In a time of economic crisis, web developers and freelancers everywhere have started chewing their fingernails. However, no matter how bad the economy worsens, there will always be work in certain booming fields of web development.
As the moderator of the Freelance Switch job board, there are certain types of jobs that are constantly in demand. Here are the 10 skills that are or will be in highest demand for developers. If you are proficient in these skills, you’ll be in a great position to find work and weather any economic downturn.
1. Framework knowledge
It seems that frameworks are one of the next big things. With the meteoric rise to fame of Rails, Django, and other MVC frameworks, developers have learned that they can build websites much faster with the help of these tools. Frameworks help you cut out much of the repetitive tasks that normal custom programming would require. Having knowledge of the top frameworks (Rails, Django, CakePHP, Symfony, and a few others), can give you a whole other dimension to your skill set.
2. Widget development
Widgets have changed how web development has been done in the past couple of years. With the advent of widgets, data has become more portable, interactive and most importantly, viral. It’s in almost every web startup’s business plan to include a widget or two at some point, mainly because it helps increase their audience and puts more eyeballs on their content.
Widget development requires knowing Javascript and/or flash, not to mention knowledge of the regular language that the parent site is built in.
3. Custom CMS themes
Designers and developers can always find work creating or customizing a CMS theme. As the popularity of CMS like WordPress and Drupal have risen over the past years, so has the demand for creating themes for the software.
Many people use CMS to power their personal or business websites, so this work is always going to be around. A decent website needs a unique and usable design that reflects well on the brand behind it.
4. CMS Customizations and plugin development
CMS are great because it gives site owners with little technical know-how the ability to change aspects of their site on the fly with the help of modules. While most CMS platforms have a long list of modules to offer, many businesses and personal sites need more, and custom modules or plugins are the perfect solution.
Developers can have thriving businesses in CMS development and customization alone. Here are a few (and by no means all) of the top CMS platforms that could use plugin development and other customizations:
5. PSD to XHTML services.
Another one of the more popular skills needed is converting Photoshop files (PSD) to XHTML files for template use. Because designers don’t always know how to convert Photoshop layouts into template files, a CSS and XHTML ninja can always find work. Because of the array of browsers now in common use and the niggling differences in how they render sites, you want to be a web developer who can build-out sites that display the same in any browser. This kind of design to code service is the most sought after of them all.
6. Javascript Plugin creation
Much like the rise of CMS and MVC frameworks, Javascript frameworks are just as popular. These Javascript frameworks are built with the ability to add custom functionality in the form of modules. If you’re a developer who knows how to build custom Javascript modules for frameworks like jQuery or Dojo, you’ll have plenty of work available. Here are some of the most popular Javascript frameworks you might need to get a handle on.
7. Facebook/MySpace applications
Facebook and MySpace have both opened up their platform to allow developers API access, and the demand for social network apps has been huge since then. A whole new industry for web development sprang up overnight, and hundreds of applications are now added on a daily basis. The social media application platform has been found to be very viral and potentially very lucrative.
Some of these applications are built to make money or drive brand awareness, but ultimately the applications can be very successful and viral if they’re done properly. A solid developer can make a decent living creating Facebook and MySpace applications.
Social networks like Facebook require that you learn their own language of syntax, like the FBML (Facebook Markup Language), so there is a small learning curve to this skill.
8. iPhone applications
Yet another platform-specific skill set, building iPhone applications can be very profitable, and much like the social media applications, a great skill for any developer to know. Making an iPhone app that is accepted into Apple’s platform has an excellent chance at making great money or receiving tons of downloads.
This is a great thing for web developers because companies are starting to see the value in developing iPhone and other mobile technologies, and consequently will be wanting more and more applications developed in the future.
9. Ecommerce integration
Business web sites are always going to need ecommerce integration. Essentially, if you can take a language or framework (PHP or Rails) and fuse it with a payment gateway (like Paypal or Authorize.net), you’ll do well for yourself. I’m predicting that we’re going to see more paid services than free, ad-supported services being developed in the near future, as less money is being doled out to startups.
As the economy turns sour and the ad industry starts to get a little tighter, websites that use a subscription-based revenue model will start to become more common. Having the knowledge to piece together integration with online banking services like Paypal and Google Checkout will be great skills to have.
10. Flash and Actionscript Knowledge
Flash animation can do a lot for a website. Flash can be used to create videos, interesting navigation, fun animated sequences, widgets, and many other useful things on the Internet. The flash technology can add a very professional dimension to any website, and large websites and corporations always pay to have their sites look professional, and often commission Flash animated interfaces to showcase their products. With search engines working on ways to have Flash communicated better with them, this is a skill that’s sure to boom as the search technology advances.
