Thursday, August 13, 2009

Hard Skills + Soft Skills = 60 Days

Hard skills land you the interview. Soft skills land you the job. We need both hard skills and soft skills.

Hard Skills

If you are a typical job seeker expect to be unemployed for four months. If you are out of work and have a Web technology background there is one skill that will land you a full-time assignment in half the time! What is this high-demand, high-tech skill?

  • Microsoft's .NET technology

This single finding was reported in a quarterly report issued by CareerBuilder entitled The Staffing Supply & Demand Outlook. The study included more than 5,000 hiring managers and 9,000 workers.

This finding is consistent with the latest Beantown Web research that reveals a high demand for the following fast-growing skills:

  • C#
  • Web Services
  • ASP.NET
  • SEO
  • Ajax

Soft Skills

Virtually every job description lists "excellent communication skills" as a core requirement. However, higher level soft skills are in high demand according to one survey of Boston employers:

  • Employers who say it is difficult to find "strategic thinkers" | 80%
  • Employers who say it is difficult to find candidates who can "lead and motivate" others | 75%

A press release of the 2009 Greater Boston Area Talent Markets Survey is available for review. A more detailed FREE 44-page report is also available from Camden Consulting Group.

60 Days

Few activities will alter the trajectory of your career faster than upgrading specific hard skills and soft skills. If you are a Web professional consider developing a 60-plan (a strategic plan) to incorporate ASP.NET into your skill set. If you are a professional in any discipline spend 60 minutes today identifying "strategic thinking" and "leading & motivating" examples you can point to in projects you have worked on. Employers are actively looking for these hard and soft skills.

Hard skills + soft skills = 60 days to your next opportunity.

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Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Boston Market | August 2009

The unemployment numbers will likely continue to rise for the next 12 months according to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

Employment in the Information Technology (IT) sector, however, continues to outperform the general employment marketplace with a lower percentage of tech workers out of work.

Information Technology workers are in demand, at least those who possess technology skills that are valued in today's marketplace. This analysis shines a light on these in-demand skills.

Boston Market

Job opportunities continued an upward momentum in the Boston technology marketplace for the second consecutive month. Sixteen of the Top 20 Web Technologies are "in the green." These technologies were mentioned more frequently in job descriptions this month than last month. The updated list of Top 20 Web Technologies appears in the right-hand column.

Five of the Top 20 Web Technologies have seen impressive gains in job postings -- an increase of at least 50% since early June. The five hottest technologies are as follows:

  • C# | 74%
  • Web Services | 63%
  • ASP.NET | 57%
  • SEO | 55%
  • Ajax | 53%

Web professionals who possess these technical skills and are actively pursuing opportunities would do well to highlight these skills on resumes and in social media profiles.

Training Opportunity

The best value in Web technology training might be RIA Unleashed : Boston. This one-day conference is billed as New England's only conference focused on building rich internet applications (RIAs) using the Adobe Flash Platform including Flex, AIR, ColdFusion, Catalyst and other technologies.

None of these technologies, including Flash, are currently Top 20 technologies in terms of how frequently they are mentioned in job descriptions. However, as conference organizer Brian Rinaldi pointed out to me, demand is only half of the supply/demand equation. Skilled professionals in these technologies are finding high-paying work because there are relatively few professionals trained in these emerging technologies.

What makes this conference attractive is the cost of ONLY $30, while the early bird supply of 100 tickets lasts. Even at the next level of $50 this training opportunity promises to be a real bargain.

To learn more about this November (Friday the 13th) training opportunity in Waltham, access RIA Unleashed : Boston.

[ NOTE: Beantown Web is now on Facebook. Facebook Fans gain access to an expanded listing of the Top 50 Web Technologies in Boston. Become a fan today! ]

Monday, August 03, 2009

Social Media Breakfast | Boston

The Social Media Breakfast was founded as an event where social media experts and newbies alike come together to eat, meet, share, and learn.

The breakfast series began in Boston and has now spread to more than two dozen cities. Social Media Breakfast was founded by Bryan Person.

Boston Breakfast

The topic for the next Boston seminar is "The Power & Peril of Online Communities." The presenters are as follows:

Marketers, PR pros, entrepreneurs, bloggers, podcasters, new-media fanatics, and online social networkers are all welcome to attend.

