# I just want to work on the web! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 3, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-want-to-work-on-the-web/130683 "2002-10-03T15:03:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-want-to-work-on-the-web/130683/1 "2002-10-03T15:03:15Z")
With all the crazy stuff going on with the economy right now, I guess I should be happy to be gainfully employed. I work at a university in New Jersey as a Programmer Analyst, and I would be deservedly struck by lightning if I complained about my salary, which is pretty good for someone my age (27) with my experience and education (B.A. in a very non-technical field). But I want out. I want out _bad_. I’ve been working here just over a year and I’ve decided I’m just not happy. I’m not overly happy supporting end-users on an Oracle application, and I’m especially not happy living in this area of the country. It’s ugly, cold, and dirty here. I want to be someplace pretty, warm, and clean. So I’m building up my skills. With this job and my last one, I have some HTML experience. Whenever a webpage needed designing, I was the go-to guy. I took a bunch of classes, and I’m getting closer to a certificate from the Continuing Education division of Rutgers (my alma mater) in e-commerce. I have knowledge of, but no experience with, Perl and Java, and I actually have the Programmer certification in Java from Sun Microsystems. Bottom line: I want the web. I’d love to be a JSP developer or a servlet designer, or anything of that nature, and I’d be perfectly willing to work my way up to it. I also think I’d be spectacular at it. But my experience is soft. I’ve designed a webpage here and there, and I’ve written Perl and Java programs for my own personal use. But if you do a search on [Monster.com](http://Monster.com), you’ll find that all the interesting jobs require like five years of experience in extremely specialized technologies. So you can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job. It’s a cliche, but it’s true. If only the want ads read more like “Motivated, talented individual wanted for trainee web programmer position in tropical paradise” :). But alas, it’s up to me to hunt up the openings for the job I want. It’s such an intimidating process though. So, if you have any advice or want to commiserate, post here! I’d appreciate either! ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-want-to-work-on-the-web/130683/2 "2002-10-05T06:07:08Z")
You’re on the right track, but most of the companies that need to hire web developers need much database stuff. So pick up some SQL and ASP/PHP skills, and you’ll probably have much better luck. (Except it won’t really be “luck” but you know what I mean.) KKB - who only knows HTML and CSS and can’t find a web job to save his frickin’ life. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-want-to-work-on-the-web/130683/3 "2002-10-05T07:33:10Z")
I’ve got an M.A. in English Lit and a Web job, but my job involves minimal actual coding; that stuff is all done by our gurus. I organize the news on our site and stuff. It’s more of a journalism/layout thing than an actual programming thing. Oh yeah, and I work until 1:30 a.m. four or five nights a week (e.g., tonight). Yee-ha. And by the way, I have a suspicion we’re going to be hiring a part-time SQL-type person soon. We hired one a few weeks ago, and, while no one ever tells me anything at all (I’m usually alone in a room at a computer), a few small clues have made me suspect he’s not working out. So e-mail me if anyone wants info in case we’re looking (job is part-time, in Memphis). Again, it’s purely speculation on my part; no guarantees that we’re even going to be looking.