How to Become a Web Developer

Web developers build websites, apps, and other systems using the necessary coding. They use designs to create the platform, creating a front-end product that mimics the design. They also must ensure that the backend code causes the website to function as it should.

A web developer is a professional who deals with the code of websites and applications, ensuring that they resemble their design and function as they should. Web developers are not involved in the design itself but should be able to replicate it through code. 

These professionals are generally in charge of all aspects of a website, but larger websites may have specialist web developers for different areas of the website. 

The duties of a web developer include:

• Discussing potential projects with clients and telling them how they can meet their needs.
• Collaborating with website designers to check that they can meet the design requirements.
• Working at the backend to build the website. They will need to build it from scratch and have a clear idea of how the backend code will produce the final product.
• Adding CTAs, links, and imagery that are displayed in the design. They may use front end code like Javascript.
• Adding multimedia, which is often provided by the client.
• Ensuring that the site is mobile and tablet responsive.
• Troubleshooting the site for potential bugs and fixing these.
• Uploading the site onto a server.

Website developers work on a range of projects, including websites, intranets, CMS systems, and e-commerce stores. They may specialise in client-side coding, which is what the general public see when they visit a website, or server-side scripting, which is the functionality of a website behind the scenes. However, many web developers work on projects requiring them to do both. 

Web developers must be experts in at least one backend coding language, such as Ruby or Java. They should also know front end languages like Javascript. Knowledge of HTML, CSS and SEO is also crucial. 

Other topics that web developers should have a general knowledge of are user experience (UX), user interface (UI), and design software such as photoshop.

There are no necessary qualifications to become a website developer, but many candidates have a degree in maths, science, or computing. However, experience and coding knowledge are much more important than formal qualifications. Candidates can self-teach, or they can take web developer courses. They can also attend expos to network and learn more skills.

When applying for a job, candidates will typically need to have a portfolio of work. If it is their first job, developers will be expected to have created their own website or made a mock-up of a website. It is beneficial to gain some work experience, and it is easy to obtain; candidates could offer to redesign somebody’s website at low cost or for free.

As well as knowing all things web development, candidates should be patient and customer-focused. They will often find that they need to edit or redo pieces of work to meet customer expectations and should approach this with a positive attitude. While a lot of their work will be independent, they will also need to work with designers and website owners, so having a positive attitude towards teamwork is essential.

Web development is a growing industry, so job security is high. Moreover, an increasing amount of web developers are becoming self-employed, and work on a remote basis. While working on this basis means that web developers will have to market their skills, it also offers flexibility and location independence.