want to be a web developer? see what developers think about their job
TRANSCRIPT
About Web Development SkilledUp organizes, curates, and reviews online educational resources. The company consistently sees interest in its web development courses. SkilledUp initiated this research to better gauge the trends in web development and the demand for web developers. This information will be shared widely to help course providers, users, and employers develop the most critical skills in the industry.
Web Development is in High Demand Ten percent of unfilled jobs in America are in technology. Therefore, it is not surprising that salaries in the technology field pay 50 percent higher, on average, than other jobs in the private-sector. This is a key reason why jobs in web development remain in high demand.1
1. Baker, Peter “Obama Opens U.S. Effort to Fill High-Paying Tech Jobs,” NY Times. March 9, 2015 2
Methodology
Skilled Up commissioned Provoke Insights, a market research and strategy firm, to conduct an online survey among 303 web developers. The ten minute survey was distributed nationally from February 17-24, 2015. Throughout the report, significant differences between the groups will be highlighted in colors. Significance is tested at a 90% confidence level.
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1 A Highly Rewarding Career
The vast majority of web developers (88%) are satisfied with their career. • This is particularly true among developers who specialize in
mobile/responsive programming (57% are very satisfied). • Work life balance (61%) and job flexibility
(52%) are top reasons for their happiness. • “I work great hours.” • “Doing what I love, while working remotely.”
• Two-fifths of web developers also mention “pay” as a reason for satisfaction. The majority (82%) expect to receive a significant raise over the next six months.
• “I have good pay and benefits for satisfying work.”
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2 Web Developers are Sought After
Universally (95%), web developers agree that their occupation is in-demand. • Almost two-thirds (62%) of web developers say their
companies are hiring additional web developers; particularly in front-end or back-end capacities.
• More than half of web developers (57%) are often contacted
by head hunters.
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Career Satisfaction is High
How satisfied are you with your career as a web developer? (Select one) Q.
88% Satisfied
11% Somewhat Satisfied
1% Not at All Satisfied
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
• The vast majority (88%) of web developers are satisfied with their career.
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Most Rewarding Specialization
How satisfied are you with your career as a web developer? (Select one) Q.
Very Satisfied with Career by Job Role
47% 46%
57% 54%
48%
A. Front-end B. Back-end C. Mobile/ Responsive
D. Middleware E. Full-Stack
C
B
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
• Developers who specialize in mobile/responsive programming are the most satisfied with their job.
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Work-Life Balance Satisfies
Why are you satisfied with your career as a web developer? (Select one) Q.
61% Work-life Balance
52% Job Flexibility
39% Salary
28% Opportunity to Grow
30% Job Location
23% Atmosphere of Office 22% Co-workers
Other Responses: Less than 4%
Base: Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied (n=299)
• Work life balance (61%) and job flexibility (52%) are the primary reasons for career satisfaction, followed by salary (39%).
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Happy With Current Job
How satisfied are you with your current job as a web developer? (Select one) Q.
82% Satisfied 15% Somewhat Satisfied 3% Not at All Satisfied
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
• Most web developers are satisfied with their current job as a web developer (82%).
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Specialization Impacts Satisfaction
How satisfied are you with your CURRENT job as a web developer? (Select one) Q.
Very Satisfied with Current Job by Job Role
36% 36%
47%
38% 36%
A. Front-end B. Back-end C. Mobile/ Responsive
D. Middleware E. Full-Stack
C
AE
C C
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
• Compared to other developers, those who specialize in mobile/responsive are more satisfied (47%) with their current job.
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Reasons for Job Satisfaction
13 Why are you satisfied with your CURRENT job as a web developer? (Record in the box below) 13
Base: Respondents who are very satisfied or satisfied with their current jobs (n=247)
Q.
Flexibility & Work-Life Balance
Atmosphere & Coworkers
Challenging and Rewarding
Pay
“I control what projects I accept and do them according to my own schedule.”
