1. Ecommerce integration
Business web sites are always going to need ecommerce integration. Essentially, if it is a language or framework (PHP or Rails) and fuse it with a payment gateway (like Paypal or Authorize.net). Having the knowledge to piece together integration with online banking services like Paypal and Google Checkout will be great skills to have.
2. CMS Customizations and plugin development
CMS are great because it gives site owners with little technical know-how the ability to change aspects of their site on the fly with the help of modules. Developers can have thriving businesses in CMS development and customization alone.
3. Custom CMS themes
Designers and developers can always find work creating or customizing a CMS theme. So has the demand for creating themes for the software. Many people use CMS to power their personal or business websites, so this work is always going to be around.
4. Framework knowledge
It seems that frameworks are one of the next big things. With the meteoric rise to fame of Rails, Django, and other MVC frameworks, developers have learned that they can build websites much faster with the help of these tools. Frameworks help cut out much of the repetitive tasks that normal custom programming would require.
5. PSD to XHTML services.
Another one of the more popular skills needed is converting Photoshop files (PSD) to XHTML files for template use. Because designers don’t always know how to convert Photoshop layouts into template files, a CSS and XHTML expert can always find work. Because of the array of browsers now in common use and the niggling differences in how they render sites, this kind of design to code service is the most sought after of them all.
6. Facebook applications
Facebook has opened up their platform to allow developers API access, and the demand for social network apps has been huge since then. The social media application platform has been found to be very viral and potentially very lucrative. Social networks like Facebook require that to learn their own language of syntax, like the FBML (Facebook Markup Language), so there is a small learning curve to this skill.
7. Mobile applications
Yet another platform-specific skill set, building mobile applications for iPhone, Android and Blackberry, can be very profitable, and much like the social media applications, a great skill for any developer to know.
8. Flash and Actionscript Knowledge
Flash can be used to create videos, interesting navigation, fun animated sequences, widgets, gaming and many other useful things on the Internet. The flash technology can add a very professional dimension to any website, and large websites and corporations always pay to have their sites look professional, and often commission Flash animated interfaces to showcase their products. With search engines working on ways to have Flash communicated better with them, this is a skill that’s sure to boom as the search technology advances.
9. Javascript Plugin creation
Javascript frameworks are built with the ability to add custom functionality in the form of modules. If a developer knows to build custom Javascript modules for frameworks like jQuery or Dojo, have plenty of work available.
10. Widget development
With the advent of widgets, data has become more portable, interactive and most importantly, viral. It’s in almost every web startup’s business plan to include a widget or two at some point, mainly because it helps increase their audience and puts more eyeballs on their content. Widget development requires knowing Javascript and/or flash, not to mention knowledge of the regular language that the parent site is built in.
