PHP programmer: characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, knowledge and skills

We live in an age of information technology, all kinds of gadgets and Internet resources. There are many professions that are suitable for working remotely. Perhaps the most popular are programmers, who, in turn, also differ. If you want to engage in the development of websites and all kinds of Internet projects, then the position of a PHP programmer may be your choice.

PHP was developed in 1995, but despite this, it is one of the most popular programming languages ​​in the field of web development. And specialists who own them at the proper level can always find one-time projects and orders, or become part of entire teams and companies. What you need to know what skills to possess, you can learn from our article.

The PHP programmer is the person who in most cases responsible for the development and continued operation of the site and its functional parts. You need to understand that the main area of ​​activity is the organization of well-functioning site work in its server part, its internal functions - this is called the back-end (hardware and software) but also PHP can be used to write the part of the site that the user sees - front-end (client side user interface). Both directions are important for fast and high-quality work, but the backend is now paying more attention.

For those who are faced with a choice and want to understand whether PHP is suitable for them, most likely they have already identified things that are located on the surface, for example: easy to learn, simple syntax, a lot of material on the net, in demand. We will try to analyze in more detail the pros and cons.

• Relative to other areas and languages, this is a low “threshold for entry” into the profession. Due to the fact that this language has been around for many years, you can learn to program it yourself using various courses and books from the Internet.
• There is always a demand for PHP programmers. The demand for specialists is growing, as now more and more various Internet services are becoming an integral part of our life.
• Also, the advantages include the presence of work as such, although now there is a competitor for PHP - this is a language called Python, but a huge number of projects on the network are written in PHP, and rewriting entire projects simply does not make sense.
• The ability to work on a free schedule or even remotely. It is also a positive side of PHP programmers. Due to the fact that the language is server, a regular working day is no exception.
• At freelance exchanges a lot of competition is possible. To take on a simple project, you will need to try and convince the customer that it is you who will make it better than others.
• Perhaps the disadvantages include the fact that, if a PHP programmer works in a small company, he has to perform a large number of tasks, sprayed and concentrated on core business is not one hundred percent.
• The salary of such specialists is not so stable and depends directly on knowledge and skills. People who know PHP at a high level are always very valuable personnel in any development team, therefore the salary level is high: 30,000-50,000 rubles for a beginner, but a confident programmer, 60,000-120,000 rubles for a professional, 150,000-250,000 rubles - for an expert in this field, but this is not the limit. The numbers are average (November 2019).

The responsibilities of a PHP developer will vary and depend on many factors. First of all, from the project itself, its goals and objectives. It will be correct to highlight the main points that most programmers working with this language will encounter.

• Drawing up technical specifications. As a rule, the customer comes with the existing TK, but basically it’s all so superficial and incomprehensible to the developer that you have to understand the language (together with the customer) for further actions and tasks for the project.
• Full development of sites, services, portals. For the most part, everything related to web development will somehow concern PHP programmers. Also, this includes the development of individual modules for various tasks of customers.
• Development of technical documentation. The larger the project, the more complex it is in its structure and the functions embedded in it. So that third-party developers or people from related professions can easily navigate the project, such guides are made.
• Integration of various systems, plug-ins, API. Both for external display on the site, and for internal expansion of functions.
• Testing and optimization. In order for your site to work correctly in all browsers, on all devices, at any Internet speed, you will always need to improve it and monitor what technologies come out every day.
• Administration. This can be said already the final stage of the project, at which you will need to monitor and maintain its proper functioning.
• Security. Choosing a hosting where site files will be placed. As a rule, in most hostings there is already protection against DDOS attacks.

This list can be continued, and at first glance it may scare.But, as a rule, one obligation arises from another, all this is very close and adjacent, which allows you to learn more PHP and understand how widely it can be used.

Knowledge and skills also vary, as do responsibilities, depending on where the PHP programmer is located. There are three main stages of developer growth: junior, middle and senior. At the same time, the programmer's skills differ, let's try to choose the main ones.

• Knowledge of principles object-oriented programming (OOP), ability to apply design patterns.
• PHP knowledge at a high level (latest version). Also, the knowledge of frameworks (Symfony, Laravel) will be a plus.
• Rather, a plus than a requirement will be HTML skills (hypertext markup language) and CSS (style sheet language).
• It is also advisable to know Javascript, since this language is now very common in web development and supports the OOP approach.
• Often seen in requirements knowledge of various CMS (): WordPress, OpenCart, Jumla, 1C Bitrix, etc.
• Work with databases MySQL
• Ability to work with web servers. Apache is the most common.

As a rule, acquaintance with PHP programming takes place at the majority in colleges and universities. But there is no in-depth study there (if it is not a narrowly targeted faculty), everything is studied superficially so that there is an understanding of technology. If the acquaintance happened earlier, for example, at school and through self-education, then in this case you can find specialized faculties in technical institutes, where they study this in more detail. Such universities are in every major city. You need to understand: to become a competitive and sought-after programmer, you must always learn yourself.

You can become a PHP programmer from scratch thanks to the Internet. There are many free and paid PHP courses online. They differ, as a rule, in that the teacher leads you on paid ones and controls homework, while on free ones you are left to your own devices. There are also specialized schools from web studios, various educational portals and programmers who have achieved certain heights in PHP.