Hi ,
I have been looking recently at ColdFusion , My simple little question is:
I am a junior web developer , I know XHTML , CSS , MySQL and PHP to a reasonably good level. If i was too a learn ColdFusion and If I wanted to move into a Cold Fusion MX developer role in the future would this be a good job over being a PHP or ASP Developer.
Basically is a ColdFusion developer in much demand ?
I don't think you'll find anywhere near the market penetration with ColdFusion that you'll find with other languages. It was a very hot technology in the late '90s, but seems to have dropped in popularity, most likely due to the wide range of open-source alternatives.
That's not to say that it's a bad technology. And if you are interested in learning it, then go for it. But it might not be the most marketable skill set to have, unless you happen to live in a ColdFusion hot zone. Of course, if you are running your own company, building web-based business solutions (yeah, it's jargon), then ColdFusion might be a good fit if it allows you personally to be more productive.
However, if you are just looking for something new, there are several good options. Learning Perl, Python, Java or Asp.Net & related web frameworks will definitely keep you within the realm of "in demand".
Incidentally, ColdFusion is built upon Java, and I personally think it's an interesting technology. Right now, all proprietary application servers have a difficult time competing against open source alternatives, many of which have become well proven, readily available, and relatively easy to find developers for.
Compared to PHP, there are less CF jobs about, but it is still going strong and there are jobs if you know where to look.
Plus, a good CF developer can get a greater salary than an equivalent PHP developer.
Since you do know PHP to a reasonable level, you should have no problem becoming a skilled CF developer, which will thus help you to get a good job.
Beyond that, read my answer to the other question which RC has linked to.
IMHO, you'd be better off learning c#/.net or J2EE. I work at a company that uses ColdFusion, and I know that when we hire we don't typically expect the candidates to have ColdFusion experience, simply because that would limit the pool of candidates too much. We do ask them to show their web development skills in a language they are familiar with (I wrote a PHP app during my interview process, for example).
For c#/.net and J2EE, there are a lot more jobs, and because there are so many more developers you're less likely to be hired into one of those jobs based on experience in other languages. It is much more likely that your resume will simply be tossed out when applying to one of those jobs, if you don't have any experience in that area.
Agreed, knowing and practicing as many languages as possible helps...Improves your skill level too...Just stick with what your passionate about and keep learning and practicing.