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I know big companies use .NET/C# or Java/JSP to create their enterprise web applications. But some medium to large companies also use open-source tools (i.e. PHP, Ruby, Perl, MySql, etc) to build their systems.
Know good company that are looking for opensource web developers?
I have been in the web development business in San Diego for ten years, from startup to enterprise, open source, Java, .NET, you name it.
The job market here is generally good for developers at the mid-to-senior level. Entry level opportunities are plentiful but often pay very poorly, i.e. 30-45k.
Web developers typically occupy the entry-level portion of the market. Most of the best web developers will eventually move on from San Diego to take jobs at first-tier companies in LA or SF. Another portion will move elsewhere in computing to enterprise web apps, etc. So among that pool that remains, there is not a ton of world-class talent and a good developer can do well in that arena.
There is an imbalance of contract jobs vs perm in San Diego. The ratio is probably 5:1 temp vs. perm. There is also a lack of large-scale contracting corps here. Much of the large contracting goes to corps based outside of San Diego with a sales office here. They will ramp up with local staff but it is all contract work and much of it short-term. Perm jobs are harder to find with most being in the "web shops" which are basically just small-scale consulting operations catering to the San Diego market.
Salaries tend to max out around 70k which is way below other markets. In NYC or SF you could max out above 100k+. Most people gravitate to .NET or Java to bump up their salaries by getting into a big corp. Open source, if you have deep skills the opportunities are there, but very limited. There are a lot of jobs doing PHP that pay 15 bucks an hour. The best bet for long-term salary growth is to get into a niche area like defense subcontracting. Those areas often need web skills but you will need database, middle tier experience as well to be successful.
I'm in web development as well (mostly PHP/MySQL, but my husband is also proficient at C# and .NET though). My husband and I have found that we make more money working on projects on our own for contract work rather than working for a specific company. We own an LLC and have several decent contacts (many of them back in FL where we used to live) and make more at the moment than we would working for someone else.
As Sassbero has said, I've looked for jobs with my experience level and they usually cap out at around 60k or so. PLUS, you can have all the personal experience in the world but they still want you have a Computer Science degree, and often a MBA at that. Most want to the "coder that's also knows business" type person.
We don't get a 401(k) or company health insurance...but we have unsurpassed flexibility AND we don't have to sit in an office all day, which is super important to us.
Anyhow...my advice to you, is that if you have contacts, and want to take a little risk--try to go into for yourself. Just realize that sometimes the money is flowing...and when it is, you have to save for the times that it's not.
Yeah...I am a web developer too. But rather unusual in that I have no car (and really don't want the expense of one...even if I could afford one) and I don't usually have much money to afford to go places by bus. I know it sounds a bit contradictory saying I am web developer and not having enough money for bus fare but it comes and goes like someone else said.
My health is not the greatest and I must make my living from in front of the computer so I make do with what the Lord brings my way.
I think for sure the best thing is to be in business for yourself. To not have to wait on others to make up their minds as to whether they are going to hire you or even will appreciate your true skills. Make your own success.
I am doing it and if I, in my circumstances can do it, so can anyone else with God's help.
One thing I have found to be very good is to trade my web developer skills for things like rent. That has worked very, very well for me. I am presently living in one of the most expensive areas to live in the whole San Diego area and work 24 hours a month for my rent doing web development work for the landlord at $25 per hour (my standard rate).
The other thing that I think is very promising is making your own internet success. Not so much focusing on providing web development for others but rather using one's web development skills to create a web site that sells a creation of your own.
I am presently working on a set of 13 lessons on building your own web sites for internet marketers whose subscribers are interested in simple, fast, and efficient web sites. I am working on teaming up with internet marketers to give away my lessons to their subscribers in return for traffic to my site where I can backsell them all kinds of things from the source code to my Simple Websites Made Easy (SWME) system or more e-classes and everything in between.
You have to think outside the box. Find a market need on the internet that is being underserved and make an informational product to meet the demand. Then, using your own web development skills, build your own site. And work to get high search engine positioning.
Also building sites and using Adsense on them can be very lucrative.
Make a living not just offering web development but using your web development skills to catapult yourself into other ways of making a living online.
Don't put up with the $15 an hour for PHP programming. That's just ridiculous. Do something about it. Strike out on your own and leave the corporate types who offer you peanuts and won't consider someone with a high degree behind.
The benefit to being able to make a living over the Internet is worth every hour it takes to get there.
Unless I absolutely have to...I will never go back to working for others in a corporate environment. Not when I can work from home and live anywhere in the world while making a living over the Internet.
Not that I have arrived. While I am making a living over the Internet at present it's not much. Sometimes I come close to running out of food. But the opportunities are there and I am focusing entirely on taking advantage of them.
Yeah...I am a web developer too. But rather unusual in that I have no car (and really don't want the expense of one...even if I could afford one) and I don't usually have much money to afford to go places by bus. I know it sounds a bit contradictory saying I am web developer and not having enough money for bus fare but it comes and goes like someone else said.
Wait....I thought you were a window washer or something. If you were that's, uhh, quite the career change!
Wait....I thought you were a window washer or something. If you were that's, uhh, quite the career change!
