IT Skills & Salary Report | 2009

The average base salary of an information technology (IT) worker in Massachusetts is $88,700. Nearly half of all IT workers received a bonus last year. The median bonus was $5,000.

In addition, 70 percent of IT workers reported an increase in base salary during the previous 12 months with an average raise of six percent.

Massachusetts Salary Premium

Massachusetts IT workers receive a nearly 9 percent average base salary premium over workers throughout the United States:

• $81,600 | United States
• $88,700 | Massachusetts

Survey Details

These survey findings were released this week as the 2009 IT Skills and Salary Report. Global Knowledge, an IT and business training company, coordinated the online survey which included a participant base of more than 14,000 IT professionals. The questionnaire was distributed between October 20 and November 11, 2008.

Job Satisfaction

Money apparently does buy happiness in the current economy. Survey results reveal that job satisfaction rose with pay. Those reporting being "not satisfied" with their current job had an lower average pay than those reporting being "extremely satisfied":

• "not satisfied" | $70,000
• "extremely satisfied" | $86,400

Budget Responsibility

Being responsible for a budget commands a premium as indicated by the following average base salaries:

• budget responsibility | $93,600
• no budget responsibility | $75,000

Top 20 Titles

Here are the 20 most popular job titles listed alphabetically along with the average salary for each title:

• Business Analyst | $79,900
• CIO | $134,600
• Computer Security Specialist | $59,200
• Computer Software Engineer | $81,600
• Database Administrator | $81,000
• Help Desk Support | $46,500
• IT Administrator | $63,100
• IT Analyst | $67,700
• IT Consultant | $96,300
• IT Director | $100,900
• IT Manager | $88,200
• IT Project Manager | $90,500
• IT Specialist | $65,200
• IT Supervisor | $77,000
• IT Technician | $49,300
• Network Administrator | $58,700
• Network Engineer | $77,700
• Project Manager | $93,200
• Systems Administrator | $65,200
• Systems Engineer | $78,200

A press release is available from Global Knowledge. A more detailed summary is also available, however, registration is required to download the seven-page pdf. Registration is free.

I've Been Blogged

Beantown Web is a "very good" blog according to the editors at Blogged.com. Their rating places Beantown Web in the top 13% of more than 1,100 blogs evaluated in the Business > Jobs & Careers category.

The editors evaluate blogs based on the following criteria:

• frequency of updates
• relevance of content
• site design
• writing style

The rating system is as follows:

• Excellent | 9.0 - 10.0
• Great | 8.0 - 8.9
• Very Good | 7.0 - 7.9
• Good | 6.0 - 6.9
• Average | 5.0 - 5.9
• Below Average | 4.0 - 4.9
• Poor | 2.0 - 3.9
• Unrated | n/a

Beantown Web received a 7.2 rating and a badge appears in the right-hand column reflecting this evaluation. Feel free to click on the badge and provide your own user rating of the value of Beantown Web.

Implications

If you write your own blog, or advise others on blog creation and maintenance, you can submit your blog for review. To learn more about Blogged.com's service you can review their FAQ.

Excellent Blogs

So, if Beantown Web is a "very good," who is "excellent"? Only nine blogs received this rating in the Business > Jobs & Career category. Here they are:

• The Monster Blog
• Human Resources
  
• Blog Indeed
  
• About Workers' Edge
• Your HR Guy
  
• bookpublishing: with her nose stuck in a blog
• The Chad
• Six Degrees From Dave
• Job Search and Career Services

Now, the challenge is to take Beantown Web to the next level -- from (very) Good to Great, one of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time.

Boston Market | February 2009

In January nearly every worker in Boston lost his job! Only in a science fiction movie? No, only in the United States.

If every job eliminated in the United States in January (598,000 pink slips) were concentrated in Boston, only 10,000 out of 608,000 residents would still be employed!

After the most job losses in one month since 1974, the jobless rate in the United States surged to 7.6 percent.

IT Unemployment

None-the-less, there are patches of green turf in this near-apocalyptic vision. If you are an information technology (IT) worker, you are less likely to lose your job and stay unemployed. According to InformationWeek the unemployment rate for IT workers has risen to less than half the national average -- 3.2 percent.

Of course, IT workers are not immune to layoffs in Massachusetts. However, technology workers with the right skill sets are seeing an increase in job postings for the first time in more than three months.

Boston Market -- February

The Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for February and appears in the right-hand column. Even though Punxsutawney Phil reported six more weeks of winter, some thawing has occurred as green arrows returned to more than half of the skills indicating a selective increase in job postings for those skills over the early January job postings.

The most interesting observation to report is that open source technologies have yielded to Microsoft technologies in this the opening quarter of the 12-month long 2009 IT Super Bowl. Specifically, LAMP technologies open the year with the following declines:

• 19% | PHP
• 12% | Apache
• 09% | MySQL

PHP has dropped out of the Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston.