Details

When: Friday, August 7, 2009, 8:30 am

Where: Communispace Corporation | Watertown

Registration is only $7.99 and the networking could prove invaluable! Check out the Attendee List of more than 70 pre-registrants to determine if this networking event is right for you.

To learn more about this event access the Social Media Breakfast website where you can learn more about upcoming events in more than two dozen cities. You can also learn more about starting a Social Media Breakfast event in your city.

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Global 250 Top Private Companies | 2009

A list of the 250 most innovative (and disruptive) companies has been announced. Previous winners of the top award include Google and Twitter.

This year's overall winner is Quantcast, a company that helps bring marketers and publishers together.

California leads the list with 126 companies followed by New York with 21. The Boston metro area placed 14 companies on this year's list.

Boston Area Innovators

Innovative companies are looking for innovative people to help them grow. Check out the following 14 companies, listed by category, for business opportunities. Click the "in" icon to identify your LinkedIn connections into that company.

Cloud & Infrastructure

  • Pixily | Waltham
  • Visible Measures | Boston ★★★
  • VKernel | Portsmouth, NH

Consumer Internet

  • Viximo | Cambridge

Digital Education

  • 8D World | Woburn
  • Eduventures | Boston
  • SimpleTuition | Newton

Enabling Tools & Devices

  • EveryZing | Cambridge [ Category Winner ]

Greentech

  • GreatPoint Energy | Cambridge
  • Premium Power | North Reading
  • Wilson TurboPower | Woburn

SaaS & Enterprise

  • uTest | Southborough [ Category Winner ]
  • HubSpot | Cambridge

Wireless

  • Skyhook Wireless | Boston [ Category Winner ]

The complete list of 250 companies can be found at the AlwaysOn Network (AO) website.

★★★ Visible Measures is the local sponsor of the upcoming Boston leg of the Summer of Social Good networking event tour.

[ NOTE: Beantown Web is now on Facebook. Facebook Fans gain instant access to an interactive map of the 14 most innovative companies in the Boston area. Become a fan today! ]

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Summer of Social Good | Six City Tour

The Summer of Social Good is the first large scale charitable campaign designed to raise funds strictly online through the power of social media. A six-city tour has been organized to promote the campaign.

The Organizers

Mashable - The Social Media Guide has teamed with Hyatt Hotels and various local sponsors to promote the tour under the banner Mashable’s #Hyatt4Good Tweetup Tour.

The Charities

Charities will receive 100% of funds raised during the campaign. All proceeds will be split equally among the following four charities:

The Cities

The tour will visit the following cities:

The style of each event will be an informal mixer for the social media community. A local sponsor will help cover some food and drinks and a cash bar will be available. Registration is required and a donation is suggested.

Readers are encouraged to spread the word about the Summer of Social Good through the social media of your choice.

[ NOTE: Beantown Web is now on Facebook. Become a fan today! ]

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Web Innovators Group | WebInno 22

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

This 22nd installment (WebInno22) will feature the following presentations:

Main Dishes

  • Planet Cazmo | a virtual world set inside an alien solar system who have been inspired by music, hip hop and other earth cultural phenomenon

  • Thunder Thimble | Who’s talking about your product or business? What are they saying? Thunder Thimble monitors brand mentions and allows you to respond in real time.

  • BuySellAds | an advertising marketplace for small to medium sized website owners/publishers

Side Dishes

  • Shareaholic | simply the quickest and best way to share, e-mail, tweet, bookmark, and blog links

  • Muzzy Lane | creating great games and innovative Sandstone technology to build and deliver them

  • Localytics | focused on giving mobile application developers the tools they need to improve their businesses

  • Fluent Mobile | a pioneer in mobile content organization and delivery

  • Tor Project | a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet

  • CaptureCode | a transaction processing company focused on helping merchants increase their return on marketing investment

Details

Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 6:30 pm

Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Registration is FREE and the networking could prove invaluable! Check out the Attendee List of more than 800 hundred pre-registrants to determine if this networking event is right for you.

Registrants are also encouraged to join the Boston Web Innovators Group on LinkedIn and connect with more than 900 members.

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Monday, July 06, 2009

Boston Market | July 2009

More employers are expected to hire full-time staff in the third quarter than fire workers according to one recent job survey.

Listed below are the trends for the past three quarters.

