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WordPress

Micah Doulos
Micah Doulos
17,663 Points

Why is the Wordpress track listed as less $ than front-end basics?

On the track page, I see that the starting salary for web design (Web Design track) is $42,000 a year. That is basic Html, Css/Sass, Design theory, and no Javascript.

But then on the track page, the Wordpress Development track, which is advanced Html, Css, Javascript, Php, and a ton of new tech and file/folder organization, is listed at $36,000.

I'm seeing the Web Design track ($42,000) as being a stepping stone upon which to aspire to the more technically difficult Wordpress Development track ($36,000). So why does the industry entry-level salary go down $6,000 instead of up, thus reflecting the increase in technical ability?

In order to even take the $36k track, you must have passed, and hopefully mastered the $42k track.

1 Answer

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,149 Points

I don't know where the numbers come from, but it's not really an apples to apples comparison between the two. Wordpress dev, is as you know, a development track, where web design is not. If these numbers are somewhat accurate, my best guess is that there are so many wordpress devs out there, and so many free and premium themes, that to businesses and people that would pay for a wordpress dev, the market is so saturated that it requires less money to pay someone than a web designer, which would need a more customized and one-on-one approach to each site to dial in that site's specific goals and conversions.

Micah Doulos
Micah Doulos
17,663 Points

I'm positioning myself as a web designer and developer. I think I have the aptitude to do both. I started as a graphic designer. It would be nice to see a track tailored to that path. I do wonder where the numbers have come from. It seems to me that if a smart web designer can secure $42k, a smart wordpress dev (with knowledge of design, html, css, js, php, and systems) would be able to secure even more.

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,149 Points

I think a good wordpress dev could. The wordpress market if very saturated with very inexpensive themes, plugins, and quite honestly, low cost devs with varying degree of skills. All that brings down the average, no matter where it's at. A good dev with the right client should be able to pull in more money.