The World Of PHP Development
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IT Jobs and Recruitment Insights
What is PHP and why do so many Software Developers use it
In this blog I will talk about PHP and why it is a popular language to work with. I will also give you an insight into what a career in PHP development looks like here in
Ireland.
PHP is a popular general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited to web development. Its fast, flexible, and practical, PHP powers everything from blogs to the most popular websites in the world like Wikipedia. A website programmed with PHP can have pages that are password protected. A website with no programming cannot do this without other complex things. Standard PHP file extensions are: .php .php3 or .phtml, but a web server can be set up to use any extension.
PHP stands for Hypertext Pre-processor that earlier stood for Personal Home Page. The reason why PHP is called hypertext pre-processor is because php libraries are already compiled and process so when any person requests any php page in a browser address bar that request first goes to the server, it interprets the PHP files and then returns back in a form of HTML.
PHP Frameworks
Laravel is one of the popular PHP frameworks for building web applications. It is a free, open-source PHP web framework. With its various useful features, it lets developers build their websites quickly and its user friendly and easy to learn and understand.
There are a large number of PHP Frameworks these days but here are some of the more popular ones.
- CodeIgniter
- Symfony
- Zend
- CakePHP
- Yii 2
PHP development as a career
PHP development is a popular career choice for Software Engineers. On a global scale more and more websites run on PHP. Some of the biggest names on the internet are powered by PHP like Wikipedia and Twitter. Websites across varied domains such as E-commerce websites are developed using PHP.
To work in the field of PHP you usually need to have a degree in computer science or software engineering, however if you are working as a freelancer and not with a multinational these degrees are not mandatory. Earning potential as a Junior PHP Developer can be limited, but with experience and knowledge PHP Developers can develop extremely high earnings.
If you're looking to get started in PHP there are many courses available for your to look out for.
PHP/Web developer Salary Guide Overview
- Junior Level €25k-€40k
- Mid-level €55k-€65k
- Senior level €75k-€85k
The figures above are based on the Dublin market and Salary’s for PHP developers outside Dublin can be considerably lower.
Contract VS Permanent Roles
Below are points to show the difference between contract and permanent roles. There are pros and cons to both, but it is down to the individual and what they prefer to do in their career.
Contract
- 6-12 month contracts are the norm
- Paid on a daily rate basis
- You are not paid for holidays or days that you are sick
- No benefits such as health insurance or a pension
- Can be more tax efficient
- Provides the opportunity to gain a wide range of experience across domains
Permanent
- Your job is more stable once you pass your probation period
- You are paid on a monthly salary based on annual basic salary
- You are allocated several paid holiday and sick leave (within reason)
- Depending on the company you are provided with benefits such as health insurance and pension
- You could have more opportunity to grow within the business to develop your career
Typical Interview Process
The length of the interview process can vary with every client however there are usually 3-4 rounds with the second round usually being a technical test of some kind. From my experience the submittal of your CV to the final round interviews, to start date can take up to anything between 3-7 weeks depending if there is a notice period or not.
Performance
If your site is not running on the latest version on PHP, it’s time to update, it will give you performance gains and security. Running the latest version ensures your site is protected against vulnerabilities i.e hackers. Security is a huge issue for online activity and PHP has developed into a robust language, so long as you are using the latest versions.
PHP Meet-up Groups
PHP groups are usually found in larger cities, like Dublin or Cork but an alternative source might be Meetup.com, Facebook or search on Google for PHP groups near you. The benefit of this is to network with people who share your passion and you can learn from each other. It’s a great way to stay updated on the latest trends and changes to the technology stack that revolves around PHP.
I hope you enjoyed my insight into PHP in Ireland that I have gained in my experience as a recruiter. If you have any questions, would like to introduce yourself or if you wish to talk to me
about any PHP opportunities you can contact me through GemPool Recruitment, at sarah.cotter@gempool.ie. You can also check out our PHP careers page to find a role suitable to you and get in touch!
