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posted August 27, 1996
I've been working as a summer intern doing Web site design for a start-up telecommunications company that is becoming big fast. Currently there are about 200 employees; other people contribute content, but I am the main Web person.I am in charge of maintaining three sites, one of which gets many thousands of hits a day. I do HTML, graphics, and a certain amount of editing. I use various kinds of Web-related software. I use basic UNIX skills. I don't do any CGI programming yet, but I may in the future. I will also be doing some database/intranet work.
This field is so new that I can't seem to find information on "average" or "typical" levels of pay. Do you know what a fair or good salary is for a Web site designer? Where can I get information on the going rates for cyberspace salaries?
DotT: For the HTML and graphics that you do, I've seen pay rates range from $10 to $40 an hour, depending on expertise. If you know how to do CGI scripts and database gateways then I've seen rates from $40 to $60 an hour.
I currently do Web page production and graphics for a few local and national businesses. I charge $15 to $20 an hour depending on the work since I don't do custom CGI scripts. I'm currently learning Perl and mSQL and once I'm proficient then I'll charge more for those services.
xiola: Your job is extremely basic. Your salary would depend on where you're working. If you're in a competitive place like New York you can still find the $20 an hour jobs if you're lucky. but it's more likely to be $7 or $8. There's a lot of competition from people's teen nephews and nieces. Smaller places that are out of the way have less people so you can haggle for a better salary. I'd suggest learning that Java and Perl if you want to keep yourself marketable.
Paboola: I'm afraid that I have to agree with xiola. Let's face it -- companies are tight-fisted these days, and despite the hard work that may go into tweaking HTML documents and getting a site "just right," there is not much to HTML itself. In fact, it's pretty easy. And now there are a plethora of drag and drop HTML editors on the market that may make it possible for even the most out-of-touch, chair-warming executive to make his own page. If you are indeed making your own original graphics, you should be entitled to more pay. If, however, you're just adapting existing artwork for use in a Web page, those are pretty common skills these days.
I work for a magazine publisher that creates articles which are often recycled as Web content. We don't make huge bucks or anything, and we are just expected to know HTML as a matter of course. It doesn't improve our pay level one bit. As the novelty continues to wear off of HTML markup (not programming) language and Web pages, I strongly suggest that you engage in a little "lifelong learning" and teach yourself CGI scripts, Javascript, Perl, etc. Stay sharp and ahead of the competition if you want to earn a living wage. Market thyself shrewdly -- that's the way the 90s work.
xprof: I believe typesetting fees are about $20.00 per 8.5-inch page throughout the country. Add a premium for graphics, programming, promotion, and any other extras just as you would elsewhere in the publishing media. Price your consultation time accordingly: if you are in the PR/ADV field, and you charge $180.00/hr, that shouldn't change.
OldManCoyote: The HTML and even the simpler JavaScript/CGI programming tasks aren't what makes a Webmaster worth her salt; a strong knowledge of the Web itself, the different types of browsers and how they deal with layouts, and a sense of what Virtual Marketing means can make "Webmaster" a strong position in a corporation. It's the perfect position for a modern jack-of-all-trades, and the extent of skills you need to cover can add up to healthy compensation.
It will continue to be a viable career, although it will be forced through extensive evolution and changes. If you're on top of your game, you can charge well into the $70 - $100 range for intensive Web work; incorporating yourself into an up and coming company that depends heavily on Web exposure can secure a good future for a Webmaster at wages of $30,000 to $50,000 a year.
As Paboola said: Market Thyself Shrewdly.
srosen: To increase your marketability, work at expanding you skills. Try and learn related skills that are also highly in demand. This can include Perl and CGI programming, relational databases, Unix system administration, Windows NT, GUI development tools etc. The more robust your skill set, even if your overall experience is very limited, the more value you will have for a potential employer.
GrandAdmiralPetry: In that you're an intern, I suppose you're in high school or college. Expect McDonald's wages (about minimum-plus-$2/hr) if in high school: be grateful for the experience working within an organization. About the same if in college, but consider greatly advancing your studies (if that takes you elsewhere, they'll understand) or forwarding your technological interests (if that takes you to self-employment, or job-shopper-ing, go for it: they'll understand). Consider that continuing with them will mean easily $1/hr/year increase.
Nicole_S: I dont know what country you are in, but in Australia Web maintenance work pays about $75,000 to $85,000 per year. Some places pay higher, but that seems to be the basic salary.
ecantu: OldManCoyote hit it right on the head. A "webmaster" is someone fluent in *all* aspects of web technology (not necessarily "master" of them, but at least a select few specialties are required). To succeed you must do something beyond HotDog's (or whatever "automatic" program-du-jour" is out there) output and graphics gleaned from free-art sites. Learn about the protocols, what CGI *IS* before you start learning Perl, authentication, encryption, UNIX, etc. This knowledge may not pay off for designing so-and-so's pages, but for the full-time jobs -- if this is really what you want to do, it makes all the difference in the world. Right now there are too many web-weenies in charge of web sites only because it's new and companies don't know better sometimes -- this is changing as I type.
Good luck! :)
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