National "Dream Jobs" Survey

Only 16 percent of workers in the United States are currently in their dream job according to a recent survey of workers.

Boston heads the list of metropolitan areas where workers report the highest incidence of feeling they are currently in their dream jobs. Here are the top five metropolitan areas with the happiest workers:

• Boston (37 percent)
• Sacramento (26 percent)
• San Francisco (23 percent)
• Philadelphia (22 percent)
• Salt Lake City (20 percent)

So, if you live in Boston and you do not now have a dream job, it could be that you are just not having enough fun at work!

Here are the three most important factors in determining a dream job according to survey respondents:

• having fun at work (39 percent)
  
• making a difference in society (17 percent)
• money (12 percent)
  

What does it take to have a little more fun at work? Awareness and commitment. Feel free to share these findings with your coworkers, supervisor, and human resources representative. A little more fun can go a long way in determining whether or not you have a dream job, or are simply dreaming about landing another job!

The National "Dream Jobs" Survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive among more than 6,000 workers. A press release summarizing the results is available at CareerBuilder.com.

Chowda Chat: Dean Fossella

Beantown Web introduces a new service called "Chowda Chat" which features a conversation with an influential member of the Greater Boston technology community. The purpose of "Chowda Chat" is to provide Web technology professionals with information to help advance their careers. The format involves three questions and responses followed by one final thought.

The inaugural issue of "Chowda Chat" presents the thoughts and observations of Dean Fossella, Chief Technology Officer for a Division of Thomson Learning, a $2 billion provider of tailored education, training, reference, and assessment solutions to organizations and higher education institutions.

1. How has India affected the marketplace for Boston area Web technology professionals?

"India is a good place for getting work done that is well documented and well managed. That is really an important statement if you think about it. This means that as outsourcing increases, and it’s not just India – look for China, the Philippines, and even Vietnam – the need for Project Managers and Business Analysts increases. Architects, Project Managers and Business Analysts are in increasing demand as outsourcing is more prevalent. Architects because design needs to be in-house in order to maintain interoperability with other systems, technical oversight and technical strategy, Project Managers because you need control of the project in-house and Business Analysts because an organization needs to define it’s own projects."

2. What is the one skill or characteristic that you find most lacking in candidates you interview?

"Business skills are most often lacking in technology candidates. The technology supports the needs of the business, just like marketing, selling, finance, etc… The more business skills (analysis, strategic thinking, innovation, financial knowledge, etc…) one possesses the better decisions one will make for the good of this business."

3. What strategy would you suggest to someone who wants to gain experience when just starting out?

"Look to gain skills that bring you closer to customer needs. Go on sales calls, learn about the market, strive to understand the customers and how they use your products and/or services."

Final Thought: "Business needs drive technology requirements. Knowledge of business, customers and markets will separate you from other technology candidates. The most in-demand Web technology professionals will deliver a 'value proposition', not just a 'wow factor.'"

Thanks Dean for providing our readers with a business perspective on how technology professionals can focus their energies by learning non-technical skills that add value to an organization.

Boston Market -- 1st Quarter, 2007

The Wall Street Journal Online published an article last week entitled "Is 'Web 2.0' Another Bubble?" In the article two technology venture capitalists discuss the valuations of companies attempting to capitalize on the Web 2.0 trend. According to the article Web 2.0 can be defined as "online collaboration and sharing among users."

The article concludes as follows:

"I was recently asked by an entrepreneur what I thought would be the next great technology in the coming year. I told him I thought it would be the Internet. We have just started scratching the surface of the enabling power of the Internet. Whether it is called "Web 2.0" or "New Media" or "Enterprise 2.0," Internet services are going to drive the world's economies for the foreseeable future. To me that doesn't spell bubble, that spells opportunity."

Web 2.0 is alive and well. While web designers are needed to help present the look and feel of Web 2.0 sites, Web developers are needed to facilitate "online collaboration and sharing among users." The tools required to make this happen include programming skill and database knowledge.

Consider the following two searches at BostonWorks.com:

• Web Designer -- 58 job openings
• Web Developer -- 1,171 job openings

In the greater Boston area there are 20 Web developer jobs for every Web designer job!

The ratio of developer to designer jobs is 20:1.