“I work from home and am allowed flex time.”
“I have good pay and benefits for satisfying work.”
“It’s a great company that offers a good salary.”
“Paid well for interesting work.”
“The work is very challenging and rewarding.”
“Challenging and interesting.”
“Qualitative growth.”
“My employer allows freedom of expression.”
“We have a great atmosphere at work and everyone is happy here.”
“My supervisor and coworkers are wonderful.”
Reasons for Job Dissatisfaction
Why are you dissatisfied with your CURRENT job as a web developer? (Record in the box below) Q.
Base: Respondents who are somewhat or not at all satisfied with their current job (n=56)
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Lack of Growth & Advancement Dislike Benefits & Pay
“I would like the opportunity to develop different kinds of applications than
are currently required.”
“[Manager] does not invest in training.”
“Not as challenging as I would like.”
“Salary could be more.”
“The pay is OK.”
“Underpaid…no stock options.”
“No raises, no perks.”
Companies are Hiring
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (Select one for each statement) Q.
• Web developers agree that their occupation is in-demand (95%). • Almost all (90%) say there are many jobs available and over half
are contacted often by recruiters.
39%
62%
60%
18%
28%
35%
Head hunters often call me about potential jobs
There are many jobs available for web
developers
Web development is an in-demand job
Agree Strongly agree
95%
90%
57%
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Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
Middleware Specialists are Sought Out Frequently
Q.
Agree head hunters often contact
58% 55%
65% 66%
56%
A. Front-end B. Back-end C. Mobile/ Responsive
D. Middleware E. Full-Stack
ABE
D D D
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (Head hunters often call me about potential jobs)
• Web developers who specialize in Middleware are contacted (66%) the most by head hunters.
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Raises Are Likely
Do you expect to receive a raise over the next year? (Select one) Q.
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
82% 18%
Expect Do Not Expect
* Re-percentage to exclude Not sure/Don’t Know
• The majority of Web Developers (82%) expect to receive a significant raise over the next six months.
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Companies are Hiring
Is your company hiring web developers in any of the following areas? (Select all that apply) Q.
Base: Did not start their career in web development (n=170)
62%
38%
Hiring Not Hiring
! Front-End 33%
! Back-End 30%
! Full-Stack 23%
! Mobile/Responsive 18%
! Middleware 18%
Areas Hiring
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
* Re-percentaged to exclude Not sure/Don’t Know (21.5%)
• Approximately two-thirds of web developers say that their companies are hiring additional web developers.
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Company Size
Approximately what is the size of your company? (Select one) Q.
3% 4%
9% 7%
16% 13%
17%
31%
Less than 5 Employees
6-10 Employees
11-50 Employees
51- 100 Employees
101-500 Employees
501-1,000 Employees
1,001- 5,000 Employees
Over 5,000 Employees
Base: Work for an Employer (n=273)
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Income
Which category best describes your total pre-tax income in US dollars? Q.
11%
51%
30%
6% 2%
Under $50 K $50K to $99,999 $100K to $149,999 $150K to $199,999 $200K or more
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
81%
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Age
What is your age? (Select one) Q.
2%
26% 28%
25%
19%
18-22 23-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
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Employment Status
What best describes your current employment status? (Select one) Q.
87%
7% 3% 3%
Full-time for an Employer
Self-Employed Full-time
Part-time for an Employer
Self-Employed Part-Time
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
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Education Completed
What is the highest level of education you have completed? Q.
Base: All Qualified Respondents (N=303)
! Did not complete high school 0%
! High school graduate (or equivalent) > 1%
! Some college (1-4 years, no degree) 9%
! Associate’s degree (including occupational or academic) 3%
! Bachelor’s degree (BA, BS, AB, etc.) 56%
! Master’s degree (MA, MS, MENG, MSW, etc.) 27%
! Professional school degree (MD, DDC, JD, etc) 2%
! Doctorate degree (PhD, EdD, etc.) 3%
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