Plan to increase the number of full-time employees:

  • third quarter | 15% (expectation)
  • second quarter | 18%
  • first quarter | 13%

Plan to reduce the number of full-time employees:

  • third quarter | 10% (expectation)
  • second quarter 17%
  • first quarter | 26%

So, job losses are expected to slow, but job creation is not expected to grow. According to the survey,

". . . we're not likely to experience significant movement in job creation in 2009. Jobs will be added, but overall, businesses will continue to be conservative in their hiring and maintain focus on existing human capital."

Q3 2009 U.S. Job Forecast

Job growth in the Northeast is expected to be higher in the third quarter than any other region of the United States, except for the South. Eighteen percent of employers in the Northeast are expected to add full-time staff vs. 15 percent nationally. Four job sectors are fueling hiring in the Northeast:

  • government
  • education
  • healthcare
  • defense

The quarterly survey, conducted in late May and early June, polled more than 2,600 hiring managers and human resource professionals. A press release of the Q3 2009 U.S. Job Forecast is available for review. For a more detailed summary of the findings, conducted jointly by CareerBuilder and USA Today, download a free six-page report.

Boston Technology Market

Overcast or rainy skies hovered over Boston for 22 out of 30 days in June (source). Rain makes things grow and apparently the Boston technology job market was one beneficiary.

A review of the Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston reveals that 11 of the top 12 technologies experienced increases in job listings since early June. Job postings for workers who can demonstrate proficiency in these technologies are up an impressive 22 percent in the past 30 days.

In general, Boston area employers are looking for technical expertise in the following skill areas:

  • databases
  • programming
This combination bodes well for Web developers. The biggest movers of the month include Microsoft-centric Web development skills:
  • Web Services 56%
  • C# 43%
  • ASP.NET 41%
  • SQL Server 29%

One simple training opportunity for July would be to learn more about Web Services. W3Schools.com offers a FREE introductory Web Services Tutorial.

A complete listing of the Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston appears in the right-hand column along with links to local job postings.

[ NOTE: Beantown Web is now on Facebook. Facebook Fans gain instant access to an expanded listing of the Top 50 Web Technologies in Boston. Become a fan today! ]

Monday, June 29, 2009

Girls in Tech | Boston Event

Girls in Tech is a network of professional women who aspire to careers in technology.

Girls in Tech has an official presence in the following cities:

Atlanta, Austin, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kuwait, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Omaha, Orlando, Paris, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Stamford, Tampa, and Washington DC

Girls in Tech | Boston

The Boston Chapter of Girls in Tech will be hosting a lifestyle panel discussion designed to explore the following issues:

  • work/life balance
  • career management
  • leading a purpose-driven life

Agenda:

  • 6:00 - 7:00 pm » Networking
  • 7:00 - 7:45 pm » Panel Discussion
  • 7:45 - 9:00 pm » Open Audience Discussion

Event Details

  • Date » Tuesday, June 30, 2009
  • Time » 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • Location » 38 Cameron Gallery, Cambridge, MA

This event is FREE. Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served. Reservations are required.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A WOMEN'S ONLY EVENT

Boston area technology enthusiasts should consider joining the 200+ members of the Girls in Tech | Boston Chapter Facebook group.

For information about activities in other metropolitan areas access the Girls in Tech website.

[ NOTE: Beantown Web is now on Facebook. Facebook Fans gain instant access to the LinkedIn profiles of attendees of the Boston event. Become a fan today! ]

Sunday, June 14, 2009

AIGA Aquent Survey of Design Salaries | 2009

More than 9,000 designers nationwide completed an annual salary survey.

Billed as "the most comprehensive annual survey of compensation data for the communication design profession in the United States," the survey was a joint effort between the following:

  • AIGA | the professional association for design
  • Aquent | the talent agency for marketers and designers
Here is a summary of the findings.

Boston Salaries

Median salaries for design professionals in Boston exceeded the national average by a range of between $2,000 and $8,000. Here are the Boston median salaries for select job titles:

  • Entry-level designer | $40,000
  • Print production artist | $47,500
  • Designer | $47,000
  • Web designer | $60,000
  • Senior designer | $65,000

Relatively few Web developers and programmers belong to the organizations that were used in the survey sample. Therefore, salaries for Boston could not be provided with statistical accuracy. Here are the national median average salaries for these job titles:

  • Web programmer/developer (back end) | $62,400
  • Web developer (front end) | $65,000

It would not be unusual for these median salaries to be higher in the Boston metro area.