Could this be a statistical aberration? To find out let's search for jobs on BostonWorks.com using common technology keywords. For example, two skills commonly associated with Web design are CSS and Photoshop. Here are the number of job listings that mention these terms in their job descriptions:

• CSS [ 89 ]
  
• Photoshop [ 78 ]

When placed in a broader context of demand for other Web-related technology skills, CSS and Photoshop barely make the top 10:

1. SQL [ 664 ]
   
2. Oracle [ 614 ]
3. HTML [ 378 ]
   
4. SQL Server [ 344 ]
5. XML [ 333 ]
   
6. JavaScript [ 184 ]
7. ASP.NET [ 150 ]
8. JSP [ 117 ]
9. CSS [ 89 ]
   
10. Photoshop [ 78 ]

On closer examination some of these programming and database jobs -- Oracle, for example -- are not strictly Web-related. However, SQL -- the language of creating database queries -- is a core Web developer skill. Knowledge of how to access a relational database (Oracle or SQL Server, for example) and present that information in an (X)HTML format is a critical skill in enabling the "online collaboration and sharing among users."

Database knowledge is a core Web 2.0 skill.

The second 10 of less-in-demand, Web-related skills are as follows:

1. Flash [ 67 ]
   
2. Ajax [ 57 ]
3. DHTML [ 45 ]
   
4. Visual Studio [ 41 ]
5. MySQL [ 40 ]
   
6. PHP [ 39 ]
7. Dreamweaver [ 38 ]
   
8. ColdFusion [ 25 ]
9. VBScript [ 25 ]
   
10. XHTML [ 23 ]

The relentless pace of technology change will continue for the foreseeable future. Web technology professionals must be diligent to maintain and upgrade skills according to market demand. Here is my challenge to the Web technology community for the next three months:

1. Identify one skill from the Top 10 list above to improve on
2. Develop a teach-yourself training plan to learn that skill
   
3. Implement the training plan
4. Demonstrate your new skill in a Web project

I will report my progress in early April, 2007.

The State of the CIO -- 2007

No organization of any size can operate efficiently without information technology (IT) -- the use of technology in managing and processing information. Larger organizations employ Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to coordinate this effort.

CIO magazine surveyed more than 500 CIOs on various topics for the 2007 version of their annual report called The State of the CIO. Since Web-related projects are coordinated, either directly or indirectly, through IT departments, Web professionals should be aware of the challenges facing today's IT leaders. Let's review a summary of the survey results.

More than half of CIOs expect to add full-time staff in 2007. The top three skills most in demand are the following:

• project management (52%)
• application development (50%)
• database management (39%)

Web professionals with expertise in these areas can get the attention of CIOs with documented experience in one or more of these three areas.

Web-related technology solutions were rated lower on the list of skill sets in demand:

• Web services (32%)
• Website development (26%)

Web-related technologies that are part of Web services include XML and SOAP.

CIOs need help. They are swamped with work citing the biggest barrier to job effectiveness as follows:

• Overwhelming backlog of requests/projects

The best way for Web professionals to help CIOs with this backlog is to provide solutions that help CIOs meet their expectations for 2007. When asked "What impact do you expect IT will have in the year ahead?" CIOs responded as follows:

• Enable business innovation (54%)
• Reduce business costs (48%)
• Improve customer (external) satisfaction (48%)
• Create competitive advantage (38%)

Web professionals should consider setting goals for the New Year to document how their Web projects meet the above four criteria. By quantifying these results you can get the attention of business leaders and create your own competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Before your next meeting with a business leader to discuss a Web project download and review a copy of the 2007 State of the CIO survey. The 16-page summary is free, but registration is required. By understanding the IT needs of an organization you will be in better position to solve problems, overcome objections and land the assignment.

Outlook 2007, Part 2

This article is the second of a two-part series [ view Part 1 ] on career prospects for Web designers and developers in 2007. In Part 2 of Outlook 2007 we'll take a closer look at the demand for technology professionals and identify three skill sets that Web professionals should focus on developing in the New Year.

According to 2007 Job Forecast, a survey of more than 2,600 hiring managers and human resource professionals in private sector companies, 40 percent report they will increase their number of full-time, permanent employees in 2007. Information Technology is one of the areas that employers will be recruiting for the most (13 percent of respondents). For a detailed evaluation of corporate hiring plans access 2007 Annual Job Forecast (pdf) available from CareerBuilder.com.