Replacing PHP is a rookie named SharePoint, a Microsoft technology that allows teams to collaborate. When Office mates share data, that data is stored in and retrieved from a SQL Server database. The biggest ground gainer of the month belongs to Visual Studio, a Microsoft development tool used to create Web applications. The Web development language of choice for Windows and Web applications is C#.

Here are the Microsoft stats:

• 78% | Visual Studio
• 20% | SharePoint
• 07% | C#
• 04% | SQL Server

First Round

In the first round of a scheduled 12-round title bout between Dynamic vs. Static web site development, the dynamic team comes out on top, especially the team headed by Microsoft. Currently, there are nearly three times as many job postings for Visual Studio tool set users as for Dreamweaver tool set users:

• Visual Studio | 71 job postings
• Dreamweaver | 24 job postings

Training Opportunities

So, here are several cost-effective training opportunities for Web developers in February and March.

First, consider attending jQuery | An Overview from the Developer on Wednesday, February 11. jQuery recently received major street cred when Microsoft agreed to incorporate the technology into its Visual Studio Web development toolset.

Second, consider attending SharePoint Saturday Boston on Saturday, March 14.

Both events are sponsored by Microsoft and both are FREE.

Finally, if you still consider learning a Microsoft technology to be the Boston equivalent of rooting for the Yankees, consider picking up a Head First training manual:

• Head First PHP & MySQL
• Head First Web Design
  

Barnes & Noble is currently offering these newly released guides at 40% off (plus and additional 10% for members).

Best Business Books | 2008

Introducing the 11 best business books of 2008. The 11 Best out of 11,000 business books published last year!

Regardless of our self-described identity -- web developer, web designer, etc. -- we all provide services for compensation. This process is commonly referred to a "business." Yet, many of us focus on our trade, often to the detriment of understanding the business climate in which we operate. And when that climate turns sour, we wonder where our "business" went -- our jobs, our clients, our livelihood.

Now, more than ever, we need to stay focused on the "business" of our craft. One way to do so is to establish a continuing education program to help us understand the best practices of business. Many experts make valuable contributions to the business community in the form of ink on paper. This medium has not gone away. The Internet merely provides us a mechanism to identify these published best practices.

What follows is a summary of an Internet search on "Best Business Books of 2008."

Best Business Books Lists

Here are the 11 sources used to identify the Best of the Best Business Books of 2008:

• BusinessWeek
• FastCompany
• Financial Times
• USA Today
• Miami Herald
• Amazon Editors
• Amazon Customers
• 800-CEO-READ
  
• BNET
• Business Pundit
• Booklist Online

The Best of The Best

These lists mentioned 82 business books published in 2008 that stand above the rest. Sixty three books were mentioned on only one "Best of" list. Another eight books found their way onto two "Best of" lists.

Here are the 11 books that were mentioned on at least three "Best of" lists followed by the number of mentions on the 11 lists surveyed:

• The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life | 6
• A Sense of Urgency | 5
  
• The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures | 5
• Outliers: The Story of Success | 4
• Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions | 4
• Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America | 3
• The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation | 3
• The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google | 3
• Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are | 3
• Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness | 3
• The Trillion Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, High Rollers, and the Great Credit Crash | 3

A Sense of Urgency

I will vouch for A Sense of Urgency being one of the best business books of 2008. I rated the book 5 stars at Goodreads.com. Check out my two reading lists in the right-hand column -- Leadership and Strategy -- for detailed reviews of my continuing education as a business professional. Additional books from The Best of The Best List above have been added to my "to-read" list.

If you feel a "sense of urgency" about the current business climate and want to position yourself to not only survive, but thrive, as our economy begins the healing process, then select one of the 11 books from the above list and begin applying the strategies to your business.

If you had to choose just one business book, what would it be? Perhaps, it might be The 100 Best Business Books Of All Time. Tune in this time next year to see if this book rose to the top of The Best Business Books of 2009.

Dice Annual Salary Survey | 2009

The 2008-09 Annual Salary Survey from Dice reveals that the average technology salary in Boston exceeds $84,000.

Dice.com is the leading career site for technology and engineering professionals.

The survey analyzes responses of more than 19,000 technology workers and was conducted between August and November 2008.

Average Salaries

The average salary nationwide for a technology worker exceeds $78,000. Salaries are higher, on average, in larger metropolitan areas. Four metropolitan areas command higher average salaries than Boston. They are as follows:

1. Silicon Valley | $97,259
2. Washington D.C. | $86,841
3. Los Angeles | $86,766
4. New York | $85,452
5. Boston | $84,627

Salaries by Job Title

Here are the average salaries nationwide for selected job titles:

• IT Management | $111,998
• Project Manager | $103,424
• MIS Manager | $93,318
• Software Engineer | $90,031
• Database Administrator | $89,742
• Developer: Systems | $87,211
• Security Analyst | $86,778
• Business Analyst | $85,933
• Developer: Applications | $84,672
• Developer: Database | $84,176
• Developer: Client/Server | $78,560
• Programmer/Analyst | $74,851
• Technical Writer | $73,762
• Network Engineer | $72,496
• Systems Administrator | $70,307

What Worries Technology Workers?

