Which will make me more money in the long run, Flash or PHP?

I am trying to decide what to learn after I get my skills up to an advanced level in Photoshop and CSS.

On the one hand, there is Flash which probably appeals more to me and is somewhat easy to learn. On the other hand, there is a server-side language like PHP or ASP that probably has more of a demand out in the marketplace. I also want to run my own web sites in the future and I feel that at some point, I will need to learn something like PHP...so why not learn now?

It may come down to "Which is paying more right now, Flash or PHP, and which will pay more in the future due to supply and demand?

 

Personally I would go for both but if you want one choice only, I would say flash.

 

PHP.

Flash is very limited, PHP isn't.

 

programming languages in general. python & php.

 

To be honest you are predominately talking about totally different career paths - equivalent of saying do you want to be a doctor or a solicitor - as one is very much a creative role and the other is getting close to being a programmer.

If you want to be a programmer then learn something like Java or C# which can be applied to the web in .Net or JSP etc (or if you must, learn a language and also PHP)

If you want to be more creative then learn Flash.

Long term, programmers earn more but that is much more application programming than web (hence learn a proper language rather than just php) and salary isnt everything as you are ideally supposed to enjoy your work.

 

Both of them won't get you much, I'd say PHP but I am not very good with graphic/Flash design so what I say is biased. .NET and Java is where the money is. Having said that, you should not pick something because of the money. Enjoying the work should be equally, if not more, important.

 

flash^^got styles^^

 

PHP... to me...

 

I would say PHP because this pr. language is powerful and gives you full control of the web site.
Not to mention direct control over flash, pdf, images...
PHP RULES!

 

Look at the amount of websites using flash - not many. Look at the amount of website using PHP - (roughly) 50% of the entire internet.

If you're looking at working on websites I would choose PHP but flash can do things outside of websites too, if that interests you.

 

Hi,

I would like to suggest for flash.

Thanx.

 

Whatever you are got at it that would give you money. hmmm.. I suggest PHP would bring more bucks... IMO... TY

 

PHP. Flash is not populated, and it is very limited as a scripting language, and PHP isin't

 

^ Flash isn't a language at all, though it has one built-in. PHP is also limited, mostly by security problems and global variables having no namespaces. Unless you wait for PHP6, which is supposed to fix a lot of problems.

 

I work with flash many years.
If I could turn back time I prefer to learn Java.
As for your question, my answer is PHP.

 

php. ful stop. Its where the cash is.

 

I would learn flash myself, I went through a stage of flash scripting, building web games, its alot of fun learning the software and you can even combine flash with PHP, ASP etc... Go for PHP if you want to earn some bucks, even flash game programmers earn a bit.. hangon.. im indecisive.

 

Thanks for the answers.

I'm now proposing a 2nd question, "Which is harder to learn, PHP or Actionscript?"

This will help me decide what to do from here.

 

I agree, and looking on the market, a funky nice looking web2.0 flash animation is way cheap than a simple PHP form to .. mail whenever a visitor enters "apple" in an input field.

- Scorpiono

 

Neither of them are really hard to learn to a competent standard, it just takes a bit of effort and practice.