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

We live in the 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 develop websites and all kinds of Internet projects, then the position of 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 it at the proper level can always both find one-time projects and orders, and become part of entire teams and companies. What you need to know for this, what skills to own, you can find out from our article.

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

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

• In relation 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 in it on your own using various courses and books from the Internet.
• There is always a demand for PHP programmers... The demand for specialists is growing, since now more and more various Internet services are becoming an integral part of our life.
• Also, the pluses 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 web are written in PHP, and there is simply no point in rewriting entire projects.
• 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-side, a regular working day is no exception.
• There can be a lot of competition on freelance exchanges. 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, to be scattered and concentrate on the main activity 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, so 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. Figures are averages (November 2019).

The responsibilities of a PHP developer will vary and will 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 a technical task. As a rule, the customer comes with the existing technical assignment, but basically this is all so superficial and incomprehensible for the developer that he has to describe the further actions and tasks of the project in an understandable language (together with the customer).
• Full development of sites, services, portals. For the most part, everything related to web development will in one way or another concern PHP programmers. Also, this can include the development of individual modules for various customer tasks.
• Development of technical documentation. The larger the project, the more complex it is in its structure and functions embedded in it. In order for third-party developers or people of related professions to easily navigate the project, such reference books are made.
• Integration of various systems, plugins, 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 keep track of what technologies are coming out every day.
• Administration. This can be said to be the final stage of the project, at which you will need to monitor and maintain its correct functioning.
• Security. Choosing a hosting, where the site files will be located. As a rule, most hosting providers already have protection against DDOS attacks.

The list goes on and on, and at first glance it may be frightening.But, as a rule, one responsibility follows from another, all this is very close and related, which allows you to learn more about PHP and understand how widely you can use it.

Knowledge and skills also differ, as well as responsibilities, depending on the place where the PHP programmer is employed. 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), the ability to apply design patterns.
• Knowledge of PHP at a high level (latest version). Also, knowledge of frameworks (Symfony, Laravel) will be a plus.
• Rather a plus than a requirement, it will be ability to work with HTML (hypertext markup language) and CSS (Style Sheet Language).
• It is also additionally desirable to know JavaScript, since this language is now very common in web development and supports the OOP approach.
• Can often be seen in requirements knowledge of various CMS (): WordPress, OpenCart, Jumla, 1C Bitrix, etc.
• Working with databases MySQL.
• Ability to work with web servers. Apache is the most common.

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

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 a teacher leads you on paid ones and controls your homework, and on free ones you are left to yourself. There are also specialized schools from web studios, various educational portals and programmers who have achieved certain heights in PHP.