A huge number of software developers and engineers work in a freelance capacity. Some contract their services to a single company, while others perform a variety of jobs for many clients. Whatever pathway they choose, though, their finances depend on having the tech skills that employers need.
With that in mind, massive freelancing platform Upwork recently broke down the most in-demand tech skills among freelancers. The COVID-19 pandemic has made freelancers with these skills particularly valuable, the company insists: “Many organizations are navigating new business demands and, as a result, they are experiencing difficulty finding and retaining talent with the technical skills required to keep up with the pace of digital transformation.”
Upwork also cites a survey that found that 51 percent of hiring managers “plan to engage independent web, mobile, and software developers this year and nearly half (49 percent) cite needing access to skills and expertise as their reason why.”
As you can see from Upwork’s list, some enormously popular languages and disciplines top the list of most in-demand skills among freelancers:
What jumps out at us here? It should come as no surprise that the most in-demand programming languages among freelancers are also the most popular programming languages in postings for full-time positions. We recently turned to Burning Glass, which collects and analyzes millions of job postings from across the country, for a breakdown of the latter; as you can see, JavaScript is also prominently featured, along with languages that form the backbone of website and software development (including Python and Java):
What’s clear from Upwork’s list is that employers hunger for technologists who are capable of building and maintaining websites—tasks that require extensive knowledge of CSS, HTML, JavaScript, WordPress, and more. That especially makes sense for smaller companies that might not have the resources to hire a web developer, but nonetheless need to keep their web properties in good working order.
Earlier this year, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, many businesses also rushed to update their websites with additional e-commerce options, especially brick-and-mortar stores that had to temporarily shut down. With resources and personnel thinly stretched (and figuring out how to work from home), many businesses turned to freelancing technologists for this vital task.
As we move forward, it seems unlikely that the need for technologists who specialize in web technologies will abate. Indeed, Burning Glass predicts that the need for web developers will grow by 14.9 percent over the next decade. The median web developer salary is $80,978, although six-figure salaries are obtainable with the right mix of experience and skills. If you’re heading into an interview for a full-stack web developer position, keep in mind that many questions will focus on your previous work and projects, so make sure you’re able to discuss in detail everything you’ve done before.
