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So do you want to know how to become a web developer. Fortunately, there is no shortage of resources on the subject. Becoming a good web developer is a matter of learning, time and above all practice through building projects.
You have many options including front-end, back-end and, if you want to round-out yourself. So is full-stack development – which is both front-end and back-end development. Career opportunities are strong. You can at least get yourself a paid role in a comparatively less time as compared to other programming roles.
In this article, we will cover what is coding. Some generalities about the most popular programming languages and careers in web development.
Learn More: The myth of the full-Stack developer
Is it still worth it to become a web developer in 2022?
Of course, the first question you might be asking yourself is whether you’re making a career change, is it worth it. Does it pay enough and will you get opportunities. After the dreadful times of 2020, it becomes even more important.
Luckily for those who want to become a web developer. Even in the post-COVID-19 pandemic, the career prospects look good. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts 13% growth for careers over the next decade, much higher than average.
Your salary will vary according to that programming language. In which you are the expert and the role you play. But according to the BLS, the average 2020 salary for a general web development role is $77,200 per year. This is much more than the media annual salary of $41,950.
Is it difficult to be a web developer?
The simple answer is no (and difficulty can mean different things to different people).
There are thousands, if not hundreds, of such people. Those who have learned web development from scratch. It is not difficult, but it will demand patience and rigor from you. In fact, web development is one of the easiest programming-related roles you can take. The question you should be asking is, “Will I enjoy being a web developer?”
This is the most important characteristic of successful people. That they stick to their teachings. Even if it looks very disappointing to them. Software careers are full of moments when you feel like you don’t know what’s going wrong. So, if anything, odds are going on and you’re figuring it out. So it’s just training for the actual job. Debugging is an important part of the process and you should get used to it.
What Education Do You Need to Become a Web Developer?
You need no formal education whatsoever to become a web developer, though you can choose that route if you wish. You can quite successfully become a web developer through independent learning, via a video on YouTube or just through books/free courses and general documentation.
Specifically, you will need to learn about HTML and CSS, and later on programming languages like JavaScript, Python, or Ruby on Rails – among several others – depending on the specific route you are taking on your web development path. Later on, you’ll learn about frameworks like React and Node, and many other ancillaries but very important parts of the web development experience.
How long does it take to become a web developer?
This may vary depending on the amount of time you devote to learning and your own ability for web development. In general, expect the web development process to “get through” about 3 to 6 months (perhaps even less). You should build your first major project in about 6 months, give or take a few months.
In about 12 to 18 months, you may find yourself in a position to apply for your first role. It will depend on how skilled you have become. If you have projects in your portfolio to demonstrate your abilities.
How long does it take to become a web developer? For this do not take any time frame mentioned here as the final truth. There are a lot of variables in the game, and you may find yourself wandering wildly past the said time limit on your own journey.
What you should be focusing on is this. Learning and becoming a little better everyday, and working on projects worth performing.
How to become a Web Developer [Step by Step Guide]
The steps to become a web developer are quite simple in themselves. It’s all about the effort and time you put in to make the difference. At a high level, this is the journey you will take to become a web developer from scratch:
Step 1: Learn the fundamentals of web development
Your web development journey will start with the basics. That is, learning how the web works. As well as the markup languages HTML and CSS. What some new learners think. Unlike that, HTML and CSS are not programming languages. These types of languages determine. how the content is structured. Unlike programming languages which, to be informal, actually do “things”.
HTML and CSS are easy to learn and can be done in under a week – that’s the basics. By this we mean how to structure a web page so that the content goes in the right places and it is designed so that it looks acceptable.
It is important to know how the web works. So don’t leave it. There are many resources available on this topic. As far as HTML and CSS are concerned, you will find that many web courses, including those we refer to here. Include both in their courses.
Step 2: Choosing a Specialization
Now you should know how the web works and how to build a basic website. At this point, you will be faced with this question. Should you become a front-end or back-end developer? If you know this. That’s how the web works, you should be able to understand the difference.
What do you see when you browse the Internet? A front-end developer works on it. They take the design from the UI/UX team. Create and style the web page. As well as with interactive elements via JavaScript and the JavaScript Framework.
A back-end developer focuses on this. That’s what’s going on behind the scene. That includes handling database, server requests, and building related applications.
Another is web development role. Full-stack developer. These developers have both front-end and back-end skills, and can play both roles.
Step 3: Choosing a Programming Language
Now before we describe several programming languages that have utility in the web development field. We would like to preface by saying this. That, for the most part, you should learn the markup languages HTML and CSS and then JavaScript. You can use all three. Which are the most common, to produce projects that can see you through to your first interview.
There are many other languages that are used in the area. Each has its own unique capabilities and prominence in specific applications. These are:
- Javascript
- PHP
- Python
- Ruby on Rails
- Go
- Objective C and Swift
- C#
- java/kotlin
For now, focus on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. As you become more knowledgeable and have a few demos to show you. You can start branching out and gaining expertise.
You will also need to know SQL, or Structured Query Language, to work with databases. It’s not very difficult, or not a programming language at all. But it is an essential piece of knowledge that the team will expect you to know.
Step 4: How to Learn Web Development
Now that you have a vague idea. That what specialization you like, and general programming languages, you really need to work.
The good news is that there is no end of courses for you to learn web development. Many of them are free, although certification programs offer the added benefit of giving you a certificate to prove your credentials. (Which is by no means mandatory).
There is really no dearth of web development courses. So just google them and you will see many pop ups.
Step 5: Create a Web Development Project
With the fundamentals in your bag, and how to apply HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to structure, design, and build a working application. With this understanding, you should start working on projects. It shouldn’t be anything complicated, but insist on going out of your comfort zone.
These projects will become a part of your portfolio. Which you will present during the interview. you can be sure. That your interviewers will question you on your build. The development process, the challenges you faced and how you overcame them, and the general thought process behind your work. It will also teach you about the all-important debugging process.
You should be building some of these projects. Which challenges different skill sets before preparing to send an application – which is the final step!
Step 6: Start applying for the posts
With a portfolio of projects under your belt, you stand a good chance of landing a web development position. There is no end to the platforms you can ship these applications to.
But remember, when you apply for the posts. So keep learning and keep working on projects. Learning never ends in an area where new developments happen regularly.
Essential Tools for Web Development
Firstly, you may not even need any equipment to get started coding. Because many courses provide a browser-based environment to run your code. However, as a good practice for a potential career, you should download a code editor. There are many free alternatives available, and among them are Sublime Text, Atom and Vim. We recommend Sublime Text or Atomic for beginners.
There are many other great tools for building web development and design tools. Those make the process easy, but you’ll know them in due course.
it’s never too late to code
At 82 years old, Masako Wakamiya is one of the oldest coders on the planet. When he first started writing code. So she was using the abacus for maths. Today he is one of the oldest iPhone app developers in the world. A leader in making smartphones accessible to the elderly
Considering the high-velocity innovations and developments taking place in the software ecosystem, it is never too late to become a coder in life. Because what is new today will be obsolete tomorrow. At this time, the world needs coders more than ever. It’s never too late for you to become a coder. You only need to put effort and time.
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