A closer look at the information technology (IT) marketplace reveals that skilled IT professionals are in demand. According to the Robert Half Technology 2007 Salary Guide, one and a half million new computer and IT-related jobs will be created between 2004 and 2014. The Salary Guide helps identify the specific skills required to fill those job in 2007 and what the salaries are likely to be for Web professionals with those skills.

The IT positions in the United States that are expected to experience greater than average demand in 2007 are as follows:

• Software Developers
• Web Developers
  
• Data Warehouse Managers
  
• Project Managers
  
• Application Architects

"Web developers are in high demand as web-based tools, services and applications – collectively referred to as Web 2.0 – gain popularity among companies of all sizes and industries," according to the Salary Guide.

Three areas that Web professionals should focus on developing in 2007 that relate directly to the five in-demand areas are as follows:

• programming skills
  
• database expertise
  
• project management experience

Access the Robert Half Technology Website to obtain a FREE copy of the 2007 Salary Guide.

A closer look at the IT hiring landscape can be gleamed from the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report , a survey of more than 1,400 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) from companies with more than 100 employees.

Here are the skill sets that are most in demand by CIOs at large companies:

• Microsoft Windows administration (Server 2000/2003) (77%)
  
• network administration (Cisco, Nortel, Novell) (71%)
  
• database management (Oracle, SQL Server, DB2) (63%)

On the programming side these larger companies tend to be more Microsoft-centric with 23% of CIOs reporting demand for Microsoft-specific skills (i.e. ASP.NET). Open source Web programming skills (i.e. PHP) were not reported to be in demand at these larger companies.

Here's the three-step plan for career development in 2007:

1. seek opportunities to develop project-management skills -- the ability to develop a project plan and deliver on that plan in a timely and cost-effective manner


2. develop programming skills -- ASP.NET if you are focusing on larger companies; PHP (open source) if your target market is smaller organizations


3. develop database skills -- Oracle, SQL Server, DB2 if you are focusing on larger companies; MySQL (open source) if your target market is smaller organizations
   

By developing a project plan to improve two skills -- one programming skill and one database skill -- your skill set will expand, your confidence will grow and your marketability will improve.

Here's wishing all of my readers a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Outlook 2007, Part 1

This article is the first of a two-part series [ View Part 2 ] on career prospects for Web designers and developers in 2007. In Part 1 of Outlook 2007 we'll take a broad view of the economy and identify one area of development that Web technology professionals should learn more about in the New Year.

One snapshot of the economy comes from Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of large corporations with more 10 million total employees. They predict slow steady growth for the first half of 2007.

Here are a few key findings from a recent survey of 124 CEOs:

• nearly 70% expect sales to increase over the next six months
  
• more than one third expect employment at their U.S. operations to increase

The biggest concern among CEOs:

• more than 50% cited the rising cost of health care as the greatest cost pressure facing their business

The implications from this survey are clear: workers should continue to find employment opportunities during the first half of 2007, but don't be surprised if an increasing number of these opportunities take the form of contract work without benefits.

Complete details are available in the quarterly CEO Economic Outlook Survey available from the Business Roundtable.

For a closer look at job opportunities within the information technology sector, let's see what Chief Information Officers (CIOs) have to say. The Forrester/ITAA U.S. Tech Sector Index reached a five and a half year high in its most recent quarterly survey. "Improved profits and surprisingly optimistic CIOs drove the index to its highest level since Q1 2001," according to a five-page report summary.

However, the IT sector is going through a period of "refinement and digestion." According to the report, " . . . the current period . . . should end around 2008, and it is becoming clearer that Web 2.0, software-driven computing will likely lead the charge."

While the report did not define Web 2.0 the implication is that Web professionals with knowledge and experience in designing and developing database-driven Web applications will fair well in 2007 and 2008.

On a local level, here are two opportunities to connect with technology leaders to learn more about their perspectives on the technology economy in Massachusetts:

• What's Next for The Digital State in 2007, sponsored by MITX -- Wednesday, January 17
  
• IT Futures Forum, sponsored by BATEC -- Friday, February 2

In Outlook 2007, Part 2 we'll take a closer look at the demand for technology professionals and identify three skill sets that Web professionals should focus on developing in the New Year.

Happy Birthday CSS

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) celebrated its 10-year anniversary this week. In an unrelated event Adobe Systems launched CSS Advisor, a community-driven Website. Designers and developers who use CSS will want to take a look at this free service. The location acts as a central repository for cross-browser/cross-platform CSS issues and solutions.