The top worries for technology professionals, according to the survey, are as follows:

• keeping skills up to date | 22 percent
• job elimination | 20 percent
• lower salary increases | 14 percent
• cancelled projects | 12 percent
• increased workload due to staff cuts | 10 percent

Keep Skills Up-to-Date

According to a Dice spokesperson:

"... over the long-term, updating and broadening one's skill set is the key to continued salary gains."

If your salary falls below the average for your metropolitan area, consider developing a plan to upgrade your technology skills in 2009. What skills should you focus on? Check out the Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston in the right-hand column.

Currently there are nearly 200 Web-related postings on the Dice job board for the Boston metro area. As part of your skills upgrade plan, check out these postings and compare your skill set with the skills that employers are currently demanding.

A press release summarizing the Dice Annual Salary Survey is available at the Dice website.

Ignite Boston 5

This FREE networking event is coordinated by O'Reilly Media.

Keynote presentations will kick off the evening followed by guest speakers who'll catch you up on the "cool, new, innovative stuff going on in technology today." Presentations are informal and lightning fast -- each presenter talks for five minutes max!

Books, t-shirts and other promotional items will be raffled off.

This is a fun event -- the fifth in a series. Space is limited to the first 250 registrants. Sign up now.

Details

• Date : Thursday, February 12
• Time : 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• Location : Hennessy’s Hooley House (near Faneuil Hall)

Access Ignite Boston for details and registration.

Also, consider joining the Ignite Boston Social Network to begin networking with more than 100 Web 2.0 professionals in the metro Boston area.

Of course, you should also consider joining the Ignite Boston Facebook group.

Boston Market | Q1 2008

Technology workers will continue to weather the current economic turmoil better than many other professionals, according to John Challenger, CEO of outplacement and job recruitment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The demand is expected to be stronger than average for technology workers with the following skills:

• systems engineers
• application developers
• database professionals

Challenger predicted in a recent interview that growth will be strong in the following two areas:

• mobile technology
• electronic medical records

Boston Market | January

Despite Challenger's outlook, the job market continued to slow in December. There are fewer job postings in early January than there were in early December. This seasonal effect is typical in strong markets, as well as weak ones.

This quarterly report on the marketplace for technology professionals in the Boston metro area will look at bigger picture trends for 50 Web-related technologies.

Top 20 Web Technologies

There are fewer job listings this month than last month for 19 of the top 20 technologies. The lone exception:

• Ajax | 103 (job listings)
  

The list of the most in-demand Web-related technologies has been updated and appears in the right-hand column along with links to job postings for that technology at Boston.com.

Nine Month Trend

Job opportunities peaked in the second quarter of 2008. On average there were a staggering THREE TIMES as many opportunities posted at Boston.com in April 2008 than there are today.

For example, SQL remains the most in-demand skill to add to your portfolio. Today, there are more than 500 postings that mention "SQL" in the job description. In April 2008 there were more than 1,500 postings! This ratio holds for each of the Top 10 skills listed in the right-hand column.

Good news: There are more than 500 postings for workers with SQL knowledge and experience! Database skills are in demand.

More good news: Job opportunities historically increase from January through April.

The Remaining 30 Skills

Here are a few popular Web-related skills that have not made the Top 20 list:

#29 Visual Studio | 40 (job listings)
#32 Illustrator | 30
#33 Dreamweaver | 28
#35 Ruby | 26
#39 InDesign | 20
#41 Rails | 19
#50 ColdFusion | 10

In addition, Web-related buzz words that simply do translate into job demand include the following:

• Silverlight
• Fireworks
• Adobe + Flex
• WordPress
• Drupal
• Joomla
• Adobe AIR

Claiming expertise in these technologies will not likely improve your profile with technology recruiters. None of these technologies currently offer more than single-digit job opportunities.

The Next Step

In a challenging job market, it is wise to follow market demand trends and the Boston marketplace is pointing to the Top 20 Skills in the right-hand column. The best value in the market in January can be found in the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN).

A one-day MSDN Developer Conference will travel through Boston on Thursday, January 22. Top 20 Skills that will be covered at this conference include the following:

#1 SQL
#4 SQL Server
#6 C#
#9 Web Services
#10 ASP.NET
#11 Ajax
#12 HTML & CSS
#20 IIS

If you are new to Microsoft's approach to Web development, this series of presentations can provide an overview of why Microsoft's technologies are in-demand. Getting in the door will require a $99 investment. Details are available at MDC Boston.

Mobile Monday Boston

Developing websites for mobile devices is expected to provide significant growth opportunities for Web designers/developers, even in a down economy. See The Next Five Years | Part 2 for details.

To learn more about the mobile web marketplace consider attending Mobile Monday Boston.

