"If I were to start over again, I'd be a . . ."

A look at various job boards and company web sites you can quickly see where the needs are. Are you prepared? Here's just one example of a title with a future: Web Developer.

.com is here. There's no revelation there, of course, however many IT professionals are looking outside their scope of knowledge and preparing themselves for the growi ng needs and in-demand wages earned in the world of web.

    "That whole area is booming," said Gary Wilberg, Manager of Consultis in the San Francisco Bay area. "We're helping some consultants ramp up their skills through our training courseware, and if they are good-to-go today, and just looking for a new challenge, we've got positions waiting for them."

    What are companies looking for? Key words are "proven track record," "team leadership ability" and "determination to deliver projects on time." Additionally Wilberg offered, "This is an area where 'tech meets teach'. What I mean is (and this is something I stress in all of our personal interviews), developers need to be able to walk management through the process in layman's terms. Communication skills are a must."

    Companies are focusing in on key competencies developing front-end, middle tier and back-ends of their site(s). Plus the obvious: HTML, VB, ASP, Java Script and SQL database experience (or parallel experience) is a must.

    The e-based or web-centric job opportunities are being accessed by a variety of consultants, too. Jennifer Hyde, Technical Recruiter for Consultis of Boca Raton, has one good example of a consultant who is on the road to getting ramped up for Web positions: "We have a great AS/400 RPG programmer. He hasn't been able to find a position. He has 20 years of experience and came to us for counselling. He thought about getting his MCSE because of all he hears "on the street" about the opportunities there."

    Hyde suggested he stay focused on programming. "Over the years he's developed an experience base that should naturally make it easier to grasp web relative programming challenges."

    Another is a images-oriented consultant who recognizes the advanced skills he'll need. With the free training Consultis offers, Hyde helped him, as well: "He's on the 'Web Application Developer' track now. He completed 'Designing Interactive Web Applications' and 'Advanced Web Authoring: SSI'. He'll be in demand with that kind of knowledge and experience."

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