There are a ton of careers in the tech world, but unless you have an in-depth knowledge, it is not always apparent which career path is right for you. Web development is a career that sounds great, has plenty of prospects, and isn’t quite as impenetrable as systems analyst or network infrastructure technician. So, what do you need to know?
Website developers are a vital part of the World Wide Web infrastructure. Web developers write the code that tells a website what to do. If the code is poorly written, you end up with a website that is full of glitches, and one that doesn’t perform properly. It’s a great career, so if this sounds like something you would like to do, read on for some useful tips.
The Right Education
You don’t necessarily need a formal education to become a web developer, but in a competitive jobs market, it helps. Any computer science or software development degree will give you a good foundation, but you will need to be proficient in a variety of different coding languages. Alternatively, take a web development course, online or in college. If you have plans to work with big corporations, consider studying for an online masters in computer science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, or similar.
Whatever your ambitions, learning how to code is essential. Free online tutorials will get you started, but you will eventually need the help and expertise of other people to help you work through problems and answer questions.
Front End or Back End?
You have a choice: you can either work on front-end design, or take care of the back end stuff. Before you decide, think about what type of person you are. Do you enjoy meeting people and are you creative? If so, front-end web development will be a good fit for your personality, as you will be comfortable talking through design concepts with clients. If, on the other hand, you would much rather be locked away in a room writing code and tweaking with databases, a role in back end web development is likely to be a better fit.
Build a Portfolio
You need a portfolio to show off your talents to potential employers. Set up a page on GitHub and show off your best projects. Even better, build a website to showcase your skills.
Career Prospects for a Web Developer
Web developers earn, on average, around $64k per annum, but if you run your own business, your earnings will probably be higher. It’s a good job niche to move into, with market growth predicted to be around 26% over the next ten years. Most of the web development industry is centered in California, but New York and Texas also have reasonably large web development industries.
Web development is a great career path if you love to code and have a creative flair, but if you want to take your career to the next level, look at studying for an online MS computer science.