LOL...yeah I was a computer programmer before I went to Canada and found out how low the pay for starting programmers up there was (ten years ago). Even worked on a mapping program written in Delphi once (in the States) that was intended to work with the Apache attack helicopter.
I really liked window cleaning and miss it somewhat. Getting out and talking with customers. Being outdoors. Working at my own pace making real good money ($20-50 per hour). It was good while it lasted.
But like with most jobs...window cleaning forces me to work every day to make money or else the money doesn't continue to roll in (nothing wrong with that mind you). Making a living over the Internet shows promise of being much, much better. And far more flexible in that I can live anywhere where there is internet.
I'd really like to move back to the country of my birth and be with my mom there.
Given that my knees and back started to bother me a few months ago (my knees still haven't fully recovered)...I didn't have much choice but to go back to working over the computer. But...that's what I've always wanted to do anyway. I've always joked that if I lost my legs I would be just fine. Just give me my hands, my eyes, and a computer with internet LOL.
Lord willing I will still have my legs till I die of course...at least that is my hope but if I lost them I think I would be alright.
You know it's funny. A few weeks ago I saw this person continuing to put ads up on craigslist looking for a PHP/MySQL programmer like he had been doing for several months. I had previously sent him an email and had told him flat out, when he wanted a resume, that I didn't have one prepared and didn't have time to make one up. So I thought that was that.
Anyway when I saw him continuing to put up ads looking for a PHP programmer, half in fun and half in wondering why he was still looking I sent him another response and helped remind him that I was the one who told him that I didn't have time to make up a resume (and still didn't).
Only this time I had a really nice business site (mine) to show him.
Well one thing led to another and even though I still refused to make up a resume even telling him that I thought resumes proved nothing more than that a person could write up an impressive...well...piece of paper...he offered me a job at $20 an hour!
Unreal!
However he wanted me to stop working for anyone else but him and I just couldn't do that since I did not know him and it seemed foolish for me to cut all ties to anyone else given that there existed the possibility things wouldn't work out with him. I also told him my normal rates were $25 an hour not $20.
Never heard from him again. I mean I said things nicely and all but I stood my ground against what seemed unreasonable to me.
We all need to do that. Don't cave in and work for nothing or bow to every whim of everyone who wants to hire a programmer for super cheap. I'd rather work at McDonald's than demean myself working for peanuts as a programmer. If someone wants a cheap programmer they can always go on the outsourcing job boards and find a programmer from India or the Philippines (if they are willing to put up with the hassles of doing so).
Find a way to increase the perceived value of what you have to offer as a local programmer. So much is perception in this business.
One company in San Diego hired me at $25 an hour and gave me quite a bit of work before they too sort of...well...disappeared. That's just the nature of local freelancing. You feast at times and then you starve for a while. And then you feast some more.
I've been blessed that no one has stiffed me yet. My clients have always paid me what they owe.
I see web development only as a stepping stone on the way to making a living over the Internet doing other things.
The exchange of my web development programming for rent is working out very well. Very, very well. It's allowed me to have it the best I have ever had it in San Diego to date as far as my living situation.
I work only 24 hours a month to live in a beautiful area in a nice home. The rent agreed upon here is $600 a month. The area is absolutely beautiful!
I have also had some success calling on local companies over the phone at least with respect to networking to uncover potential doors for further work. Proactively calling to see if they need any web development work instead of waiting around for someone to call me or answer one of my craigslist ads.
One time I did some work for a lady who seemed a bit...well...not quite there mentally. She was so incredibly paranoid about someone finding her and tracking her through her computer that she hired me to install Linux on a netbook (not a bad thing to do at all...I use Linux continually). I felt sorry for her but she insisted on paying me well and gave me a hefty tip.
But that was a one time gig.
I believe doors will open for me more as I finish off what my new landlord has hired me to do for him. I mean he's got lots and lots of work for me still to do but he has been talking about recommending me to others so I am hopeful that I can at least earn some food money while I continue to pursue other ventures over the internet.
Location: San Diego CA>Tijuana, BC>San Antonio, TX
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^^
Quote:
Originally Posted by carlos123
Don't put up with the $15 an hour for PHP programming. That's just ridiculous. Do something about it. Strike out on your own and leave the corporate types who offer you peanuts and won't consider someone with a high degree behind.
As a web developer in San Diego, I can confidently say that the market here is thriving. With a diverse range of industries including technology, healthcare, tourism, and defence, there is a constant demand for web and app development expertise. Companies of all sizes, from start-ups to large corporations, are actively seeking skilled developers to create and maintain their online presence.
In terms of sales and rentals, San Diego offers a competitive market for both residential and commercial properties. While the cost of living may be higher compared to some other cities, it's balanced by the quality of life and the abundance of job opportunities, especially in the tech sector.
Additionally, the city's proximity to major tech hubs like Silicon Valley and Los Angeles creates further opportunities for networking and career growth. With the rise of remote work, many companies are open to hiring developers from anywhere, making the San Diego an attractive location for those seeking a vibrant coastal lifestyle. Overall, the market for web developers in San Diego is robust and promising.
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