Conclusions
Learning frameworks is one of the best way to increase your skill set and potential work as a freelancer. Whether it’s a Javascript framework, CMS, or MVC framework, taking the time to learn a new skill can be a huge advantage to finding work. Also, website owners pay big bucks for development that allows them to make money, because they see it not as a regrettable expense, but as an investment in future profit. Services like ecommerce integration, creating iPhone apps and flash knowledge will also be much-needed skills, and people will always pay for those skills.
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Glen Stansberry is a web developer and blogger who’s struggled more times than he’d wish to admit with CSS. You can read more tips on web development at his blog Web Jackalope.
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I am finding that, more and more, clients are searching for a developer that understands and can work with SEO and internet marketing concepts. In this day and age, raw developers, however cool to us geeky types, are fairly common and fairly cheap, especially with the rise of overseas markets. However, one thing that, seemingly, can’t be outsources is the marketing aspects of software development and so I am tending to find myself, more and more, delving into the social side of software development.
And it only makes sense. I, as I am sure many of you do, feel comfortable that I could develop anything placed before me, given adequate time and resources. But the success of web development, as is true with any development, is dependent on the success of the marketing behind it.
hah if just knowing the existence of the technique was all…
Amazing article!
I vote #1 to be the most real actually. Long road languages like PHP and .NET are losing space for Rails and Python, because developing for web with their according web framework forces a perfect MVC design.
Zend Framework is here trying to solve this on PHP side, but Rails and Django still easier to work with.
About #8, I think soon that will be changed to “iPhone and Android applications”.
It’s good to know Drupal Development is third place.. But is widget development really second?
yeah, i agree with shaun
Great article!
So where can I learn about widget development?
I still find it amazing that so many people will knock asp.net without ever have trying it. I have been developing web apps for over 10 years and have found that asp.net is an excellent framework. Granted older versions had some issues but just take a look at linq (.net 3.5) and tell me that it’s not an excellent way to build large scale applications in a fraction of the time compared to others.
Also on the topic of page size, again please try building an app in the more recent version of .net before you go saying it’s rubbish. Developed in the correct manner a .net application will be standards compliant and light.
It’s always nice to hear that there is always work out there, especially in those times…
thx for the great post, i put a link to it on my blog
Great post!! i agree with most of your post, but for flash, i really don recommend to use it, flash is good but it will also become time consuming for those who have low bandwidth speed
Great post. As a web design firm, I look for many of these qualities to compliment my Photoshop layouts and ideas. Also, as someone who hires this type of work, it is so important to showcase your work well. I’m sure I’ve overlooked many highly-qualified programmers because they just emailed me a long list of links or just a long paragraph listing all of their qualifications. Presentation of your skills is still so important!
I agree this post.
At least 5/10 pickuped skills, allways useing in my pages.
CakePHP is good Freamework!!
Very well overview!!!
Well done
A great article, but it may not possible to be expert in all these 10 skills. I think even 1 cms, 1 framework and basic knowledge of design are enough to become a good developer.
Ya this list is ok..but I wonder where “desktop apps” (such as Adobe Air) are sitting in this list?
You could probably join a whole bunch of these together – Flash, JS etc.
This post rocks… nice post buddy… love it…
Possible a dumb question.
Has NETTUTS done a tutorial series for Javascript and PHP, for dummies?
I’m completely clueless about Javascript. I know what it looks like but the lightbulb doesn’t turn on for me.
Good article i think a framework is almost essential for a large website as it allows more than one person to easily work on it.
Wow, incredibly helpful and insightful article. As a WordPress guy who knows a thing or two about design, it’s good news. For those interested in freelance opportunities in these fields, can I offer related developer trends from a site I’m working with? oDesk.com/trends
Some of these skills make sense, but some just sound trendy. In particular Facebook/iPhone apps.
It’s easy to figure out what’s in demand. Just think of the most difficult, undesirable jobs you can imagine and – PRESTO! You’ve go yourself a winning list.
UML diagramming should be added as that skill set is necessary for most programming languages.
7 out of 10 ain’t bad eh? i think you should scrap facebook/myspace apps and replace it with knowledge of how to mashup services…
Our web design studio has most of this list covered. I would say this list will stay the same for at least another month.
I’m a web developer who started when the e-commerce craze came about in the 90′s; coding in classic ASP with both JScript and VBScript as the scripting language. In creating e-commerce websites for major corporations, I had to know ASP, JavaScript, HTML, XML, SQL, Access, and poses backend, middleware, and frontend architecture knowledge.
All this before OO design and Java (EJB) really started getting popular.
Guess what? I still use the above techologies to this day. I work full-time for the government and also have a side business that constantly demands these “old school” technologies. Why? Because when it comes to e-commerce, for me, these techologies are stable and, believe it or not, very scalable. The way I see it, the technology is only as scalable as the developer is and I have always strived to code that way.