Compelling Mobile Business Models

Six speakers from Boston-area mobile companies will discuss their organization’s current business model, how the model has evolved over time, and the impact of the current economic climate.

Keynote:

Jeff Glass | Bain Capital Ventures

Speakers:

• Mihael Mikek, President & CEO | Celtra
• Bryan Barletta, Director of Marketing | AppVee
• Justin Siegal, CEO | MocoSpace
• Jorey Ramer, Founder & VP Corporate Development | JumpTap
• David Nowicki, VP Marketing & Product Management | Airvana

Details

Event > Mobile Monday Boston
Date > Monday, January 12, 2009
Time > 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Where > Boston | Langham Hotel
Description > This FREE seminar is brought to you compliments of Bain Capital Ventures.

Registration for this FREE event is required.

Technology Fast 500 | 2008

There are more fast growing technology companies in Massachusetts than in any other state, except California.

The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 List for 2008 has been announced and Massachusetts boasts 46 companies.

The Fast 500 ranks the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications and life sciences companies in North America. Companies are selected based on percentage revenue growth from 2003 to 2007.

Technology Fast 500: Highlights & Trends provides a detailed summary of the 2008 results. A 2008 Technology Fast 500 document (pdf) offers a listing of all 500 companies.

Technology Fast 500

Here are the 46 Massachusetts companies that made this year's Technology Fast 500 list [NOTE: Sign in to your LinkedIn account on a separate tab, then click the "in" icon to reveal your connections at that company.]:

1. Starent Networks Corp. | Tewksbury
2. NxStage Medical, Inc. | Lawrence
3. Interleukin Genetics, Inc. | Waltham
4. Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Lexington
5. Airvana, Inc. | Chelmsford
6. Wave Systems Corp. | Lee
7. DUSA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Wilmington
8. LogMeIn, Inc. | Woburn
9. mValent | Waltham
10. Grandstream Networks, Inc. | Brookline
11. SiGe Semiconductor, Inc. | Andover
12. AgencyPort Insurance Services, Inc. | Boston
13. IneoQuest Technologies, Inc. | Mansfield
14. Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Cambridge
15. Indevus Pharmaceuticals | Lexington
16. SoundBite Communications, Inc. | Bedford
17. Vertical Communications, Inc. | Cambridge
18. Oscient Pharmaceuticals Corporation | Waltham
19. Constant Contact, Inc. | Waltham
20. Bullhorn, Inc. | Boston
21. Evergreen Solar, Inc. | Marlboro
22. Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Cambridge
23. CharterAuction.com, Inc. (DBA Jets.com) | Quincy
24. Altus Pharmaceuticals | Cambridge
25. Salary.com, Inc. | Waltham
26. BirdDog Solutions, Inc. | Andover
27. IPG Photonics Corporation | Oxford
28. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. | Waltham
29. Alkermes, Inc. | Cambridge
30. ImmunoGen, Inc. | Cambridge
31. Clinical Data, Inc. | Newton
32. NeuroMetrix, Inc. | Waltham
33. Biogen Idec, Inc. | Cambridge
34. iRobot Corporation | Burlington
35. Cynosure, Inc. | Westford
36. Nuance Communications, Inc. | Burlington
37. athenahealth, Inc. | Watertown
38. Sycamore Networks, Inc. | Chelmsford
39. Akamai Technologies, Inc. | Cambridge
40. Averion International Corp. | Southborough
41. Hittite Microwave Corporation | Chelmsford
42. Sepracor, Inc. | Marlborough
43. Hologic, Inc. | Bedford
44. Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc. | Burlington
45. Sonus Networks, Inc. | Westford
46. Double-Take Software, Inc. | Southborough

The Next Step

According to one conclusion from the 7th Annual Sources of Hire Study:

"Good or bad, we advise job seekers to never apply to a company without first networking to an employee in that firm for a referral. The difference in probability of getting 'up to bat' is too large to ignore."

If you believe you can excel in a fast growing organization, then tap into your LinkedIn network to gain an introduction into that organization and explore ways in which you can add your unique value to their operation.

RHT IT Hiring Index | Q1 2009

Interviews were conducted with 200 chief information officers (CIOs) from companies in the Boston area with 100 or more employees. These discussions shine a light on their company's hiring plans for the first quarter of 2009.

In the Boston metro area, information technology (IT) hiring projections for the first quarter are as follows:

• add staff | 15 percent
• reduce staff | 3 percent

Nationally, the ratio is as follows:

• add staff | 12 percent
• reduce staff | 4 percent

So, IT hiring looks promising in the New Year, especially in the Boston metro area.

IT Skills in Demand

According to the Executive Director of Robert Half Technology,

“Investments in Web 2.0 initiatives continue to generate demand in areas such as web development..."

Web development & website design was cited by 42% of CIOs nationally as being most in-demand in their organization. Here are the skills CIOs will be looking for in early 2009:

A national press release about the quarterly Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report is available from the company's website. PR Newswire provides a press release that breaks out the metro Boston survey results.

