What kind of clients/employers are you people working for?
I am well paid by a great open-source friendly company. I feel
valued, and we look for clients that share that same respect. I'd
like to say that its been incredibly hard to find a great place to
work and great people to work with, but it hasn't. This is my first
job out of school, and though we've had some slow times, we've been
consistently hiring and growing.
I think a lot of the value you will get as a PHP programmer comes
from educating (or rejecting) clients/employers who don't understand
your value.
They'll pay their bottom-dollar for a low-quality solution and need
your expertise later on anyway. :)
-- John
On Jul 27, 2007, at 1:34 PM, Jason Jones wrote:
1) People are thinking that open source technology requires less
skill, and therefore is cheaper in salaries as well.
I would add to that, and maybe specify a bit, that everyone has a
nephew or
grandson or sister who is a "web wizard", and can "slap up a
website for
free" using PHP. I think the learning curve for PHP also adds to its
inferred lack of value. "People who know how to use PHP to build a
website"
come a dime a dozen, unfortunately. "Skilled web developers who
use PHP"
are a bit rarer. I've come to this realization due to my work
experience.
Suffice it to say that companies are willing to pay for skilled web
developers.
2) Some people still believe that we are in a post .net bubble, and
that Indian outsourcing is driving down wages. I still see that on
TV.
Seldom do I see coverage on a programmer shortage in the US.
Right now, seems that "we're hiring" is posted outside every business
doorway in Utah valley. The last place I worked started me above
60K / yr
and was willing to give me a 30% raise to keep me there, yet that
was still
lacking compared to other offers I was getting... So... a shortage
might
not be too far off base. (I might have misconstrued your point
entirely,
Cole, and if that's the case - I apologize.)
3) Let's face it, in general, Utah companies are cheap. That's right,
I said it! They want quality, but they don't want to pay for it.
Maybe it all depends on where you look, or something. I guess I'm
just
extraordinarily blessed and fortunate to have the employers I've
had. 4
jobs ago was paying me $30K/yr, and has only increased. All have
been in
Utah Valley. I'm not entirely sure why this has been the case, but
I'm sure
it's happened to more people than just me.
--Jason
_______________________________________________
UPHPU mailing list
[email protected]
http://uphpu.org/mailman/listinfo/uphpu
IRC: #uphpu on irc.freenode.net
_______________________________________________
UPHPU mailing list
[email protected]
http://uphpu.org/mailman/listinfo/uphpu
IRC: #uphpu on irc.freenode.net
