What’s a web developer salary in Sydney? Is the effort needed and time invested in learning the skills worth it? If you are just hearing about the possibility of getting a job as a web developer, you must have been living under a rock for the past couple of decades. The web developers of today are the people who built the internet as we know it; the ones who continue to develop it and open new doors and opportunities for entrepreneurs to conduct their business online.
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Sales online are on an ever-increasing trend, and with the world’s less technologically advanced countries picking up the pace and joining the worldwide web marketplace, we can expect a yet another vast boom ahead.
Moreover, the primary resource that will be driving your business towards taking advantage of that growth will be a good web developer who can create an engaging, functional and attractive website for your brand or business. So, if you are looking for a job that’s going to provide you with a steady stream of opportunities for growth, becoming a web developer is a perfect route to take.
Competency Tiers Impact Earnings
It’s no wonder that more senior, more experienced website developers will earn more than the newcomers. It’s the same in almost any other job – those with more experience and with more skills developed over time can rightfully ask for more money. So, we are going to look at the general types of web developers out there and how they fit on the earnings ladder. Keep in mind, however, that there’s no official guide for categorising web developers. It’s all about the skills you master and the kinds of services you are willing to offer to either clients or employers. Here are the three main types of web developers, based on experience and employment options:
- Entry-level web developer
- Senior-level web developer
- Freelance web developer
As far as money goes for each of these categories, the numbers can range considerably, even when looking on a local level like in Sydney. So, for the entry-level web developer, it can range anywhere between $50,000 to $75,000 a year.
This kind of web developer has just started out and is more geared towards building experience while earning a decent living. During this time, you should focus on developing more skills and competencies to increase odds of promotion.
Senior-level Web Developer
The senior-level web developer salary in Sydney moves towards the other side of the spectrum, earning you upwards $100,000 a year. Again, these figures are just national and local averages combined, as different employers will have different requirements and subsequently, different pay based on required competencies. Senior developers, however, are the ones who have a well-established foothold in the industry, a diversified and all-encompassing portfolio and years of experience in different companies.
Freelance Web Developer
Lastly, we have freelance web developers. This is where things get up close and personal because it will be up to you to determine how much you are willing to work, what kind of money you will be asking for and what kind of projects you will be compelled to work on. Consequently, the numbers for this category are all over the place – there are some who earn up to $150,000 a year and plenty others who earn less than $50,000. It is all about what you know how to do, how well you do it and your client base, along with dedicated time and effort to not only growing your freelance business and standing but your skill base as well.
The Actual Work and Specializations
A web developer, simply put, is the person who builds part of a website, or the entire thing from scratch. They can employ tools like WordPress, or they can write the code from scratch. Some focus on developing applications for the web, like specific features you would find on popular websites. Others focus on the more creative part and create great user interfaces to attract attention and retain clients. A select few do it all. Of course, all of these things will impact the numbers of a web developer salary in Sydney. Here are the main tiers of web developer job types, depending on the skillset you possess:
- Front-end web developer
- Back-end web developer
- Full stack web developer
The front-end web developer is the person who’s usually hired to deal with the stuff someone sees when he or she accesses a website: the interface, the look and feel and navigation tools. Skills needed are creativity, design aptitude and basic to medium coding knowledge.
This tier of web developers usually earns around $75,000 in Sydney but can range depending on seniority. The back-end web developer is focused on the coding side of things, the complex programming that’s behind the pretty little buttons and effects used by the front-end developer to make the website look great.
Subsequently, they need more in-depth skills, the job is more focused on standardised skills like coding, and there’s less room for creativity. However, the average salary in Sydney for a back-end web developer is around $90,000.
Last, we have the best of all worlds, the full stack developer. These people can and will do it all – everything from coding to design and functionality and apps. They employ a bunch of skills and knowledge but also need to stay on top of their game and keep up with innovation in the technologies they are using to get the job done. A full stack web developer salary in Sydney can range between $100,000 and $120,000 a year, depending again on seniority.
Web developers have an amazingly important job to do. It is their competencies and skills that can help launch businesses and open them up to worldwide markets. Now you have the numbers to help you figure out which kind you want to become or want to hire for your own business.
WordPress Developer Salary in Australia
Did you know that according to W3Techs who specialize in World Wide Web Technology Surveys, WordPress powers 39.7% of all websites? That’s a lot of websites, and so it may come as no surprise that there is a huge demand for WordPress Developers in Australia. This also means that any aspiring WordPress Developers in Australia can also demand a decent salary.
According to Indeed Australia, the average salary for a WordPress developer is $5,547 per month in Australia. With the right skills and knowledge becoming a WordPress Developer could be a very attractive career path. So, what exactly is a WordPress Developer, and how do you become one?
A WordPress Developer is just as it sounds, a type of web developer who works with WordPress to design and create web applications. They work on integrations and plugin development for use on WordPress powered websites as well as WordPress theme development. They are responsible for designing both the front end and back end of WordPress sites as well as creating designs for the websites. Then once everything is set up, their job is not done as they have the responsibility of implementing, updating, and improving features of the website depending on the business needs. Basically, a WordPress Developer is someone who is an integral part of a business as they help to not only build and create a website that meets the exact needs and goals of a business, but they continue to maintain and develop the website as the business develops.
When there’s not a big project to work on or new pages to add and update, you will typically find a WordPress Developer updating a website, monitoring its performance, or solving problems related to WordPress.
As technology develops and the demand for websites and their functionality continues to increase, the number of web development jobs is expected to grow and if you are a full-time WordPress developer then you can command a good salary compared to those of web developers. As salaries vary widely between companies and locations, it is difficult to know the exact salary that you can earn as a WordPress Developer in Australia and this also depends on your experience, and as with anything, the more experience you have, the higher the salary you can expect to earn. As a WordPress Developer in Australia, it might be that you can earn a higher salary if you decide not to work as an employee for a company but rather as a freelancer instead.
If this sounds like something that you could do, then make sure that you get the right experience. While working on WordPress doesn’t require you to code or even know how to code as a developer, you must know the basics of HTML, CSS, Javascript, and PHP is essential for troubleshooting, debugging, and extending the functionality of the platform.
Once you know the basics of coding, start educating yourself on all things WordPress specific and learn what makes it so unique. Take courses, read books and practice, practice, practice. Once you know what you’re doing, then you can build a portfolio to show what you can do and start getting paid.