How to Become a Web Developer
The ability to create websites is one of the most valuable skills in modern business. Whether it’s for a small business, artist, or blogger, it is crucial that everyone with a digital presence have a website. While beginners can use web-building applications, aspiring developers will want to learn how to create sites using coding languages and other technologies. As a result, web coding is becoming more important than ever and has taken its place near the top of many “Best Jobs” lists.
The first step for anyone who wants to become a web developer is figuring out if the career path is right for them. To do this, they need to take a variety of beginner coding projects and decide if the learning process is enjoyable. If not, they may need to find a different path.
To start, aspiring coders can practice with some of the many beginner coding projects on sites like Codecademy and CoderDojo. They can also try out a coding bootcamp, which has become an increasingly popular pathway to a career as a web developer. Bootcamps offer fast-tracked training that focuses on outcomes and employment, making them a great option for people who don’t have the time or budget to complete a full degree program.
Aspiring web developers should focus on fluency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and front-end frameworks to prepare for a successful career. According to HackerRank’s 2020 Developer Report, these are the primary languages that employers look for in their candidates. Having a solid understanding of these fundamentals will give aspiring developers the foundation they need to develop more complex and dynamic websites that feature animations, photo slideshows, automated survey forms, and other sophisticated features.
Another key part of becoming a web developer is being able to work on cross-platform platforms. Many of the tools that aspiring coders use can run on Windows, Mac, or Linux computers, and they need to know how to work with them all in order to be successful. Additionally, a good web developer will be familiar with platforms like GitHub, which is used by most large companies to manage version control for their code.
Finally, a good web developer will be comfortable working with a range of browsers on desktop and mobile devices. They need to be able to test their websites on a number of browsers and platforms in order to ensure that they are working correctly across all devices. This is especially important because the majority of internet users access websites through mobile phones and tablets.