Definitions are provided for these and other job titles at the AIGA website.

Advice from Design Leaders

Ten design professionals from across the country were asked to share their advice on surviving during challenging economic times. One quote was a headline grabber.

"Be smart and strategic—or else deliver pizzas"

Here are the 10 design leaders along with their LinkedIn profiles:

Access Advice from Professional Designers at the AIGA website.

National Survey Results

Salary results are available for 31 cities and nine regions of the United States at the AIGA | Aquent Survey of Design Salaries website. Simply access the Salary Calculator to review the compensation data for 15 design-related positions in your part of the country. You can also download a FREE 48-page summary of the survey findings.

Additional Surveys

Here are additional salary surveys and guides that have been summarized in Beantown Web in the past nine months:

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Monday, June 08, 2009

The Dice Report | June 2009

Four out of five technology recruiters and hiring managers say that the current economy has caused them to scale back hiring for the next six months.

More than 1,900 people responded to the email survey conducted by Dice.com. The survey targeted human resource staff and recruiters who primarily hire or recruit technology professionals. The survey was conducted in May 2009.

Two Questions

Six questions were asked in the survey. Here are two that stand out.

“Has the current economic environment caused you or your clients to scale back hiring plans for the next six months?”
  • Yes, substantially | 43%
  • Yes, slightly | 38%
“How likely do you think layoffs are in the next six months at your organization, or if you are a recruiter at your clients’ organizations?”
  • Very likely | 12%
  • Likely | 31%

So, layoffs will likely continue in the technology sector over the next six months and companies will continue to be reluctant to add new staff for the remainder of 2009.

A Call from the Mountain

Granted, this is not the most motivating picture of the future. Now is the time to envision a view from the mountain on the other side of this valley. A Dice spokesperson is standing on that mountain and calling back to us across the valley . . .

“While it’s not surprising in this economy that companies are being selective, more than 90 percent of respondents indicated they have at least one hard to find skill set or position to fill. This potentially equates to solid demand when the economy turns upward.”

Details are available at The Dice Report, Special Edition, June 2009 .

Three Possible Paths

To get across the valley Web professionals should consider strengthening three core skills. According to ComputerWeekly.com, trend data suggests a growing demand for these technologies:

  • PHP
  • JavaScript
  • Ajax

Details are available at Learn PHP and get a job. Even though this publication is based in the UK, Beantown Web's Boston Market | June 2009 supports the demand for these technologies in the Boston metro area.

Obtaining training and demonstrating proficiency in these three technologies will likely help you get across the valley quicker and provide you a better view from the mountain on the other side.

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Thursday, June 04, 2009

Boston Market | June 2009

Here are three indicators that the economy may be on the mend.

Spherion Employee Confidence Index

A monthly index that measures workers’ confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment, has risen for three consecutive months. The Spherion Employee Confidence Index reports that workers are more optimistic about the strength of the economy.

AIGA’s Design Leaders Confidence Index

A quarterly survey of more than 300 design leaders reveals an improvement in optimism about the economy over the next six months. The Design Leaders Confidence Index posted is highest score in the last three quarters. Fourteen percent of survey participants feel they are more likely to add staff now than they had anticipated at the beginning of the year.

ExecuNet's Recruiter Confidence Index

A survey of executive search consultants has climbed for the third consecutive month. ExecuNet's Recruiter Confidence Index reveals that the executive search industry's outlook for the employment market continues to improve and now stands at its highest level since June 2008.

Top 20 Web Technologies

So, what do the tea leaves say about the Web technology marketplace in Boston? Continued stability. The Top 20 Web Technologies list has been updated for June and appears in the right-hand column. The biggest gainers for the month were technologies outside of the Top 10 as follows:

  • PHP | up arrow 48%
  • JSP | up arrow 27%
  • MySQL | up arrow 18%

This short-term trend reveals an ongoing strong demand for Web Developers. Web Design & Development professionals should continue to focus on maximizing their opportunities by improving their programming and database skills since these technologies dominate the Top 20 list.

June is Innovation Month

innovation month

Here is a two-fold strategy for upgrading skills and improving career advancement prospects over the next month.

Step #1: Access the New England Innovation Month website and review the many networking opportunities that are occurring in the Boston metro area this month; commit to attend one event.
Step #2: Review the Top 20 Web Technologies list in the right-hand column; identify one technology to improve; get to work improving that skill by the end of the month.

