I too had the "computer store" experience. Programming is my second career. I sold customized accounting software that ran on PCs and "Baby 36" systems (IBM mid-range systems). Fortunately, I could see the writing on the wall and got out before PCs became a commodity.

Another thing I want to clarify: when I speak of web applications, I'm not talking about your typical "site". For example, I developed the first complete eCommerce application for the commercial printing industry, with real-time proofing (dynamic PDF production). Later, with a staff of developers and designers, and two years of work, we turned it into a full-scale application.

It took orders, dynamically generated press-ready artwork, properly calculated interstate taxes, imposed the artwork, had a very robust pricing model (if you've ever had a print job estimated, you have some inkling of what that would involve), and maintained complete order history.

When I say "took orders", we're talking about customizable print pieces. The form module alone, which allowed a dynamic data-entry form for each and every piece, was probably thousands of lines of code.

We supported various online payment methods. It had a complete administrative interface. It supported multi-tiered buying (you can place an order, but need so-and-so's approval). Spending limits.

It supported co-branding, so that based on your login, it picked the correct color scheme and logos, plus populated your inventory.

The list of features goes on and on, and this system by now (it's still in use) has generated millions of print orders, for hundreds of companies.

Now that's an application, and it took professional Web Developers and Web Designers to create.

yup, that's of similar scope to what I'm working on (though for a completely different industry).
Of course many such applications are never seen by most people as they're used mainly internally with customers (or at most a small piece is the public interface that's accessible by the outside world through the net).

Such applications require far more skills than your average "webmaster" brings.
Java (or Perl, CGI, etc.), XML, HTML, Javascript, CSS, user interface theory, etc. etc.

whooohooo. i have been a freelance asp developer for the past 4 years. i recently went to an interview for a job (need to gain a bit of "employment" experiance) the first question the interviewer asked was "straight after a recordset if this statement = true what does it meen? recordset = eof", i was totaly taken aback. he later explained that he has interviewed alot of people that couldnt even answer that question, and to think they were appling for a asp developers role (before you wonder, i do know the answer)

since i was a freelance developer i had to do the design part aswell, and i trully admire the designers. its not an easy job.

Hi William. Thanks for your reply. That actually sounds like a good interviewer. I'm curious, what was the term used to advertise the position? Programmer? Web Developer? ASP Developer?

I have to give you a bit of light-hearted harassment, though... you might like my blog entry on "l33tsp33k".

I agree I have always felt the term web developer is under valued, I refuse to accept it as a title even though it is what I currently do. I describe myself as a software developer. Because there is so much more to my experience than HTML, ASP, PHP blah de blah...

I am effective as a web developer because it is a part of a larger arsenal, the internet and it's associated technologies all sit upon a distinguished history of computer software engineering and design, and you need to know and have experienced at least some of that lower level stuff to be truely a master of the craft.

There are 'Web Developers' out there who couldn't coherently describe what a reference to an object means, where stuff really is in ram, or name the three principles that a language must satisfy to consider it object oriented.

The trouble is when you come in from nothing to these powerful technologies like ASP.NET for example it is inevitable you will abuse it shamefully. In fact I'll go out on a limb and say of the forums here on DaniWeb the only one with any elegance in the code snippets posted is the C and C++ forum, the web technology forums are quite frankly hideous! I sware they make my eyes water sometimes.