Boston Market | December 2008

Pessimism about the U.S. economy abounds. Here are just two examples.

AIGA’s Design Leaders Confidence Index

A quarterly survey of nearly 300 leaders in the graphic & Web design community reveals that only one in eight is likely to increase staff during the next six months. The survey generated the lowest readings since its creation in 2005. Details can be found by accessing a press release from AIGA | the professional association for design.

The Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index

A quarterly survey of chief executive officers (CEOs) of leading corporations were asked the following question (responses included):

How do you expect your company’s U.S. employment to change in the next six months?

• Increase | 9%
• No Change | 32%
• Decrease | 60%

Companies that belong to the Business Roundtable comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock markets and represent a combined workforce of nearly 10 million employees. Access a press release (pdf version) for details.

Boston Market

A close look at the job market for Web technology professionals reveals a steep contraction in opportunities available online at Boston.com. The Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston have been updated and are posted in the right-hand column.

Job opportunities have evaporated by approximately 28% since early November. Interestingly, the four technologies that experienced the gentlest declines were Microsoft related:

• Web Services | 9%
• ASP.NET | 18%
• C# | 20%
• SQL Server | 21%

Training Opportunity

In a challenging job market productive workers with a collection of in-demand skills are valued above others. If you are in job transition, consider expanding your skillset with FREE training.

On Monday, December 15, Microsoft will offer a day-long series of seminars at their Waltham office to help inform development professionals about their latest Web-related technologies that include the following:

• Ajax
• jQuery
• ASP.NET
• Visual Studio 2008
• Silverlight
• and more!

Simply access The Winter Northeast MSDN Roadshow for details and registration information about additional New England training sessions.

FREE training to upgrade your skills at a networking event including Boston-area Web professionals! Santa arrives early.

Boston Tech Layoff Tracker

Doom

New England is headed for a "significant recession," according to the Wall Street Journal. Unemployment, currently 5.5% in Massachusetts, is projected to peak at 8.3% in mid-2010. These projections were released by The New England Economic Partnership (NEEP).

Gloom

More than two dozen technology-related companies in the metro Boston area have announced layoffs totaling more than 3,000 jobs. Xconomy, "the authoritative voice on the exponential economy", has begun tracking job losses via its Boston Tech Layoff Tracker.

Hope

Despite the doom and gloom, work is reasonably plentiful for technology workers with the right skills. According to a monthly report from Dice.com, demand in the Boston area remains reasonably strong for technology professionals with the following skills and experience:

• .NET
• Java
• PHP
• Web developer

The Top 10 Skill Sets most in-demand at Dice.com are listed here.

Project management experience is valued more than any other skill except for Java. According to a survey published in The Dice Report (pdf) here are the three best ways to demonstrate project management skills in your job hunt:

• Organizing and tracking all steps of the job search process
• Thinking strategically before creating my tactical to-do list
• Communicating to the employer your ROI

Access Boston Still Presents Niche Opportunities at Dice.com for details.

2008 State New Economy Index

Despite gloomy economic headlines, the long-term future for technology workers in Massachusetts looks bright, according to two new reports.

2008 State New Economy Index

Massachusetts not only boasts championship sports teams, the state tops the standings in the 50-state New Economy league, according to 2008 State New Economy Index. Massachusetts finished in first place in 1999, 2002, and 2007, as well.

The State New Economy Index focuses on answering one single question: To what degree does the structure of state economies match the ideal structure of the New Economy?

The principal driver of the New Economy is the information technology revolution.

"This 'IT engine' is unlikely to slow down anytime soon. For the foreseeable future, the most promising New Economy advances will relate to a state’s ability to use information more effectively."

A press release is available from the Kauffman Foundation. A more detailed 88-page report (pdf) is available for free download.

Beacon Hill Institute’s Competitiveness Report

A second report reveals that Massachusetts continues to outperform all other states in technology, and ranks first in venture capital per capita, making it the most attractive state for startups. According to this report:

“A state is competitive if it has in place the policies and conditions that ensure and sustain a high level of per capita income and continued growth.”

The report reveals that Massachusetts ranks first among all 50 states in terms of its economic competitiveness, "its ability to attract and retain business and to provide a high standard of living for its residents over the long run."

A press release about Beacon Hill Institute’s Eighth Annual Competitiveness Report is available for review along with a detailed 68-page report (pdf).

Conclusion

Despite the near-term challenges in our economy, long-term prospects look bright for knowledge workers with technical skills that are valued in the marketplace.

One strategy for surviving an economic downturn is to focus on upgrading technical skills that help organizations deliver superior service to their customers. A list of the Top 20 Web-related skills that offer the greatest potential appears in the right-hand column.

Computerworld | Salary Survey 2008

Computerworld released the results of its 22nd annual survey this week. More than 7,000 information technology (IT) workers participated in this year's survey.