CSS Advisor is currently in public beta and is available to anyone with an Adobe login and password. Registration is free. The site helps professionals in the following three areas:

• Find solutions to CSS and browser compatibility issues
  
• Share solutions and workarounds you've discovered with the community
  
• Comment on and improve existing solutions
  

The plan is for CSS Advisor to be incorporated into the next version of Dreamweaver where it will automatically detect CSS compatibility issues in your code and take you to the proper page on the CSS Advisor site.

While you are at the Adobe Website check out the Dreamweaver Developer Center. Articles, tutorials and downloads cater to a wide range of developer experience from Building your first CSS site to Adobe Spry, a new Ajax framework available for download. If you are new to Ajax, check out the Spry Demos Gallery.

To learn more about CSS Advisor, access an InfoWorld article. Also, check out editorial commentary at Digital Media Online.

Internet Explorer 7: CSS Support

With the recent release of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) for Windows, Web designers and developers may finally get relief from the challenge of cross browser compatibility. Or will we?

To provide the Web development community with answers, O'Reilly Media, Inc. has just released a document that details support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in the new IE7. Here are a few topics covered in this timely report:

• Flaws in IE6
• Fixes in IE7
• What you won't find in IE7
• Hacks and Workarounds in IE7
  

In addition the document presents a rationale for how quickly IE7 might replace IE6 as the primary browser that the vast majority of Internet users will use to view Web pages. For example, IE7 is now the second most popular Web browser surpassing both Firefox 1.5 and Firefox 2.0 in November.

Every Web professional should be current on issues related to design and development for different operating systems and browser products. If you'd like to learn more, Releasing CSS: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love IE7 is available for purchase and instant download. The investment in this 69-page document is only $10.

[Full Disclosure: As the publisher of this blog I have no financial arrangement with O'Reilly Media, Inc. and do not benefit financially or otherwise from recommending its products. I have been searching the Internet for the past month to recommend resources to help designers and developers identify challenges and solutions relating to the recent release of both IE7 and Firefox 2 and have concluded that this is the most comprehensive product available at this time.]

Microsoft Vista/Office Launch Tour

Windows Vista is the highly touted, long overdue operating system from Microsoft. It will eventually replace Windows XP.

Office 2007 is Microsoft's latest upgrade to the Office 2003 suite of productivity tools which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, among other programs.


Microsoft wants to tell you all about Windows Vista and Office 2007 and has reserved the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center for one giant marketing extravaganza! Boston is the fourth stop on a planned 15-city tour designed to promote the first simultaneous upgrade of Microsoft's operating system and Office suite since 1995.

The giveaways are usually top of the line. The party is free. And space is limited. So act now if you would like to attend Ready for a New Day: Launch Tour 2007 on Wednesday, January 24, 2007.

Boston Market -- December

The Monster Local Employment Index for Boston reached a new high in October. "In addition to heightened seasonal demand for retail workers, the index for Boston showed an increase in online job opportunities in IT, science and engineering professionals," according to a Monster press release.

If you are a recent college graduate your prospects of finding a quality job are especially good according to Job Outlook 2007, an annual survey published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

"This marks the fourth straight year that employers have projected percentage increases in the double digits," says a NACE representative. According to the survey, employers plan to target the following degree areas to fill positions:

• business
• engineering
• computer-related

Not all computer-related skills are valued equally by employers, however. The job market analysis below reveals which computer-related skills are most in-demand in the greater Boston area [ along with the number of jobs listed for that skill at BostonWorks.com ].

The following skills are typically associated with Web Design:

• Photoshop [ 67 ]
  
• CSS [ 67 ]
  
• Flash [ 52 ]
  
• Dreamweaver [ 35 ]
  
• XHTML [ 18 ]
  

The following skills are typically associated with Web Development:

• XML [ 238 ]
• ASP [ 182 ]
  
• JavaScript [ 118 ]
  
• ASP.NET [ 104 ]
  

The following skills are typically associated with data management:

• Oracle [ 390 ]
  
• SQL [ 447 ]
  
• SQL Server [ 214 ]
  

Web design skills continue to lag behind Web programming skills. Database skills (including XML) continue to be in highest demand by Boston area employers. Average salaries reflect this demand curve and are listed below:

• Graphic Artist / Designer | $45,000
• Web Designer | $46,500
• Senior Web Designer | $48,000
• Webmaster | $57,000
• Web Programmer | $65,000
• Web Developer | $65,000
• Database Administrator (DBA) | $85,000

For a more complete list of skills, along with direct access to job postings at both BostonWorks.com and Monster.com, review Boston Market -- 4th Quarter, 2006.