[ NOTE: What if I don't see my technology skills listed in the Top 20? Simply access Beantown Web's new Facebook page. Become a fan today and gain instant access to the Top 50+ Web Technologies in Boston! ]

Friday, May 29, 2009

Mass Innovation Nights | June 2009‏‏

Mass Innovation Nights provides innovators with a place to connect with the media, influential bloggers, the marketplace and each other. More than 200 guests registered to attend the May event.

June Innovators

The spotlight will be on the following innovators in June:

  • Atalasoft | affordable document imaging for SharePoint

  • Canson | project your handwritten notes on the screen directly during a meeting

  • Coreblox | monitor Twitter conversations that matter to you

  • Emo Labs, Inc. | create a better multimedia entertainment experience with invisible loudspeaker solutions

  • IBM | a mission to create the largest public computing grid benefiting humanity

  • MyRoar | ask questions in natural language and receive intelligent answers

  • NaviSite | dedicated Web hosting services

  • Popkins | for the ice pop stick without the ick

  • ThingMagic | a low-cost platform for developing and deploying interactive read/write applications

  • Urban Animal | a new design collaborative focused on bringing multiple creative disciplines together under one banner

Event Details

Location: Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation | Waltham

Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Time: 6:30 PM

After Party: Biagio's Plush Lounge

To learn more, simply access the Mass Innovation Nights website. Check out the June RSVP List to help determine if this FREE networking event might be valuable for you to attend. Then, submit your RSVP to attend this launch party.

Mass Innovation Nights actively encourages job seekers to attend.

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Chowda Chat | Leah Busque




Chowda Chat is a periodic Beantown Web installment that features a conversation with an influential member of the 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.

Today's Chowda Chat presents the insights of Leah Busque, Founder, RUNmyERRAND.com, a Web service that helps individuals and small businesses in a community outsource their tasks and deliveries. Think of it as Craigslist meets eBay. They are pioneering a trend that they call Service Networking.

Leah, you were a software engineer for IBM for seven years. Why give up the fast track to start your own business and what were some of the first steps you took?

"I felt I had more to offer than just technical skills. By starting my own business I could not only utilize my technical expertise, I could also develop skills in the business, legal and management arenas. I basically locked myself in a room for four months and developed a working prototype for my idea. Along the way I networked with anyone who would listen and give me feedback about my concept.
My Board of Advisors became the following:
With their guidance I launched a beta version of the service in Charlestown (MA). I have since expanded the RUNmyERRAND crew and extended the service to the greater Boston community. We are over-the-moon excited about being a finalist for the fbFund '09 Incubator Program established by Facebook. Additional funding will help us introduce our service in other metropolitan areas."
[Update: RUNmyERRAND.com has been selected as one of 20 final winners and will participate in the fbFund REV incubator program to take place in Silicon Valley this summer.]

What technology runs your Web operations?

"I researched several options and decided to implement Ruby on Rails because of its rapid development features. While I didn't know the technology when I started I felt confident from my training at IBM that I could learn it quickly. I started with O'Reilly's ONLamp tutorials and Rails Cookbook. Our Web operations also utilize Amazon Web Services to manage our expanding data needs."
[NOTE: Additional resources include 31 Fascinating Ruby on Rails Tutorials & Guides.]

How can someone get started with RUNmyERRAND.com?

It's simple, first check out the How it works in 90 seconds video, then click the Get Started button! Sign up before the end of May and your first errand is better than FREE, it is on us! And, make sure you become a fan of our service on Facebook.

Final Thought

"There are a lot of great ideas out there, the difficult part is taking the leap and deciding to execute on them. There was a very clear moment for me where I thought to myself, there is absolutely no reason why I can not do this, so why not give it a try. I've enjoyed meeting many other entrepreneurs with the same mentality, which makes for an exciting startup scene here in Boston!"
Update: Bloomberg BusinessWeek article, November 11, 2010.

Previous Chowda Chats

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Friday, May 15, 2009

Horizon Interactive Awards | 2009

The Horizon Interactive Awards honors the most talented developers of interactive media.

Judges look for the best blend between creativity and functionality. Awards are issued based on the following criteria:

  • solution creativity and originality
  • overall graphic design / appearance / user experience
  • communication of message
  • technical merit
  • effectiveness of solution

2009 Best of Category Winners

Here are the 2009 Best of Category winners:

Web designers and developers can benchmark their Web solutions against these award-winning entries to stimulate the creative process and help raise the bar.