The results identify three job categories that received higher-than-average pay hikes over the past year. According to the survey's authors these three types of positions will continue to be in high demand -- even in a down economy:

• Web developers
• network administrators
• information security managers

Skills that are expected to grow in importance in the coming years include the following Web-based technologies:

• Web 2.0
• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Rich Internet Applications (RIA)
• Ajax

Staff and Entry-level Positions

Here are the average compensation figures for Web-related positions identified as either staff or entry level [salary + bonus = total compensation]:

• Web developer | $65,070 + $1,307 = $66,377
• Webmaster | $65,801 + $1,324 = $67,125
• E-commerce specialist | $74,378 + $1,144 = $75,522

A chart of other staff and entry-level positions is available for review along with charts for Mid-Level Salaries and Senior-Level Salaries. In addition a Smart Salary Tool is available to help you pinpoint compensation by job title, industry and location.

Check out the Computerworld 2008 Salary Survey to access an interactive map allowing you to View Salaries by Region. Additional articles include "Twelve Ways to Pump Up Your Paycheck" and "Satisfaction, Security & Stress."

Boston Market | November 2008

The crisis in the financial markets continues. This uncertainty has now spilled over into the technology job markets.

The list of Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for November and the sea of red down arrows appears in the right-hand column.

Growth of Knowledge Workers Low, Job Vacancies High

While it would be easy to focus on doom and gloom, our challenge is to set our sights on a future of opportunity. For example, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce released a report last week that points to opportunities for those who develop technology skills.

"The data reveals a worrisome trend: Greater Boston is not growing its skilled workforce fast enough to meet employers’ needs, and is unable to fill more than 90,000 job vacancies that exist each year in the region."

The report reveals that knowledge workers are the key to future growth and that many companies are finding it increasingly difficult to attract knowledge workers with the right collection of skills.

"Although staffing difficulties were unique to each firm, it was clear that for many businesses, technical and financial skills are highly valued."

So, developing technical skills offers long-term career opportunities in today's market place. These skills will become increasingly valued as society advances and an aging workforce contemplates retirement.

A press release summarizing Greater Boston’s Challenge: Sustaining the Talent Advantage is available for review along with a link to a more detailed report in pdf format.

Yes We Can

If you are anxious about the future, take time out -- 17 minutes -- and reflect on a better tomorrow.

"This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."

President-Elect, Barack Obama, November 4, 2008

2009 Salary Guide | Robert Half Technology

Robert Half Technology provides resources for those hiring in the information technology field. The just-released Salary Guide for 2009 features projected starting salary ranges for 65 information technology (IT) positions, as well as an overview of current hiring trends.

Two in-demand IT positions related to the Web include the following:

Web Developers

Web developers are needed as a result of the expansion of Web 2.0 initiatives and interactive web functionality. This expansion has sparked demand for Web professionals experienced in the latest Internet technologies.

Starting salaries: $60,000 to $89,750

Programmer Analysts

Programmer analysts are needed to write code, test and debug software applications, and analyze business application requirements.

Skills required: .NET, SharePoint, Java and PHP

Salary range: $60,000 to $100,750

Complimentary Resources

Web technology professionals can request a free copy of the Robert Half Technology® 2009 Salary Guide by completing an online request form.

Creative professionals can also request a free copy of The Creative Group® 2009 Salary Guide which provides starting salaries for approximately 100 creative, advertising, marketing, web and public relations positions. This Guide also includes information on major hiring trends and localized salary levels for major markets. A phone call is required to obtain a copy of this guide for creative professionals.

Both Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group are Robert Half International Companies.

A press release summarizes the findings from its work in placing accounting, finance, technology, and administrative professionals and identifies job market bright spots for 2009.

Boston Market | 4th Quarter, 2008

Panic in the financial markets on Wall Street.

Stability in the technology job market on Beacon Street.

Top 20 Web Technologies

There are more job listings this month than last month for nine of the top 10 technologies.

The list of the most in-demand Web-related technologies has been updated and appears in the right-hand column along with links to job postings for that technology at Boston.com.

This quarterly report of the job market goes deeper than the monthly Boston Market updates. In particular, let's explore the remaining technologies that comprise the Top 50 most in-demand Web-related skills in Boston.

The Top 30

Rounding out the Top 30 are the following 10 technologies:

21. Apache [ 110 ]
22. VB.NET [ 108 ]
23. Visual Studio [ 106 ]
24. Tomcat [ 84 ]
25. API [ 81 ]
26. Dreamweaver [ 70 ]
27. Web 2.0 [ 69 ]
28. SOAP [ 67 ]
29. SEO [ 66 ]
30. InDesign [ 71 ]

Of these technologies the most valuable might be Visual Studio (#23) because it is the centerpiece tool for developing Microsoft-centric Web applications that incorporate the following technologies:

• SQL Server (#4)
• C# (#6)
• Web Services (#9)
• ASP.NET (#11)
• Ajax (#13)

Each of these technologies has increased in value in the Boston marketplace since the last quarterly report, having moved up in the charts by at least one position in each case. ASP.NET climbed four positions.