100 Million to One

Now that there are more than 100 million Websites on the Internet, how do you get search engines to find yours?

What if you have more than one website that you manage? Wouldn't is be efficient if there were just one process to help streamline the task of having the major search engines find the most current information on the websites you manage?

Google has such a process and Yahoo! and Microsoft have agreed to support it. It's called Sitemaps. Google's Webmaster Help Center provides an introduction to Sitemaps and links to other webmaster tools.

The process is fairly simple:

1. create an XML file
2. place it on your Web server
   

Visit Sitemaps.org for details. The Protocol page will show you how to create the XML file and the FAQ page will show you where to place the file on the server.

To learn more access Search Giants Find Common Ground for Webmasters from NewsFactor.com.

NOTE: Approximately 85% of all searches are processed through Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft search engines.

Boston Market -- November

Monster.com released its Employment Index for October and reported a three-month upward trend in job postings indicating "continued strong demand for IT professionals across the country". The Index including design professionals also participated in the three-month upward trend.

While this report confirms a strong job market for technology workers, not all technology workers are valued the same. For example, a new free salary service from CareerBuilder.com called CBSalary.com provides an insight into pay scales for workers with Internet and database skills. Check out the following average salaries in the greater Boston area:

• Web Designer | $40,000
• Graphic Artist / Designer | $43,000
  
• Senior Web Designer | $55,500
  
• Web Programmer | $63,250
  
• Web Developer | $63,250
  
• Webmaster | $63,250
  
• Database Administrator (DBA) | $80,000

From this simple analysis Web programming skills command a 50% pay premium over Web design skills. Database skills command a 100% pay premium over Web design skills.

What about the demand for these skills? Once again a similar trend emerges.

Listed below are several skills typically associated with Web Design [ along with the number of jobs listed for that skill at BostonWorks.com ]:

• Photoshop [ 74 ]
• CSS [ 72 ]
• Flash [ 48 ]
• Dreamweaver [ 34 ]
• XHTML [ 13 ]

Listed below are several programming skills that are more typically associated with Web Development:

• ASP [ 337 ]
• XML [ 262 ]
• JavaScript [ 145 ]
• ASP.NET [ 142 ]
• JSP [ 106 ]

In addition, here are a few skills typically associated with Database Administration:

• Oracle [ 523 ]
• SQL [ 519 ]
• SQL Server [ 273 ]

The demand trends and the compensation trends track each other as follows:

• Web Designer [ lower demand → lower pay ]
• Web Developer [ moderate demand → moderate pay ]
• Database Administrator [ higher demand → higher pay ]
  

If you are looking to upgrade your skills consider one of the following FREE online courses enrolling later this month at the HP Learning Center:

• Introduction to Programming
• Microsoft® ASP.NET: Building Applications

Web Research: A Look in the Mirror

If job candidates use the Internet to identify jobs and research companies why can't companies use the Internet to research job candidates?

A survey of 1,150 hiring managers reveals the following Web tools that are used in the candidate screening process:

• one-in-four use Internet search engines
• one-in-ten search social networking sites

Check out these staggering findings:

• More than half (51%) of candidates are excluded from receiving an offer after the hiring manager performs an Internet search
• Nearly two thirds (62%) of candidates are excluded after a search of social networks

What does the Internet say about you? Have you googled yourself lately? What kind of "digital dirt" can be unearthed on your MySpace or Facebook site?

To learn the leading reasons for being dismissed as a candidate access a press release of the survey results from CareerBuilder.com. Also listed are three steps you can take to safeguard your online persona.

If you are looking to use the Web to present a favorable image to prospective employers consider the following list of reasons that hiring managers found to help confirm their decision to hire a candidate:

• candidate’s background information supported their professional qualifications for the job (64%)
  
• candidate was well-rounded, showed a wide range of interests (40%)
  
• candidate had great communication skills (34%)
  
• candidate’s site conveyed a professional image (31%)
  
• researcher got a good feel for the candidate’s personality, could see a good fit within the company culture (31%)
  
• other people posted great references about the candidate (23%)
  
• candidate was creative (23%)
  
• candidate received awards and accolades (19%)

What the Web says about you can land you in a bigger cubicle on the road to the corner office or in the grandstand as you watch others accepting better paying jobs and wonder why you are not receiving offers.

