Keeping up with the 21st century
“I hear that industry is really hot right now,” is what people tell me when I tell them I’m a web developer. They say this like there is only one industry for web development; as though not every reputable business has a website that needs to be designed, created, and–most crucially, yet often skipped–maintained.
Many people and business people think that a website can just be created for marketing and customer service purposes. But what they don’t know is that if their website is not updated, it does not function. What they don’t know is that if you don’t hire people to keep the site running, the design fresh, the code up-to-date, and the servers happy, it can negatively affect their business.
For instance, a friend of mine is a teacher in the Bronx. She says that accessing the Department of Education’s website is a pain, because the most recent browser that they support is Internet Explorer 7. Internet Explorer is currently on version 11, and is soon going to disappear and be rebranded by Microsoft. And yet, the DoE won’t update their code to support more oft-used browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or even just the later (let alone latest) version of Internet Explorer.
Another problem is that, in certain industries, web and creative services aren’t that crucial. They are treated like things they only need every once in a while, and aren’t maintained or designated well at all. Outside the tech industry, usually among smaller companies, there tends to be very little know-how surrounding website operations. I feel that this particular problem exists fairly widely, and detrimentally so, in the Jewish community.
I saw a job listing for a position called a “Website Fellow” at a non-profit Jewish organization. They wanted one person to do front-end code, back-end code, database management, data analysis, content management, AND marketing and SEO analysis. Normally, at least a few different people do this job. But, considering I need experience and a job, I figured I’d click on the listing and apply, because at least if they want someone to do five people’s jobs, I could potentially finagle a nice salary out of it. But OHHHHH NO.
When I looked at the salary on this listing, it said $20,000-$25,000. As in, an intern’s measly salary. An hourly rate type of salary.
At most larger companies, there is a team each of front-end developers, back-end developers, database engineers, data scientists, editorial staff for content, and marketing staff. At smaller companies, there might be one or two people for each job. Each of these people is paid at least $70,000 (and usually a lot more), and senior staff in these areas usually make six figures because they are so necessary.
But, in the Jewish community, few know this. And those who do don’t want to bother trying to fix it, because they don’t want to deal with the headache and resistance to change when they can comfortably earn so much more money at an office that not only understands website upkeep, but also has a Google-like friendly work environment.
Furthermore, websites can do so much for a business or an organization that goes largely unnoticed. Online stores! Online donations! Online food ordering! Price quotes! Store hours and locations! Updates to the soup of the day on the menu so you don’t have a bunch of people calling just to ask that one question! The possibilities are endless!
The point of this post is not to criticize; it is to encourage, as much as humanly possible, discussion about a change in the way we look at websites. They are not just an expensive service; they are essential to the business process now. And if everyone made sure to have staff (or even just a temporary contract hire! or a devshop’s services!) to keep their websites up to date and running smoothly, everyone would benefit greatly.
germansingergirl
annaxmalina
romaincrisis
prguitarman
baratheonpilled
dailybridgerton
