With nearly every industry relying on the internet to manage business operations, web development is an in-demand skill that can offer a wide variety of job opportunities. Understanding how to become a web developer can be the first step toward a successful career.
With the growth of do-it-yourself web design programs and cloud-based software, it may seem simple to learn web design and development. But if you dream of building a career in the technology field, you’ll need a strong background in web design education and development experience.
Are you ready to learn valuable skills and prepare for an exciting technology career? Before you begin to explore how to become a developer, it’s important to understand what web development is and what a web developer does.
What is Web Development?
Web development is a broad field that plays a role in almost every industry. As a web developer, you could work to design websites or program the latest mobile app. You could create cloud-based software that helps businesses run more efficiently or be responsible for the user experience of an e-commerce website.
As the world becomes more reliant on the internet for nearly all aspects of daily life and more businesses embrace a remote workforce, quality web development is a key part of running a successful business.
In fact, websites that load slowly lead to a $2.6 billion loss in revenue worldwide every year thanks to customers who won’t wait to make a purchase, according to an article from WebFX. The same article also reported that 89% of users take their business to a competitor after having a poor user experience on a company’s website.
And as more businesses work to manage remote employees, web developers are also in demand to improve the software and other tools needed to bring teams together virtually, said SNHU adjunct instructor and web developer Dr. Francis Manning.
“The need to be able to build applications that handle employees working from home and still maintain back-end systems with the business’s data – that’s where you get a lot of people who are going to be needed for web development,” Manning said.
With web developers in demand across many industries, it’s important to understand the types of web development available and what these developers do.
What Does a Web Developer Do?
Web developers design and create websites, applications, cloud-based software and more. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as a web developer you may be responsible for the look of a website, the technical aspects of a site’s function – or both.
Some developers handle all aspects of a website’s construction, while others specialize in a specific area. And web developers can work in virtually any industry, according to Loay Alnaji, a web developer and adjunct instructor for SNHU.
With a career as a web developer, you could find yourself creating reports for sales teams, tracking and adding new items for an e-commerce website or designing new websites for a variety of clients. Developers can also work as consultants to guide businesses through a web design project or as a systems analysts to help businesses identify their website needs, Alnaji said.
The most common types of web development jobs typically fall into these categories:
- Back-end web developers: These developers are responsible for the technical construction of a website. They create the basic framework of a website and ensure that it works as expected. They also establish procedures for adding new pages or other updates to a website.
- Front-end web developers: These developers are responsible for how a website looks. They create a website’s layout and incorporate graphics, applications for features like e-commerce checkout and other website content.
- Full stack web developers: These developers manage both the front- and back-end of a website or application. Full stack developers are in high demand, particularly among smaller businesses that may not be able to hire a large web development team, said Manning.
- API developers: An API, or Application Programming Interface, allows applications to access data and interact with other external software or operating systems. APIs are critical to many of the online processes businesses use to manage customer-facing operations and back-end operations, said Manning, and is a growing area of web development.
- UI/UX developers: Developers working in UI, or user interface, and UX, or user experience, focus on creating an online customer experience that is both visually appealing and functional. With more business being conducted online, these areas of development are in-demand, said Manning.
Before getting started in one of these web development careers, it’s important to understand how to become a web developer and the steps you need to take to break into this growing field.
How to Become a Web Developer
No matter what area of web development you hope to work in, your career will need to start with education, both in the classroom and in the real world.
How to Learn Web Development
Even if you’re not enrolled in a computer science degree program, you can start learning web development right now.
“There are infinite tutorials online,” said Alnaji. “Start by building a web page. It’s that easy. With the resources we have, you don’t need to memorize anything, you just need to know it can be done and you can learn how to do it.”
Still, while you can learn a lot through online tutorials, videos and blog posts, it’s important to note that if you want a career in web development, a college degree will be required.
Earn a Web Development Degree
Educational requirements for web development jobs will vary depending on the setting you work in and the type of work you do. While an associate degree may be enough to get some entry level web development jobs, the majority of jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree, according to BLS.
The major you choose for your four-year web development degree – and the web development courses you take – can also vary. Web development degree options include:
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science: In a 4-year computer science degree, you’ll work to solve real-world problems in courses that focus on the design and development of computer software. You’ll take courses on topics including programming languages, software security and full-stack development.
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technologies: A 4-year information technology degree will help you understand the principles of computing and how they relate to business operations. An IT degree with a concentration in software development includes courses on programming languages and also explores the software development lifecycle.
- Bachelor of Art in Graphic Design: If you want to work on front-end web design and user experience, having a creative eye and solid design skills is important. A graphic design degree – especially one with a concentration in web design – can offer web development courses including interactive animation, user interface and experience and advanced digital publishing.
While most web development jobs require a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree in information technology, computer science or software development may be required if you’re seeking a highly specialized web development job or want to manage a team of developers.
A master’s degree can help provide the bigger-picture view of web development and its function as part of a business that you’ll need to work in a leadership role, said Gaston.
“If you have interest in management, then the master’s degree will give more of an abstract view on technology and how to use it as a tool,” said Gaston. “But people can have a great career with a bachelor’s degree alone.”
Learn Key Programming Languages
While your degree’s web development courses will offer many of the technical skills you’ll need to work in the field, you may need to master additional programming languages or specific software for certain jobs – particularly as these technologies grow and evolve.
Some of the most common programming languages used in web development include:
- HTML: HTML is a front-end web development language that is used to build and design static web pages.
- CSS: CSS is a front-end development language that is used in conjunction with HTML to style a website.
- Java: Java is one of the most common front-end development languages used to design website content, games, software and apps.
- JavaScript: JavaScript is used in many aspects of web development to add interactive elements to a website.
- Python: Python is one of the simplest programming languages used to create a framework for virtually any website need.
- SQL: SQL is a database query language that is used when your website computes large amounts of data.
- PHP: PHP is an open-source language often used on data-heavy websites or for app development.
- .Net: .Net is a programming language used to develop a wide variety of applications, including web, mobile and Windows-based applications.
Enhance Your Learning with a Web Development Certification
One of the best ways to highlight your knowledge and experience with programming languages and other professional skills is by seeking industry certifications.
“Certifications are important because they show that you have the theoretical and functional knowledge about how things work to the point that you could pass the test,” said Gaston. “A certification demonstrates that initiative to want to go deeper in their career and to certify their skills. Certifications show a lot of things – not just technical competency – but initiative and commitment to their fields.”
There are a wide variety of computer science, information technology and web development certifications available. And the certifications you seek will vary depending on your interests and the jobs you hope to get.
Some popular certifications available for web development professionals include:
- CompTIA Security+: In today’s world, website security is top of mind for all businesses. And a web developer with proven knowledge in cybersecurity is a valuable asset to any company. The CompTIA Security+ certification is one of the top cybersecurity certifications available.
- Google Developers Certifications: To become a Google Certified Developer, you can take a series of certification exams that test your knowledge in a variety of areas, including: android development, mobile web development, data engineering and cloud engineering.
- Zend Certified PHP Engineer: This certification requires passing an exam that covers PHP language, syntax and data types, along with support for web-based input and output, web features, security topics and more. Training lessons and a certification study guide are available.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner: If you’re interested in API development and want to work to develop cloud-based software and other applications, this certification can help you stand out.
- Adobe Certified Expert (ACE): Adobe makes some of the most popular tools in the graphic design and web design industry. Adobe offers a variety of certifications, including Magento Commerce Front-End Developer and Magento Commerce JavaScript Developer.
Focus on Real-World Experience
Education is key to a web development career, but even the most highly educated professionals will have a hard time finding a job without proven development experience,…