If you are in the web programming game, the picture is quite clear: massive competition, constant innovation, and relentless turnover. In such an environment, you often find yourself out of ideas as to how to keep your head above water, get off the hamster wheel and up the professional ladder. Learning new things and tricks should always be your go-to option, and there is good data out there which point to one possible solution, namely learning Oracle. It will set you apart from the competition, and it has the potential to skyrocket your career, growth- and money-wise. Here are some facts.

The Junior Upgrade

More than two-thirds of the web programming market is already saturated with C++, .net, and Java roles. If you are at the entry level, these three are your best bet to land a contract, so you should polish these skills off first. Junior roles which focus on Oracle are below 10%, so your chances to hit it big with that specialisation alone are not as good as with the “big three”. Put in the work and effort because it pays off: the salary upgrade when moving from a junior position with any specialization to a higher level which involves work with Oracle is a staggering 109% overall. This is the highest salary hike broken down by specialization – well worth it!

An Ideal path

So is there a road map for making the most of your programming career path? Apart from starting out with the most sought-after positions involving our “big three” above, you can already be a couple of thousand pounds ahead in the game if you land a Perl gig. These can be hard to come by, but they are a great gateway to more and better paid work relatively quickly. Sticking with Perl will not bring you increased returns, though, so make sure you brush up your Oracle as you are trudging on. This Perl – Oracle career path will take you from a junior salary of around £27k right up to £49k, which is the ceiling here. On the other hand, the worst career choice you can make is to limit yourself to web design. This will see your salary increase by the measly 37% – and slowly!

So, do not underestimate the value of learning and focus your efforts on Oracle – it pays off!

Simon Appleton is CEO at Workcircle where you’ll find developer jobs for most IT languages.