The Top 40

Rounding out the Top 40 are the following 10 technologies:

31. SaaS [ 70 ]
32. DB2 [ 67 ]
33. Acrobat [ 62 ]
34. "Content Management System" [ 60 ]
35. DHTML [ 57 ]
36. Ruby [ 57 ]
37. XHTML [ 52 ]
38. Struts [ 47 ]
39. ActionScript [ 30 ]
40. social networking [ 30 ]

The Top 50

Rounding out the Top 50 are the following 10 technologies:

41. VBScript [ 44 ]
42. Quark [ 33 ]
43. Rails [ 29 ]
44. blog [ 24 ]
45. ColdFusion [ 22 ]
46. DOM [ 18 ]
47. Fireworks [ 17 ]
48. CS3 [ 17 ]
49. RSS [ 16 ]
50. QuarkXPress [ 16 ]

Out of World Series Contention

Popular Web-related technologies that don't make the Top 50 include the following:

• Adobe + Flex [ 15 ]
• "Web standards" [ 14 ]
• Drupal [ 8 ]
  
• jQuery [ 7 ]
• Silverlight [ 7 ]
• WordPress [ 4 ]
• Joomla [ 3 ]
• Adobe AIR [ 2 ]

These technologies offer value. However, relative to other technologies, there is little market demand for Web professionals with expertise in these skills compared to the Top 20 Web Technologies.

Of these technologies that are currently out of playoff contention, consider looking at jQuery, a popular JavaScript library used in Ajax development. The reason this technology will likely grow in popularity is that Microsoft has agreed to incorporate jQuery into its ASP.NET Ajax Framework.

Biggest Trend

So, let's conclude by taking a look at the Top 20 Skills in the right-hand column. Three technologies are bunched together as follows:

11. ASP.NET [ 191 ]
12. HTML + CSS [ 187 ]
13. Ajax [ 175 ]

HTML & CSS are both foundational skills. ASP.NET and Ajax add a layer of value to these core skills.

Here is a trend chart of the absolute demand for these four technologies over the past several years:

When viewed on a relative scale, however, no other technology is growing in demand faster than Ajax, as evident by the chart below.

Check out Indeed's Job Trends to compare the absolute and relative values of your current skill set.

Best Training Option

The one technology that will add the most value to a Web professional's skill set over the next three months is likely to be Ajax.

The best training value in the marketplace today is Head First Ajax by O'Reilly Media. Barnes & Noble is currently offering Head First Ajax at 40% off.

For under $30 -- and an hour a day of study and practice over the next 90 days -- you can buff up your resume with Ajax and add sparkle to your career.

Microsoft Salary Survey | 2008

The results are in and it pays to develop skills implementing Microsoft's technology solutions.

The 13th annual Redmond Salary Survey has been released. The survey was a joint effort by Redmondmag.com and mcpmag.com, two publications dedicated to serving the Microsoft technology community. Results were compiled from the returns of nearly 1,500 e-mail responses to technology professionals who implement solutions using Microsoft technologies.

Survey Highlights

• The average base salary among survey respondents was $78,100.

• The average bonus was $6,400.

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• More than one in five (21%) earn a six figure salary.

• Managers and those with project management expertise make up more than a quarter of respondents.

• Longevity counts as the average career experience was listed as nearly 14 years.

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• If you hold the job title "Webmaster/Developer/Producer" you can expect to earn, on average, $78,400.

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• If your expertise is "Web Site Development/Management" you can expect to earn, on average, $80,900.

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The Next Step

Web developers who are open to learning Microsoft technologies can focus first on developing generic skills such as the following:

• SQL | #1
• Ajax | #15

Then, attention can be focused on gaining experience implementing these skills using Microsoft's technologies including the following:

• SQL Server | #4
• C# | #7
• ASP.NET | #12

NOTE: The number represents the relative value in the Boston marketplace with links to job listings in the right-hand column.

WebAwards | 2008

The Web Marketing Association announced the winners of its twelfth annual WebAward Competition for Web site development.

A snapshot of the competition:

• 2,400 website entries
• 45 countries
• 96 industry categories

Entries were judged on the following criteria:

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

Web designers and developers can review these award-winning sites to stimulate creativity and benchmark Web creation standards.

