Web Biz

A List Apart has released the raw data and finding from a recent survey on web design and developers that tells an interesting story about who we are and the field we work in.  According to the staff of A List Apart:

In April 2007, A List Apart and An Event Apart conducted a survey of people who make websites. Close to 33,000 web professionals answered the survey’s 37 questions, providing the first data ever collected on the business of web design and development as practiced in the U.S. and worldwide.

 

There were a couple of interesting things that I noticed:

• Only a little over half (53.4%) of respondents have a degree related to their field;
• Almost 20% of respondents found no to very little excitement in their job;
• Just under a quarter of respondents are self-employed or freelance;
• Only 35.6% of respondents are primarily web designers/developers;
• Almost 20% said they are going to start their own business as their next move;
• A lucky 1.3% make 150K+ (are they really just web designers? And where do they work??);
• Geographic location and age are perceived to hold us back the most;
• Over 70% of respondents said they have a personal site or blog;
• The younger workers tend to feel short changed in terms of salary and career advancement;
• An overwhelming majority (95.1%) say they read blogs and relevant web sites to stay current in their field; and
• Astonishingly, Usability and accessibility experts along with designers have large perceived gaps in front-end skills.

Overall, a great insight into our industry that provides some benchmarking for our own statuses, skills, and state of employment.  I would recommend you check this survey out, as well as a slightly older survey by sitepoint.