Posted by lawrence k on 05/21/06 00:11

TristaSD wrote:
> How proficient does one have to be with php+MySQL to actually get a php
> development job? Are we talking total and complete mastery of
> everything php has to offer, or merely an ability to whip up a
> satisfactory web-application? Is there strictly php-related jobs out
> there?

If you're just getting into and you want to start making reasonable
money sometime soon, I'd suggest that you first try to pick up the
basics, and then become a specialist in some open-source framework or
CMS. If you have a reputation for being able to write 3rd party
extensions to WordPress or MoveableType, then you should be able to
make $30 to $40 an hour. Then contatct every web design firm in town
and let them know that the next time they need custom work done on
whatever framework or CMS is your specialty, they should contact you.

A few years ago, the local schools were building a portal for teachers
using PHP-Nuke. Nowadays, I've seen several recent educational efforts
that are building sites using WordPress as the base. I suspect being
known as a WordPress expert will be a way to get steady employment for
at least the next 2 or 3 or 4 years.

Of course, it is important to pick a framework or CMS that is winning.
By that I mean, gaining market share. WordPress is certainly gaining
market share, though if you are just starting to learn scripting
languages, you might want to think about learning Ruby instead. There
is an amazing amount of hype around Ruby on Rails right now, and hype
can turn into jobs. If I was just learning scripting languages now for
the first time, I'm not sure that I'd focus on PHP.

Also, suprisingly, Javascript has become more important ever since it
got christened "AJAX". A friend of mine was recently mentioning his
skills to the head a of web design firm and the owner of the firm
seemed bored to hear that my friend had built a PHP cms, but the owner
perked up when my friend said he was now doing a lot of work with AJAX.
That is new. Saying "I'm good with Javascript" used to cause web design
people to yawn.

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