Here are the Massachusetts organizations (along with their projects) honored with awards:

Access a complete list of more than 500 2009 Award Winners to see which organizations (and projects) may have been honored with Horizon Interactive Awards in your state.

[ NOTE: . Click the icon in the right-hand column to become a fan. ] >>>

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

IT Education Providers | Massachusetts

Continuous improvement is a prerequisite for long-term career success as a Web technology professional. Lifelong learning is not optional -- it is mandatory -- as Web technologies evolve constantly.

A recent survey of more than 30,000 Web professionals reveals that nearly 80% of Web workers list the desire to improve their technical skills through educational training as their next career move.

IT Education Providers

Mass High Tech, The Journal of New England Technology, has researched providers of information technology (IT) education services in the region and has compiled a ranking. Here are the largest IT education providers in Massachusetts (click the "in" icon next to the organization to reveal your LinkedIn connections at that organization):

  1. New Horizons of Boston | Boston, Waltham
  2. CompuWorks Systems, Inc. | Boston
  3. RJ Wronski Associates, Inc. | Chelsea
  4. The Training Associates | Westborough
  5. Middlesex Community College | Lowell
  6. TrainerQuest | Allston
  7. UMass Lowell Cont. Studies, Corp. & Distance Ed. | Lowell
  8. Softeach | Newton
  9. BITadvisors, Inc. | Hingham
  10. Learning Tree International | Burlington, Waltham
  11. Miller & Associates | Northborough
  12. MicroCAD Training & Consulting | Watertown
  13. nSight, Inc. | Burlington
  14. Charles River Public Internet Center | Waltham
  15. iDL Systems | Boston
  16. Softeach, Inc. | Newton
  17. Bridgewater State College | Bridgewater

This listing is ranked by number of students trained in New England in 2008. For complete details access Largest IT Education Providers. pdf

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

Monday, May 11, 2009

Boston Market | May 2009

Is the job market half empty or half full?

Half Empty

If you want to look for negatives, there are plenty to chose from. Here are just three . . .

  • The unemployment rate in the United States has risen to 8.9%, the highest rate in a quarter century as reported by the New York Times.
  • The IT Employee Confidence Index decreased to its lowest since tracking began in the fourth quarter of 2005, according to a recent survey commissioned by technology placement firm Technisource.

Half Full

If you want to focus on the positive, you can find reasons for optimism also. Here are just two . . .

  • According to The Dice Report for May there are more than 1,900 technology opportunities posted on their job board for the Boston metro area. If you live in the Washington, DC metro area, you have more than three times as many opportunities to chose from.

Looking at The Glass Through a Different Lens

So, how does a Web technology professional turn a half empty glass into a half full one in the current economy? Perhaps, by focusing less on the skills we currently have to sell into the marketplace and more on the skills that organizations are currently willing to purchase.

The list of Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for May and appears in the right-hand column. The list shows more up arrows than down indicating a stability, if not slight improvement, in the technology job market since early April.

As usual, demand for programming and database skills trump demand for design skills. While Photoshop and Flash (Adobe Creative Suite programs) appear in the Top 20, four of the top five spots on the list are dominated by data-related skills:

  1. SQL [ 504 ]
  2. Oracle [ 466 ]
  3. Java [ 312 ]
  4. SQL Server [ 216 ]
  5. XML [ 216 ]

This quest for data is underscored by a New York Times article that highlights the personal story of Douglas Bowman, a former top visual designer at Google. While this story is anecdotal the data from job postings reveals that the market is placing more emphasis on data-driven development and less on design.

Ten Ways to Fill Your Glass

So, regardless of whether you view the current job market as half empty or half full, there IS a job market and that market is moving forward. We have little choice but to move forward with it.

To help focus our attention on the future here is a brief summary of a blog post at TechRepublic, which constructs a blueprint to the future. Here are three skill sets to focus on today . . .

  1. Develop expertise in one of The Big Three (.NET, Java, PHP)
  2. Become an RIA (Rich Internet Application) pro
  3. Demonstrate solid front-end Web skills (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)

To help fill your glass with opportunity, access 10 Skills Developers Will Need in the Next Five Years. Then, get to work developing and implementing a personal game plan that will prepare you for future opportunities.

