'Net Features : programming

Shortage of .Net Programmers

Pete Prestipino — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 21:45:00 GMT

Technology job board Dice.com released an October report indicating a rather severe shortage of .Net developers.

Postings for .Net development work are up more than 25 percent year-over-year at Dice and there are currently well over 10,000 jobs requesting .NET development at the popular job board. Experience is certainly a qualifying factor; consider the following information from Dice:

- 27 percent of the searches at Dice involve those looking for .NET skills and an experience level of zero to three years.
- 46 percent of those searches were for those with 4-7 years experience in .NET, and
- 21 percent were looking for developers skilled in .NET with 8 to ten years of experience.

Perhaps most surprising was that Dice believes that developers are not concentrating on .NET because they will not be able to branch out to other platforms. .NET developers earn $83,000 US on average comapred to Java developers who make approximately $91,000 US.

Computer Programmer? You're Hired

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 25 May 2011 00:30:00 GMT

Computer programmers remain in high demand, according to WANTED Analytics, a business intelligence solution for the talent industry. More than 220,000 job ads for programmers have been placed online over the past 30 days.

The company reported that within “Computer Programming” as a category, Computer Systems Analysts lead the hiring demand with 40,000 new job ads placed online over the past thirty days, a year-over-year increase of 24%. Other high-demand positions were Web Developers, with 32,000 new jobs posted in the past 30 days (a 21% increase from 2010) and Computer Software Engineers, with just over 28,000 new job ads placed (a 29% increase versus prior year).

WANTED Technologies measures conditions in local job markets by comparing hiring demand and labor supply. Its Hiring Scale offering, part of the company’s analytics platform, indicated that New York City, Atlanta and Chicago are the top metro areas that have been recruiting programmers over the past 30 days.

Facebook's Hacker Cup

Design & Development Digest : feature — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:55:00 GMT

Do you have what it takes to win Facebook's Hacker Cup ? In light of all the negative attention surrounding hackers the past week (with all the Wikileaks chatter), it will be refreshing to see skilled developers solving problems instead of causing...(read more)

HTML5 Skill Test for Developers

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:30:00 GMT

Freelance online marketplace Elance added an HTML5 Developer Skill Test to its existing suite of professional tests today. HTML5 is an important open Web standard for designers to master now but in short order will be even more so as demand grows.

Elance has seen demand for HTML5 skills skyrocket of late. Job posts seeking HTML5 developers have doubled month-over-month while HTML is consistently one of the most sought after IT skills by businesses today.

“Businesses are eager to tap into HTML5 technologies to incorporate video and audio directly into their web sites. With HTML5, you're able to do most anything that Flash or Java could do, without the need to ask your end-user to install and maintain extra software. This allows companies to focus on their content and new ideas -- not the technology behind them. I’m thrilled to have found a network like Elance where companies are seeking out these skills,” said Chris Gladd, an HTML5 expert on Elance.

“The HTML5 skill test boosts my credibility on Elance and lets potential clients know I have the talent to create a great product that will be future-proof for years to come.”

Caspio Web Calendars - No Programming Required

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:12:00 GMT

Online database platform Caspio made available its Calendar DataPages product which enables the publishing of data in, you guessed it, calendar displays.

Calendar interfaces provide a user-friendly and efficient way to manage data such as events, schedules, and tasks. Caspio has a long list of data visualization tools that allow users to publish spreadsheet and database information on their websites for interactive use (without coding).

"We have utilized Caspio in a number of applications, including database publishing, nomination and resource submission forms, and detailed events calendars," said Mason Walker, Associate Editor of Sustainable Business Oregon, an online news publication covering issues of interest for Oregon’s growing number of individuals incorporating sustainability in their businesses. "The calendar function has allowed us to display a range of customized event listings with minimal upkeep. Users submit events through an online form; all we have to do is approve them, and they’re listed on a clean, attractive calendar."

Homeshoring Web Development in a Recession

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:07:00 GMT

Perhaps business isn't really that bad after all. U.S. buyers are increasingly homeshoring their software and Web development work, according to oDesk. Work done in the U.S. has grown at a rate of 367% from 2007 to 2008, according to the popular freelance marketplace for online workteams.

"When people in the U.S. think of outsourcing, they typically think of lower-cost countries," said oDesk CEO Gary Swart. "But, we're seeing an interesting trend of U.S. companies increasingly turning to U.S.-based talent for their contracting needs."

Unfortunately, that may be thanks to the rise in layoffs. There is clearly an increase in the number of highly qualified developers available for projects (as seen below) which takes away from growth in other countries such as India and Russia. The influx of skilled developers also drives hourly rates higher.