Salary Guide -- 2007

The following technology roles are expected to be in high demand in 2007:

• software developer
• web developer
• data warehouse manager

These roles require expertise in programming and database management which confirms the findings in Boston Market -- 4th Quarter, 2006 as follows:

• High demand -- database skills (SQL)
• Moderate demand -- programming skills (ASP, JavaScript & ASP.NET)
  
• Low demand -- design skills (XHTML, CSS & Flash)

The annual base compensation ranges for the top three in-demand roles are as follows:

• Software developers [ $60,250 -- $94,750 ]
  
• Web developers [ $54,750 -- $81,500 ]
  
• Data warehouse managers [ $85,500 -- $113,500 ]
  

The industries forecasting particularly strong demand for IT professionals in 2007 include the following:

• financial and business services
• insurance
• technology
• healthcare
• manufacturing

Additional technology roles and their expected salary ranges include the following:

• Project managers [ $72,750 - $106,250 ]
  
• Quality assurance analysts [ $52,250 - $74,500 ]
  
• Applications architects [ $80,000 - $112,750 ]
  
• Network security administrators [ $69,750 - $98,500 ]
  
• IT auditors [ $69,250 - $97,000 ]
  

A press release of the Robert Half Technology 2007 Salary Guide is available for review. You can also register to receive a FREE copy of the guide along with other resources including a Glossary of Job Descriptions.

WebAwards -- 2006

The WebAwards for 2006 have been announced in the tenth annual competition for outstanding web site development. The awards are coordinated by the Web Marketing Association which was founded in 1997 to help set a high standard for Internet marketing and web development. More than 2,300 web sites were reviewed in this year's competition.

Entries were judged on the following criteria:

• design
• copy writing
• innovation
• content
• interactivity
• navigation
• use of technology

The four WebAward levels are as follows:

• Best of Show
• Best of Industry
• Outstanding Website
• Standard of Excellence

Web developers can use these award-winning websites to benchmark design standards and to stimulate design ideas.

The design firms with offices in the Boston area that won awards at this year's competition included the following:

• Avenue A | Razorfish
• Boston Web Design
  
• OTOi
  
• Valassis

The Best of Show (overall winner) award went to the TBS: Department of Humor Analysis website.

Listed below are the Best of Industry award winners in 96 industry categories:

• Advertising > Spot Runner
• Advocacy > Live with It
• Airline > American Airlines - We Know Why You Fly
• Application Service Provider > Offermatica
• Architecture > VMDO Architects
• Arts > Houston Theater District
  
• Associations > National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
• Auction > Leading B2B Online Auction Marketplace
• Automobile > Una Noche IS
• B2B > Bottlerocket Post
• Bank > Wachovia Championship 17
• Beverage > KING JAMES
• Biotechnology > Cara Therapeutics
• Blog > Bannerblog
• Broadcasting > USA Network
• Brokerage > Spotting/Seizing Opportunity
• Catalog > L.L.Bean, Inc.
• Computer: Hardware > Broadcom
  
