The services of web developers are crucial to keep websites functioning for the Internet and make the sites accessible easily to the users. Moreover, they make it possible for businesses to reach out to customers, build a strong brand identity, and promote a brand in so many ways. Considering the significance of the job, no surprise that web development is one of the most sought-after jobs today.
India is home to thousands of startups and established companies in different industries and sectors that need skilled web developers to optimize website functions.
If you have decided to pick web development as your career, have an insight into what it is all about and its various aspects.
What is Web Development?
Web development at its primary level is about developing a website to make it suitable for functioning on the Internet and make the site responsive and accessible to users. Depending on the requirement of a website, web development activities can vary from some basic processes for a single static page to some complex processes for web applications, social network services, and electronic businesses. It is also about implementing different new techniques and resolving customers’ issues.
The task of a web developer includes client-side and server-side scripting, web server and network security configuration, web content development, web engineering, and e-commerce development.
So, web development should not be mistaken for web design, which deals with the aesthetic part of the website. A website should be an impressive work of graphic design, which is what the designers do. But web developers make that website work on the web smoothly for the users.
However web developers are not responsible for creating logos, but no matter how unique your products are you will always have to face competition. So, a perfect logo can help to set you apart from the crowd of brands within your same industry.
Also, note that while a custom logo design and website design can give a business identity in its niche market, web development will let the customers access the site quickly.
What are the responsibilities of a web developer?
An entire web development process goes behind the scenes to keep websites healthy and functioning so that users can perform different tasks.
A web developer is responsible for running a website in prime condition. First, a web developer should understand the core requirements of a client’s web development project inside out. This will require extensive meetings with the client to know the expectations from the project.
Front-end web development
As a web developer, you work on front-end and back-end developers. Front-end web development focuses on the user side of the website that we see on the screen. They ensure that the static website design is user-friendly. For this purpose, the programming languages they use include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery.
Back-end web development
The back-end web development is also known as server-end development, implying that the developer ensures that the server connects to the database and website. This job is more about focusing on server performance and security. The server-side languages web developers use include PHP, Python, Ruby, and many others.
Full-stack web development
A full-stack web development job involves doing both the front-end and back-end work on a website.
Here are some responsibilities of web developers:
- Know the client’s web development requirements and expectations
- Set link between database and landing page
- Building website applications and maintaining them
- Using scripting and authoring languages including JavaScript, CSS, PHP, HTML, etc.
- Build and test apps
- Performing website updates
- Backup files to local directories for recovery
- Identifying problems based on customer feedback and correcting them on time
- Track website traffic
- Optimize website for mobile users
- Connect e-commerce website with payment gateway
Tips to start your career as a web developer
After you know what web development is all about and what a web developer does, find out how to start working in this field.
Learn necessary languages
First, start learning some languages that are essential to do some basic web development jobs. Do not be overwhelmed by the numerous codings the developer professionals use.
Instead, learn easy languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript [ES5]. Ruby, Python, and PHP are also easier to grasp. These are easy languages since you can check the visual effects of your coding efforts quickly. At this stage, do not worry about complicated coding or frameworks and libraries.
Still, to make it simple for you when setting out to know the programming languages, where is what you should keep in mind:
- Python – Prefer learning Python first if you want to start with an easy language.
- C – You should opt for C when you want to be a master web developer.
- Java – You should Learn Java programming when getting a job is your preference.
- JavaScript – Start learning JavaScript if you want to opt for front-end web development.
- Ruby – Opt for Ruby when doing web development work for your startup’s website.
Set realistic goals
There is a volume of learning material available online, which can be intimidating to beginners. Do not be ambitious. It would be wiser to start with achievable smaller goals and then move to the higher ones.
A proven way to learn web development is to start developing your project, such as an App. As you will confront the hurdles and problems, you will research the solutions. In this way, you have small goals to achieve. You will learn about how to resolve the coding problems step-by-step. Such a project-based approach to solving problems as they emerge is helpful to learn the basics.
Choose a web development field and specialize.
After you have learned the programming languages and done some development work on your project, it is now time for you to focus on one specific skill. There are three types of web development jobs that professionals do. These are front-end web development, back-end web development, and full-stack web development. We have mentioned these jobs precisely already above.
You should pick any one of them as per your interest and hone that skill to perfection. Then, make sure that you gain mastery over that particular web development-specific niche so that you can find work quickly.
Opt for an internship
Look for some internship with a company to build websites on a commercial scale and how users interact with websites you developed. This is a great way to start a career as you will learn many web development strategies and tricks of the trade.
Most importantly, during the internship, you will get some practical lessons since there is a wide gap between what you learn theoretically and implementing while doing a project. You will also build some contacts with web development professionals and clients.
Participate in coding contests
How about testing your web development skills in front of skillful web developers? That is a great way to learn your lesson fast. To do that, look for coding contest sites that allow you to compete with experienced coders to test your programming skills. You should join sites like Hacker Noon, CodeChef, and HackerEarth, where you can participate in contests to test your coding skills.
In coding contents, the host gives a mathematical or logical problem to the participants to solve. The contestants are supposed to write correct programs to solve the problem. Even if you do not win the contest, you will learn a lot by merely putting what you learned so far to practice.
Here are 7 top coding contest sites to explore:
- Top Coder
- CodeChef
- LeetCode
- Hacker Rank
- International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC)
- Geeks Coding Challenge (GCC)
- Code Forces
Also, participate in a hackathon, which programmers can use to test skills. You will compete with other web developers while working on a new project.
Look for some freelancing jobs.
Work as a freelancer to try your hand on a project of your interest. You can look for freelance work on sites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Project4hire. That is a great way to take up new projects and gradually learn more.
Do some open source projects.
An open-source project lets people access the code to use and modify the code. The programmers can improve upon the source code and share the modifications with the community. You should take part in some of these projects to hone your skills and learn fast.
Also, use sites that allow web developers to save their code and let others see the changes you made in the code. In this way, you get the chance to discuss the changes you made with other web developers.
Numerous open-source web development tools allow you to participate in any web developer’s work and share your suggestions. Here is a selective list of such free open source software for web development;
- Apache
- Emacs
- GitHub
- BracketsEclipse
- NetBeans
- Vim
- Apache Cordova
- Bootstrap
- Ruby on Rails
- Eclipse
Build your portfolio
Make sure that you have built your portfolio to showcase your web development skill level and body of work as an intern or freelancer. Put everything you learned and various types of development work you have completed. Clients will first like to visit your portfolio to know more about your skills and work experience.
Your web development portfolio should include your bio, contact information, skills, experience, and projects. Also, note that a portfolio for front-end and back-end web development should look different.
Front-end web development portfolio
The front-end portfolio should include web pages that look impressive to show that you create web pages that not only look great but are also functional. But you should also show the work you did as the developer to do those pages.
Back-end web development portfolio
Your back-end portfolio should be explaining the logic behind the coding you did to create the web pages.
So, follow these tips when starting your career as an aspiring web developer. But have patience and continue to hone your skills. It may take you a few months before you are a master web developer.
Wrapping Up
Web development is a lucrative career option due to the ever-increasing demand from various industries and businesses to keep websites functioning and reach out to customers. As a beginner, learn easy programming languages and hone your skills on open source projects. Also, participate in coding contests, and do some easy freelancing development jobs. As you gain experience, you get a high-paying job in a few months.