Access/VBA Programmer Salary?

[DoubleD]

I've been working with Access and VBA for approximately four years. I also have experience in BI and Database design.
I live in WI and don't plan to leave the state. I've heard there is going to be an Access Programmer position opening at a small office near me for a very large company.
Anyone have suggestions on what the expected salary range will be?
I'm aware that generally Access Programmer is not the only thing you're expected to do when that's your role. I've done lots of automation with Access and Excel. I've also got process improvement experience and been on the support side of IT. Any suggestions would be helpful.

I've been out to

http://www.salary.com

and I'm assuming I would be considered a level 2-3 Midrange Programmer. Does that sound right?

Pain is stress leaving the body.

DoubleD

 

[RiverGuy]

I believe its too hard to give a solid range, and it would vary from company to company. It would be more under "Programmer" than "Midrange Programmer," because I take the word Midrange to mean programming on midrange systems such as iSeries. You also see "Mainframe Programmer," which is self explanitory.

And as far as level, that would depend on your experience and responsibilities.

 

[DeanConsulting]

Check out realrates.com also.


---------------------------------------
Noble D. Bell

http://www.noblesoftware.com

 

[SQLSister]

Access/vba programmers tend to be paid on the low range of the programmers pay scales.

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[groundclutter]

It really depends on where the location is and the size of the company. My experience is that Access/VBA developers are paid relatively low among other programmers. Unfortunately, I have often seen programmers who "trained themselves" in Access/VBA and it is usually nothing but a mess. I am not implying this is the case here but I think this is a major reason why the pay is much less than if you were a VB or other .net developer.

 

[chrissie1]

I hate it when people look down on access developers. I agree that Access isn't the best program around. But if you can show to me that you can write a reall good program in access then you can say you are a good programmer. It's not the program that makes the program, it's the programmer.

Christiaan Baes
Belgium

If you want to get an answer read this FAQ faq796-2540
There's no such thing as a winnable war - Sting

 

[SQLSister]

True Chrissie, but I have had recruiters tell me that there are companies that won't consider me for a job because I have an Access background before learning SQL Server. The theory is that anyone who came to databases from Access doesn't really understand relational database structure. Hooey, I know, but that is the feeling out there.

I admit there is a lot of bad Access design out there, but there is a lot of bad SQl Server design, Oracle design, etc.

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[groundclutter]

I am sorry if you think that I am looking down on Access developers (considering I view myself as an Access developer among other things) but that couldn't be further from the truth. My comment was made from the perspective of someone who has been consulting for a great number of years and who has seen many "self-taught" Access programmers' applications. The reality is, at least in Wisconsin, that programmers who only know Access development are not highly sought after, thus, the lower payscales. DoubleD claims to have 4 years of VBA experience and db design knowledge. He is absolutely qualified for an Access developer position, however, the higher paying positions will be those who have experience working with SQL Server, Oracle, etc. applications and not Access desktop databases. I know my billing rates vary greatly depending on whether I am doing Access development versus VB-database versus web development.

No offense intended to anyone...

 

[groundclutter]

SQLSister, I agree 100 percent. I should not have made the comment about "messy Access development" but I guess I see it more often (recently in fact) because it's easier for someone to claim Access knowledge rather than Oracle or SQL Server, etc.

For example, "I learned Access on my own at home so I can build that 15 table, database application for the accounting department with 10 users."

And yes, Oracle and SQL Server apps are not immune to awful database design.

Again, I didn't mean to offend anyone...guess I was unconsciously venting some frustration with my current task at hand.

 

[chrissie1]

Sorry to sound so critical.
But if you have to work in a company were everybody (or nearly eveybody) thinks they can do access development, and phone or come for advice every two minutes, then I think there is a need for a good access developer in nearly each company. Because that is where most people start and then when it gets a bit difficult they go to something bigger. Nearly always using the access monster as a template. While if they were guided a bit better, then things would be better in the future.

Just speaking out of my own experience. Somebody in this company made a database in access wich worked (well nearly). Then they decided to outsource the database to a more experienced firm with the desire to go oracle (because it sounded good). And yes the pro's screwed up and now we have an oracle database and interface that doesn't work and need to pay lots of money to make it work because we do not have the in house experience. That's why I think access developers should be appreciated everywhere they work they can save a lot of money to everybody. And it's time IT realised that. Because the firms I know are getting sick of spending a lot of money on projects that never work.

I think I am going off topic here. Sorry for that.

Christiaan Baes
Belgium

If you want to get an answer read this FAQ faq796-2540
There's no such thing as a winnable war - Sting

 

[chrissie1]

Groundclutter

It seems to me we posted at the same time.