The Best of The Web

The Best of Show Winner was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Here are the Best of Industry award winning websites for 2008:

• Advertising | Burns Group
• Advocacy | Are You Ok With That?
• Airline | emirates.com
• Application Service Provider | VerticalResponse
• Architecture | The Michelle Kaufmann Blog
• Arts | Connect: The Dot Project
• Associations | DiscoverBoating.com
• Auction | Government Liquidation, LLC
• Automobile | Inspired by nature
• B2B | The Occasions Group – Stratford Hall division
• Bank | Standard Chartered Bank
• Beverage | Carte Noire
• Biotechnology | Gene.com (Beantown Web's personal favorite)
• Blog | SiteLA
• Broadcasting | USANetwork.com
• Catalog | SeaBear Smokehouse
• Computer: Hardware | Microsoft Hardware Sidewinder Mouse
• Computer: Retailer | The HP Home & Home Office Store
• Computer: Software | Norton Today
• Construction | Johns Manville Building Materials
• Consulting | Exponent
• Consumer Goods | Ban
• Credit Union | Delta Community Credit Union
• Design | Justyna Collections Catalog
• Directory or Search Engine | SearchMedica
• Diversified Business, Investor Relations, Public Relations | GE Corporate
• Education | Philips - A Simple Switch
• Electronics | Casio Exilim YouTube Capture Mode
• Email | MailerMailer Email Marketing
• Employment | Microsoft Diversity
• Energy | DuPont in Energy
• Entertainment | Alliance Theatre
• Events | Lock 3 Live
• E-Zine | Envisage
• Faith-based | Park West Church
• Family | Bee Movie Official Movie Website
• Fashion | Dolce&Gabbana
• Financial Services | Bank of America Fees & Processes
• Food Industry | Jack Link's Beef Jerky
• Game Site | www.onlinerealgames.com
• General Interest | Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy
• Government | City of Frisco Texas
• Health Care | Terrence Higgins Trust (THT)
• Healthcare Provider | Washington Hospital Center
• Home Building | Armstrong Residential Ceilings
• Hotel & Lodging | Hotel Terra Jackson Hole
• Information Services, Technology | One EMC
• Institutional Services | Preparedness and Catastrophe Event Response
• Insurance | Blue Shield of California -- Chat Box
• Interactive Services | adidas miCoach
• International Business | FedEx -- Behind the Scenes
• Internet Service Provider | SSI Micro
• Intranet | Jet Blue - Blue Tube
• Investment | John Hancock Annuities
• Legal | Get Legal
• Leisure | Nautiques.com
• Magazine | Saudi Aramco World
• Manufacturing | BFGoodrich LTT Tire
• Marketing | Ensemble HD Home Cinema System
• Media | Newseum -- World's Most Interactive Museum
• Medical Equipment | Guardian REAL-Time Glucose Monitor Tutorial
• Medical | MerckMedicus
• Military | NAVYForMoms.com
• Music | Philips - Aurea Flat TV
• Mutual Fund | John Hancock Funds
• News | iCue
• Newspaper | Variety.com
• Non-Profit | Leading to Reading
• Movie | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Online Community | Toys Revolution
• Other | FedEx -- Launch a Package
• Pharmaceuticals | RA Advisor Program
• Photography | Picnik
• Political | Hope. Act. Change.
• Portal | Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Professional Services | BGT Partners
• Publishing | My1Stop.com
• Radio | KCRW Media Player
• Real Estate | Elizabeth Lofts
• Regional | Billburg.com -- Williamsburg, Brooklyn
• Restaurant | Four
• Retail | Hallmark Journeys
• School | Vail Mountain School
• Shopping | Cooking.com
• Small Business | Hong Kong Trade Development Council
• Sports | RBK DGK 2007
• Telecommunication | Nokia Jealous Computers
• Toy & Hobby | Activision
• Transportation | HondaJet
• Travel | AirMiles Make Like Miles
• TV | Psych
• University | Murdoch University Switching Campaign

Additional award-winning categories can be searched at the WebAward site.

Manpower Employment Outlook | Q4 2008

Manpower's latest employment projections suggest "continuing softness in hiring activity" during the fourth quarter of 2008. Overall, Manpower expects a Net Employment Outlook of +9%, meaning more hiring is expected than layoffs. In particular,

• 22% of employers expect staffing increases
• 13% of employers expect staffing reductions

Approximately 14,000 employers across the United States participated in this survey. Details of the survey can be found in a Manpower press release.

Massachusetts Employment Outlook

A closer looks at the data for Massachusetts suggests that not all regions of the state can expect to participate in this "continuing softness" equally. If fact, much of the Boston metro area can expect hiring rates better than the national average. With the exception of Boston proper, employers north and west of the city, as well as, along the South Shore, will be looking to add new employees at rates up to 10 times more frequently than those anticipating layoffs.

For example, employers along the 128 Corridor (Burlington to Waltham) report the following:

• 37% of employers expect staffing increases
• 3% of employers expect staffing reductions

This net change of +34% reveals that companies in this part of the Boston metro area will be most aggressive in their hiring plans.

Here is a chart of hiring expectations throughout Massachusetts for the 4th quarter of 2008:

Manpower provides a snapshot of Massachusetts' companies hiring plans (pdf) for the fourth quarter.

New England's Digital Industry

Workers looking for opportunities will likely improve their chances of success by targeting companies along the Route 128 Corridor. It is likely not a coincidence that many of the employees that make up New England's Digital Industry work at companies that have offices along Route 128.

Technology opportunities continue to lead employment growth. Workers with solid technology skills and a professional network that extends into technology companies should fair better than average in an economy that exhibits "continuing softness."