Web Development Blog

Findings from the Survey for people who make websites, 2008 are now available on A List Apart website.

All the findings are very informative and helpful; but the ones that interest me most are:

• Job titles where percentages increase with age, until age 65: Accessibility Expert and Information Architect.
• While women comprise 16.2% of the total sample, they make up a significantly less percentages of: Developers (6.8%)
• Of the entire sample, 9.1% make more than $100,000. A significantly greater percentage of Creative Directors, Information Architects, Interface Designers, Marketers, Usability Experts, and Web Directors make more than $100,000.
• Accessibility Experts, Educators, Information Architects, Project Managers, Usability Experts, Web Directors, and Writer/Editors reported holding a master’s degree more often than the sample as a whole.
• In general, men appear to make more than women. The weighted averages are: males: $52,451, females: $49,708.
• As last year, the pattern is that earnings increase with the size of the company. On the basis of the weighted average, self-employed respondents make less than respondents in any size organization.
• Men and women report comparable percentages for working full-time, but more men work fifty or more hours per week (20.2% to 13.7% for women).
• Educators, Designers, and Web Producers make up the highest percentage of bloggers.
• Self-study (read websites and books, trial and error) is how most people stay current (70% or better of the respondents).
• As last year, there are significant skill gaps in both leading edge skills (accessibility testing and information architecture) as well as traditional skills (writing and project management).
• There are more freelancers aged 18 and under, and age 45-64. They have a lower percentage of respondents 19-29.
• Approximately 60% of career freelancers contract independently with their own clients, and approximately 20% contract independently mostly for one client.
• Two thirds (66.2%) of career freelancers charge less than $75 per hour for their services, and 84.7% charge less than $100.
• Over 90% of career freelancers get business through word of mouth. No other business development practice (web site, networking, etc.) produces work for more than half the respondents.

Source: Survey for people who make websites, 2008

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