And you never (well almost never) offend anybody by giving your honest opinion. That's why we are here, to hear someone else his opinion.

Christiaan Baes
Belgium

If you want to get an answer read this FAQ faq796-2540
There's no such thing as a winnable war - Sting

 

[RiverGuy]

True Chrissie, but I have had recruiters tell me that there are companies that won't consider me for a job because I have an Access background before learning SQL Server

That sounds insane. Why would someone be penalized for having MORE skills?? If somone with SQL Server skills wants an SQL Server job....what does knowing how to use Access have to do with it? Nothing, in my opinion.

It's not the program that makes the program, it's the programmer.

Christiaan, I don't believe someone always gets paid according to their programming skills. Pay is dependant upon the job, and being able to do the job or not. True, some pay is dependant on how well above and beyond one does their job.

But the nature of programming seems to be that as you move from easier to more complex languages, there will be fewer programmers available. Therefore, it may be easier to fill an Access/VBA position than a C position. The employer can expect to offer a lower wage for Access/VBA than for C.

 

[SQLSister]

River Guy, it is insane, but it has happened to me on several different occasions. Of course filtering resumes is a wierd thing anyway - I have had HR departments call me up for jobs I was absolutely not qualified for that I hadn't even applied for, but they thought I wasn't qualified for the job I actually had applied for.

Questions about posting. See faq183-874

 

[chrissie1]

Riverguy,

I don't disagree with you. But I have to say that a very good access programmer, is bound to be good at other programming languages and Vice versa. The problem is that to many people think they know accees and when you ask them the difference between ade,adp,mde and mdb they think you are talking about another thing all together.

It's like excell. I don't know many people that really know how the vba in there works. But I can tell you that you can write pretty good virusses in it. the same goes for word and coreldraw. But then again we need to be realistic and say that the world is never going to change.

BTW nice to speak to you in another forum for once.

Christiaan Baes
Belgium

If you want to get an answer read this FAQ faq796-2540
There's no such thing as a winnable war - Sting

 

[chrissie1]

SQLSister,

I bet they wanted you as a mascotte. ;-)

Christiaan Baes
Belgium

If you want to get an answer read this FAQ faq796-2540
There's no such thing as a winnable war - Sting

 

[SQLSister]

The one that really got me was the HR person who called me up out of the blue for a programmer postion but couldn't tell me what programming language they were going to use. "How do you know I'm qualified then?" "Your resume says your have experience as a programmer."



Questions about posting. See faq183-874

 

[chrissie1]

And I have experience writing out checks, do you want me as a manager then. ;-)

Christiaan Baes
Belgium

If you want to get an answer read this FAQ faq796-2540
There's no such thing as a winnable war - Sting

 

[lespaul]

That's why I think access developers should be appreciated everywhere they work they can save a lot of money to everybody. And it's time IT realised that. Because the firms I know are getting sick of spending a lot of money on projects that never work.

What about the departmental Access guru who develops something for the department that IT knows nothing about. Then Mr. Access guru leaves, who is expected to start supporting this unauthorized project? IT? Why, they didn't have anything to do with the project, not anything that was "official" and now a department is left with a "critical" (to them) application that nobody is going to support. Call Mr. Access Guru back in on a contract position? What if he left on bad terms?

There was a long thread on the Rogue IT person and their effect on IT. I'm looking for it, but can't seem to find it right now.

Leslie

 

[chrissie1]

Oops, that's what I did 4 years ago. And guess what they still use. And what's even more amazing it still works, they need to upgrade the hardware from time to time to keep up with the data. But they prefer that over hiring somebody to maintain it.

Christiaan Baes
Belgium

If you want to get an answer read this FAQ faq796-2540
There's no such thing as a winnable war - Sting

 

[DoubleD]

Lespaul,
I completely agree with you and understand IT's concern regarding Rogue personnel. It seems to raise a question though, "Why did this 'rogue' have to build it in the first place?".
Many IT departments have become so large and documentation laden they are no longer able to respond to the smaller, fast turnaround requests the business has.
For instance:
Business needs a process automated. It is a small process, that doesn't show enough ROI for IT to get involved, or IT says yes they can get involved but it will be a minimum of six months for any type of end product. Someone in the business knows enough about VBA to say, "Hey, I could build that in about a week.".
Given the solution said individual creates is not 'production' worthy, but it does exactly what the business needs it to do. Process works for one year before it breaks, but saved the business 5 hours/week.
1 rogue * 40 hours * 15.00/hr = $600 cost.
52 weeks * 5 hours * 10.00/hr = $2600 savings.

Was it worth while?

I am what I am based on the decisions I have made.

DoubleD