• Computer: Retailer > Dell Home/Home Office
• Computer: Software > See Windows Vista Website
• Construction > PAF Painting
• Consulting > Landor Associates
• Consumer Goods > Merillat
• Credit Union > Union America Mortgage
• Design > Experience Wonder You
• Directory or Search Engine > Best Specialty Search Engine
• Diversified Business > First Quality
• Education > Discover Antarctica
• Electronics > Z5 Digital Audio Player
• Email > Monk-e-Mail
• Employment > Dice.com Being IT
• Energy > Edison International
• Entertainment > Barrio RBK
• Events > Rogers FIFA World Cup 06
• E-Zine > The Gospel of Judas
• Faith-based > Dallas Theological Seminary
• Family > The Great Family Cookbook Project
• Fashion > Bikkembergs Football
• Financial Services > Chase card with Blink
• Food Industry > Coca Cola BlaK
• Game Site > Knights of the old Republic
• General Interest > Noxzema Site Redesign
• Government > National Library of Scotland
• Health Care > Kaiser Permanente Interactive Health Plan Advisor
• Healthcare Provider > J&D Dental
• Home Building > BUILDER Online
• Hotel and Lodging > ExperienceMarriott.com
• Information Services > Help Desk II
• Institutional Services > Parents Program at the University of Denver
• Insurance > Blue Shield of California
• Interactive Services > It's a Wonderful Internet
• International Business > FedEx Global Trade Manager
• Internet Service Provider > EV1Servers
• Intranet > Merrill Lynch Intranet: WorldNet
• Investment > BetterInvesting Website Redesign
• Investor Relations > AirTran e-Annual
• Legal > Yanowitch Law, P.A.
• Leisure > San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino
• Magazine > Resort Living Online Magazine
• Manufacturing > My1stop Printing
• Marketing > Silvertip Resort
• Media, Photography > Slate Magazine
• Medical Equipment > Guidant.com
• Medical > WebMD
• Military > TodaysMilitary.com
• Movie > Walk the Line DVD Official Website
• Music > Metzler Violin
• Mutual Fund > Cohen & Steers
• News, Newspaper > NYTimes.com
• Non-Profit > VH1 Save The Music/P&G brandSAVER
• Online Community > YourMembership.com
• Other > Refinery Corporate Website
• Pharmaceuticals > CVS Medicare Expert
• Political > The Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal.com
• Portal > SonyATV.com
• Professional Services > Hire Jeffrey
• Public Relations > PRWeb.com
• Publishing > Arcadia Publishing
• Radio > Radio Margaritaville
• Real Estate > coldwellbanker.com
• Regional > New York's Tech Valley
• Restaurant > Montage Studio
• Retail > RBK Music
• School > St. George's School
• Shopping > ShopLocal
• Small Business > BusinessWeek Online - Small Biz
• Sports > Soloflex, Inc. Microsite
• Technology > MediaMax, powered by Streamload
• Telecommunication > TELUS Mike Microsite
• Television > TBS: Department of Humor Analysis
• Toy & Hobby > MJ Trim
• Transportation > Freedom of the Seas
  
• Travel > RIU Cancun Portal
• University > The Road to Xavier
  

Additional winners in the categories of "Outstanding Website" and "Standard of Excellence" can be identified via searching the WebAwards Website.

Boston 4 -- Detroit 1

Detroit may have made it to the World Series this year, but Boston continues to be a great place to find work.

According to the latest job posting data there are several large metropolitan areas with a higher than average ratio of online ads per 100 persons in the labor force. The national average is 1.62 per 100. The above average metro areas include the following:

• San Diego (3.96)
• San Francisco (3.90)
• San Jose (3.84)
• Seattle-Tacoma (3.68)
• Boston (3.53)

The metropolitan area with the lowest number of online job ads per 100 persons in the labor force:

• Detroit (0.81)

So, Boston outpaces Detroit four to one in job creation.

While the report did not specify the type of jobs, nor did the study evaluate the quality of those postings, it's clear that the top metro areas are also high technology centers. It seems likely that a higher percentage of these postings require technology skills. A summary of The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series is available for review.

The findings in this analysis were confirmed by the Monster Local Employment Index (pdf) for September which reported that online job postings in the greater Boston area are at an all-time high "driven by elevated demand for workers in business, financial and creative services."

While new online job postings are up between seven percent (Monster) and 20 percent (Conference Board) from the same time last year, not all is rosy on the job front. The Chief Executives' Confidence Measure, for example, is at its lowest level in nearly five years. The survey of 100 business leaders from a wide range of industries reveals expectations for a lackluster pace of growth from now into the beginning months of 2007, but growth none-the-less.

While Boston might be a much better place to look for work than Detroit, finding a quality job that matches your skill set could be a challenge. If you are in the job market because you are either on a losing team or are currently a free agent, perhaps you need to acquire some new skills during the off season. For a thorough evaluation of the technology skills most in demand in the free agent market, review Boston Market -- 4th Quarter, 2006.

IT Labor Hard to Find

Two new job market studies confirm the conclusions from Boston Market - 4th Quarter. A brief summary of the Boston area Web technology job market:

• High demand -- database skills (SQL)
• Moderate demand -- programming skills (ASP, JavaScript & ASP.NET)
  
• Low demand -- design skills (XHTML, CSS & Flash)
  

The first finding confirms the high demand for database skills. More than 70 percent of CIOs state that the technical skill set most in demand is database management (Oracle, SQL Server, DB2). In addition, 30 percent of CIOs now claim that "IT labor is hard to find and keep." For details access Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report and the CIO Magazine Tech Poll (pdf).