Of course, now I also know and integrate DHTML, XHTML, CSS, Photoshop, Flash, Fireworks, and widgets (never really got into .NET though).
I don’t think ASP is better or worse than PHP, or .NET, or any other language. It’s what works best for you and the niche you make in this coding world and I’ll bet in 10 years from now, I’ll still be doing the basics.
Very interesting! Why Frameworks first tho?
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I really appreciate this post. As a graphic designer, I am finding that more and more clients are asking for designers who can not only design but have a solid understanding of web development. Although they are two different disciplines, it is grow or die in this economy. There are so many paths I could take now to start learning those skills, but I was not sure where to start. Now I know. Your article showcased the 10 most sought after skills. I’m going to start with #3. Custom CMS Themes. Thanks!
I’d also like to mention Typo3 templates. Typo3 is a CMS that’s gaining popularity in the US. Woo!
hi my friends i m a new person of this blog so plz help me out for the next new creation ok thanz all body
hey buddy watch it my new website ,this is my assignment so what do u think about of that
Ha. Thanks. I needed a laugh. Let’s see…
Framework knowledge: doesn’t matter to the customer. They want a website, they don’t care how it’s done.
Widget development: for the five people who use widgets?
Custom CMS themes: designer’s pool, not developer’s. Get your titles straight.
CMS customizations: not a problem if you don’t use a CMS, is it?
PSD-to-XHTML: yeah right. You like tables? You like sloppy code? Code you didn’t even write? Customize it. I dare you. Then come to me when you’ve beaten your head into a bloody pulp on the wall. I know good code.
JS plugin creation: jQuery?
Facebook/MySpace: Ha. Waste of time.
eCommerce integration: again, only an issue *when there’s something to integrate.*
Flash: wow. One out of ten. Impressive.
For those who don’t like lists and prefer my reasoning (which might be two of you): I am a developer. I’m well versed in HTML, JS, jQuery, and the .Net technologies needed to power my sites. I don’t use any of the aforementioned tricks, because frankly, your CMS has 5,000 features, 20 of which my customer is ever going to use. The administration system that I just custom-built for him from the ground up? 100% proper code (from a PSD), very streamlined, very fast, and has exactly the 20 features he needs. I showed it to a friend and his first question was, “Why’d you bother with the loading indicator?” That’s how fast it is.
tl;dr: You can have your frameworks and everything else that’s ruining the development market. I’m a purist coder. I use the basic forms of the technologies to accomplish everything I need, and if I can’t do it with jQuery, HTML and .Net, then I don’t need to do it. Needless to say, I haven’t hit that wall yet.
Do you realise jQuery and .NET are both frameworks.
Yes, i am agree with you.
In this recession time everybody work hard.
Great article.
Web development IS a professionalism.
You should check many consideration before choosing your provider…
These seem to be mainly Web 2.0/startup/small operations skills. (no offense intended to people who work in these areas, as a lot of money has been made) But if you really want to be a sought after developer, look at ASP.NET/Java/C#. C# in particular is incredibly sought after right now. Think about it, a language that is both usable in web development and windows development.
I’m a professional developer so obviously I’m going to recommend the technologies I use.. but I can also see how the technology can scale and can be usable in multiple situations, which development managers love because he can go to management with a money saving idea which actually is a good development practice!
To all the nay-sayers saying this is just US or freelance-centric. I’m working in Spain and the skills that show up on the job board most are: frameworks(especially Zend), Jquery, cms customization, custom cms, flash/as, ecommerce, and of course php and java. So this article is fairly spot on except iphone isn’t as common here so it would be better to think in terms of general mobile applications. Other stuff such as fb apps certainly doesn’t hurt, many companies embrace different ways of promotion. PSD to xhtml is fine but it doesn’t pay very well.
Well im hiring web developers at the moment and although skills are great, you need someone with a good personality too! I dont wanna spend all day working with someone if they are a douche bag.
This is so true, these jobs are in high demand and not many people can do many of them very well. I found a site that teaches people to code and gives them a server to develop on.
http://www.aplacetocode.com
It was a really helpful learn at your own pace sorta thing.
yes sir, you are right
i am agree with you. thank you
This tutorial is very helpful.
really good to know all from this list
Great article, interesting to know which areas should be brushed up on.
Even though this article is over a year old now, i can still see a high demand for most of these. Still…..it would be interesting to know exactly which ones are still worth learning i.e flash/Actionscript???
Also i would certainly put codeigniter to the list now…!
agreed. thanks.
Great info for up and comers looking for direction.
There are many of these points that I’m not doing now simply because I can’t force myself to learn this stuff and if I do, I’m only learning bits and pieces. It’s very tough to find the time to do all that and get work done!
Great article though!