connecting a Web page to a database requires HTML and SQL knowledge, as well as, understanding of a server-side scripting language. Four common scripting methods include the following:

• ASP (107)
• ASP.NET (67)
• PHP (21)
• Cold Fusion (11)

ASP continues to be the most in-demand scripting method followed by the next generation -- ASP.NET. Both techniques are proprietary Microsoft technologies. PHP is an open-source (free) alternative.

Monster.com consistently lists twice as many opportunities as BostonWork.com. The links on the right-hand side provide easy access to these job listings.

The Next 10 Years

Now is the time to map out the next 10 years of your career. According to a FORTUNE magazine report IT will be back in a big way. In fact, seven of the top 20 fastest-growing professional jobs require computer expertise. In addition if you have health care experience and/or financial management skills, then opportunities will be prevalent.

The following seven technology jobs will likely see 20% employment growth over the next decade:

• network systems and datacom analysts
• database administrators
• biomedical engineers
• compensation, benefits, and job analysts
• network and systems administrators
• computer specialists

According to FORTUNE, "the more sophisticated the skills, the greater the demand." So, map out a plan today to upgrade your technical skills to prepare for the high-paying jobs of tomorrow. The upcoming Boston Market analysis for April will point you in the direction of the top technical skills in demand today.