The second finding confirms the moderate demand for programming skills. MonsterTRAK, the student division of Monster.com, announced the five hottest occupations for recent graduates based on entry level job postings. The fifth hottest job market is for entry-level programmers. A complete list can be accessed from a Monster.com press release.

If you are new to databases, the Microsoft Office suite of productivity tools offers desktop software to help you get started. Microsoft Access is one of those programs that is installed on most computers, but few people ever receive training on how to use it. The HP Training Center offers Microsoft Access 2003: Introduction, a FREE online course that begins Thursday, October 12. If you do not own Office, you can download a FREE trial version.

Once you are familiar with the Access interface you can practice writing Structure Query Language (SQL) statements. The ability to understand and implement SQL statements is a core skill required for transforming a static website into a data-driven website. W3Schools offers FREE SQL Tutorial.

Boston Market -- 4th Quarter, 2006

"Online Job Demand" in Boston rose to its highest level in August following two months of seasonally reduced activity according to the Monster Local Employment Index (pdf). "Double-digit year-over-year growth rates in online job activity for management, business and financial operations, creative, IT and science occupations suggest that the Boston metropolitan area remains a hot market for professional jobseekers," according to a company press release.

An analysis of the Boston area Web technology job market reveals the following:

• High demand -- database skills (SQL)
• Moderate demand -- programming skills (ASP, JavaScript & ASP.NET)
  
• Low demand -- design skills (XHTML, CSS & Flash)

Let me explain how I arrived at this conclusion:

Beantown Web monitors IT jobs (Web-related jobs to be specific) on a monthly basis via the "Boston Market" series of postings. At the beginning of every quarter Beantown Web conducts a more thorough TACK analysis. TACK stands for Tools, Acronyms, Containers, and Knowledge:

• Tools -- software programs used in Web design and development
• Acronyms -- languages used in Web design and development
• Containers -- database programs used to store information
• Knowledge -- certifications that indicate proficiency in a specific technology area

One way to gauge the current job demand is through a keyword search on specific technology skills at selective online job sites. Beantown Web monitors two sites: BostonWorks and Monster. Keywords are then grouped into one of the four TACK categories.

A few of the common keywords associated with Web design and Web development jobs are included in the listings below. 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 [ 76 ][ 236 ]
• Flash [ 55 ][ 54 ]
• Dreamweaver [ 49 ][ 75 ]
• Visual Studio [ 39 ][ 95 ]

Acronyms (languages)

• SQL [ 607 ][ 1000 ]
• HTML [ 429 ][ 648 ]
• XML [ 257 ][ 570 ]
• ASP [ 336 ] [ 416 ]
• JavaScript [ 173 ][ 304 ]
• ASP.NET [ 153 ][ 184 ]
• JSP [ 111 ] [ 201 ]
• CSS [ 75 ][ 175 ]
• PHP [ 45 ][ 86 ]
• Ajax [ 36 ][ 77 ]
• XHTML [ 20 ][ 36 ]
  

Containers (databases)

• Oracle [ 586 ][ 1000 ]
• SQL Server [ 250 ][ 491 ]
• MS Access [ 72 ][ 111 ]
• MySQL [ 39 ][ 84 ]
• DB2 [ 46 ][ 111 ]
  

Knowledge (certifications)

• The demand for certified professionals varies by discipline. All things being equal certification helps to distinguish you from your competition. Microsoft Salary Survey reveals that a certification can help get your foot in the door, but advancement depends on experience. An appropriate certification entry point for Web design and Web development professionals is Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW).
  

Here are a few additional observations from this quarter's analysis:

• HTML listings are 20 times more prevalent than XHTML listings
• XML listings are 10 times more prevalent that XHTML listings
• Closed-source database listings (Oracle & SQL Server) are at least five times more prevalent than open-source database listings (MySQL)
  

To maneuver your career for future success (TACK through the winds of constant technology change) consider the following four suggestions:

• HTML -- list HTML on your resume, as well as, XHTML
  
• XML -- upgrade your skill set to include XML (XHTML's parent language)
  
• SQL -- develop a solid understanding how to access data from a database
  
• JavaScript -- develop a solid understanding of basic programming skills
  

Here are two recommended training courses for October:

• XML: Introduction
• JavaScript: Web Programming Basics

Both courses are available for FREE compliments of the HP Learning Center. Classes begin Thursday, October 12.