Pros and Cons of an Active Server Pages Engineer Career
Active Server Pages (ASP) engineers are software developers who specialize in creating dynamic website applications and services that use Microsoft's ASP.NET framework. While this career does feature creative job tasks, fast growth and high pay, review all the pros and cons to make sure an ASP engineer career is best for you:
| Pros of an Active Server Pages Engineer Career |
|---|
| Much faster than average job prospects (22% growth from 2012-2022 for all software developers)* |
| Better than average pay ($100,000 mean annual salary in May 2014 for all software developers, applications)* |
| Some employers may allow telecommuting* |
| Can find work in many industries* |
| Cons of an Active Server Pages Engineer Career |
|---|
| Knowing ASP.NET is usually not enough to get a job** |
| Must keep up with changes in ASP and related web application development technologies* |
| Can be stressful due to multitasking and meeting deadlines* |
| May require long hours* |
| Some positions may be outsourced* |
Sources: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, **Various Job Postings
Essential Career Info
Job Description and Duties
ASP engineers participate in various web application development processes and may monitor the project process to ensure that website applications are being developed as planned. After analyzing the requirements for a software request, they design web applications and web pages using the ASP.NET framework and related programming languages, do quality assurance testing to make sure the solution meets requirements and complete implementation. They usually use Visual Studio to code projects in various Microsoft .NET languages and technologies, such as C#, XML and Visual Basic. ASP engineers also work with SQL Server databases by designing websites, services and applications that can access stored data.
Daily job tasks may include independent work or collaboration with other engineers and programmers. The work environment is often fast-paced and requires multitasking to meet deadlines, which can cause stress and result in long work hours. Depending on the company, ASP engineers might be able to work away from the office.
Career Prospects and Salary Info
ASP engineers fall under the category of software developers, for which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects much faster than average job growth at an increase of 22 percent from 2012-2022. You'll need to keep up with the trends in web application development to have the best job prospects. Although the field is expected to grow, outsourcing could eliminate some positions. In May 2014, the BLS stated that the mean annual wage for software developers working in applications was $100,000.
What Are the Requirements?
Education
ASP engineers usually need a technical bachelor's degree that includes courses in software development and programming languages. Some relevant majors include computer science, information technology and software engineering. Some senior developer positions may require a master's in a related field. There are also individual college courses that focus on ASP web programming, which may cover topics like application configuration, user interface creation, data access, debugging and deployment.
Skills
You'll also need skills that employers commonly look for, such as expertise in Visual Studio, the .NET framework, XML, web services and databases. Familiarity with server operating systems and the software development lifecycle is also needed. You will also need to be able to meet deadlines, work under pressure and multitask on the job. Strong analytical skills are necessary for designing and building web applications and services. Whether you are doing teamwork or working alone, strong communication skills will be needed to write documentation and get information from other employees.
What Are Employers Looking for?
Employers look for candidates who are well-rounded in web services, object-oriented programming, databases and Microsoft .NET technologies. They also require previous work experience in software development for the web, as well as a technical education. Check out the following job postings for ASP engineers that were open in April 2012:
- A computer software company in North Carolina is seeking a software engineer who knows ASP.NET and C#, can create web applications using Visual Studio.NET and has experience with Microsoft SQL Server. A technical bachelor's degree is preferred, and the candidate needs at least three years of development experience.
- A California financial services company advertised for a software engineer experienced with ASP.NET and C#. The candidate needs a technology or management bachelor's degree and at least five years of work experience, including at least two years working with ASP.NET, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, SQL Server and Microsoft IIS. The candidate also needs to be familiar with Java and financial software.
- A Pittsburgh healthcare services company seeks a senior software engineer that can develop software in C# and ASP.NET. While a bachelor's degree related to computers is required, a master's is preferred. Required skills include expertise in web services, object oriented design, XML technologies, Windows 2003 Server, Microsoft SQL Server, distributed application environments and technical documentation. While three years of experience are needed in SQL and Microsoft .NET, the candidate needs a total of at least five years of application development experience.
- A telecommunications company in Pennsylvania is looking for a senior software engineer who knows Microsoft .NET, including Visual Basic, C# and ASP.NET. In addition to seven or more years of application development experience, the candidate needs a computer science or computer engineering bachelor's degree. Expertise in SQL Server, Healthcare IT, distributed web services and agile development are also required.
How Can I Stand out?
Learning web development languages, such as HTML, JavaScript and CSS, can prepare you to design websites instead of just web applications. Mobile application development is also an emerging trend and learning to make web applications to be accessed on phones and tablets can help you stand out. If your ideal career is in a hospital or bank, consider getting some training in healthcare or finance, whether it is from formal education or work experience.
Get Certified
Microsoft offers the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) certifications for professionals who work with Microsoft .NET and Visual Studio, and they are designed for those with at least two years of related work experience. You can choose from multiple certification paths in web development, Windows application development, Windows Phone, SharePoint and Silverlight. The MCPD for Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 offers a specific certification path for ASP.NET development. Each path requires you to pass multiple exams to earn the credential.
Other Careers to Consider
Web Designer
If you'd rather design and code a website's layout than back-end web applications, consider a career as a web designer. While they do use some of the same languages ASP engineers do, such as JavaScript and HTML, they also add multimedia to the site and monitor its performance. According to the BLS, you may only need a high school diploma and web design skills to get a job, but some employers will require a technical associate or bachelor's degree. The BLS projected an increase of 22% from 2010-2020 for these professionals. In May 2011, the BLS reported that the median annual wage was $89,000.
Database Administrator
A career as a database administrator might be right for you if you like working with data and ensuring that it is properly organized. While some create applications that access databases, others maintain the database by troubleshooting and performing upgrades when necessary. A computer-related bachelor's degree, experience in a role working with databases and expertise in SQL are usually required for this career. According to the BLS, database administration is a growing field that expects much faster than average job growth at 31% from 2010-2020. As of May 2011, the BLS stated that database administrators earned a median annual salary of $75,000.