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

Monday, April 27, 2009

InformationWeek's Salary Survey | 2009

The average information technology (IT) staffer in the United States earns $80,000. IT managers are rewarded with a median compensation of $105,000.

These findings were released today as part of InformationWeek's 2009 annual salary survey. More than 12,000 IT professionals in the U.S. responded to the survey.

Listed below are data points that relate to the Boston metro area and to Web-related professionals.

Staff Base Salaries By Metro Area

"What is your annual base salary?"

  • Boston | $90,000

Staff Base Salaries By Job Function

"What is your current annual base salary?"

  • Web design/development | $70,000

Management Base Salaries By Job Function

"What is your current annual base salary?"

  • Web design/development | $95,000

Management Compensation By Job Function

"What is your total annual cash compensation, including salary and all cash bonuses?"

  • Web design/development | $99,000

The Next Step

Here are three take-home messages from the survey:

  • Web-related workers earn less than the median compared to other IT workers
  • IT workers in Boston earn more than the national median
  • IT managers earn more than IT staffers

Web-related workers who continue to develop their technical and managerial skills can be rewarded with six-figure compensation packages. More than half of respondents (55%) reported that their company provided support for training.

Continuous improvement of technology skills that employers value, and leadership skills that all organizations need, is one of the surest paths to above average pay and career security in the information technology fields.

To learn more about which technology skills employers value the most in the current economy, begin by accessing a press release that provides an overview of the InformationWeek annual salary survey results. A comprehensive 59-page report is also available for FREE download (registration is required).

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Mass Innovation Nights | May 2009‏

Mass Innovation Nights is back! More than 160 guests attended the inaugural event in April. The May lineup has just been announced.

Mass Innovation Nights provides innovators with a place to connect with the media, influential bloggers, the marketplace and each other.

May Innovators

The spotlight will be on the following innovators in May:

  • AllFocus | contacts-calendar service with mobile sync

  • Blitz Innovations, Inc. | strategic innovation meets rapid execution

  • Hubunity | tools to collect, organize and manage your connections with everything local

  • IBM/Lotus | work smarter with LotusLive

  • Mixandmeet | small groups - fun times - new friends

  • Nexiwave | find what you've been missing from your conference calls

  • Pixily | go paperless, find documents anywhere, anytime

  • Urban Kitchen | smart solutions for how we live

  • WherePhone | know where your vehicles are

Event Details

Location: Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation | Waltham

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Time: 6:00 PM

To learn more, simply access the Mass Innovation Nights website. Check out Who's Coming to help determine if this FREE networking event might be valuable for you to attend. Then, submit your RSVP to attend this launch party.

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Fastest Growing Private Companies | 2009

The Boston Business Journal identified the 60 fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts. These companies were honored at the 3rd annual BBJ Pacesetters event.

Other metropolitan areas have similar programs. For example, more than 40 metropolitan areas are represented at bizjournals.com. Simply select your metropolitan area from the "Choose Another City:" drop-down list and review upcoming "Events & Nominations."

Boston Business Journal Pacesetters

Fast growing companies need talented people to help sustain growth. Listed below are the 60 fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts.

[ NOTE: Beantown Web now features the LinkedIn Company Insider Widget. Simply log into your LinkedIn account on a separate tab, then click the "in" icon next to the company name below to identify the LinkedIn connections you might have within that organization. ]

The Next Step

Check out the company websites for hiring opportunities in your field of expertise.

Remember, according to the Sources of Hire Study | 2009:

"We continue to 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."

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Social Media Hub | Boston

Is your community a social media hub? Boston is.

Mashable: The Social Media Guide has launched a series of articles entitled Social Media Hub. The purpose is to shine the spotlight on local social media communities, companies and personalities.

Two metro areas have been explored so far:

Additional metro areas will be canvased in the weeks and months ahead.

Social Media Personalities

Here are 10 social media personalities that Bostonians should keep their eye on:

Profiles of each personality are listed in Social Media Hub: Boston along with the following:

  • six recurring Beantown social media events
  • eight Boston-baked social media organizations

Social Media Hubs

Additional metropolitan areas will be listed at Mashable once they have been researched and posted.

If you feel you are a social media player in your community, or know someone who is, contact Mashable to request inclusion in an upcoming article about your Social Media Hub.

[ NOTE: You can now search more than 250 articles in the Beantown Web database by using the Google search box in the right-hand column. ] >>>