Web developers are essential to the success of schools, hospitals, non-profits, tech giants, and other community organizations. Your computer programming skills are critical to the success of any company.
Are you curious about where your C++ and Python skills could take you? These are the potential job titles, growth paths, and career opportunities you can create if your coding skills become a permanent career.
All you need to know about a career in web development
Web developers are essential to the success of schools, hospitals, non-profits, tech giants, and other community organizations. Your computer programming skills are critical to the success of any company.
Are you curious about where your C++ and Python skills could take you? These are the potential job titles, growth paths, and career opportunities you can create if your coding skills become a permanent career.
Web development job titles
There are many specializations in web development. You can learn the subtle differences and use them to guide your career search and studies.
Programmer vs. Developer – Both terms can be interchanged. It doesn’t matter if you call yourself a Programmer or a Developer; it simply means you can write in multiple languages.
Web Developer and Software Engineer – These terms can be used interchangeably but denote distinct roles. Website developers use code to create websites. Software engineers develop programs, software, and applications. They need to be more involved in customer-facing websites. Engineer positions are typically more senior than developer positions and require more experience.
Front End Engineer “Front end” refers to all features customers see on a website or app, including text fields, images, and buttons. These engineers program the interfaces that users use. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are all front-end coding languages.
Back Engineer -Back engineers design the mechanisms of how a website processes information. They decide how the site communicates with servers and how users can store, retrieve, and manage their data. Back-end development languages that are most popular include Python, PHP, and Ruby.
Full Stack Engineer – If you are proficient in multiple languages and can successfully build a website’s front and back end, you are a complete stack engineer. These programmers can guide users and transmit data to servers.
Software Architect – A skilled programmer who heads the development team. They are responsible for making high-level design decisions and creating standards and tools for their department.
Career Paths in Web Development
Depending on your work style and experience, web developers can choose between two career options. You can work in a steady, salaried job or be more independent as a contractor.
A full-time job appeals more to those who enjoy teamwork and appreciate stable income. Your team will be able to learn from you and other programmers. You’re likely to have the opportunity to grow, especially with larger companies, if you can prove to your senior leadership that you are reliable and committed. Developers are highly sought-after and can earn high salaries, generous employee perks, and bonuses.
The freelance route is for you if you like the challenge of working with clients and the freedom to choose your projects. You will be responsible for creating your own business. You’ll be able to set your schedule, manage each project, and not rely on a corporate structure.
After you have spent many years learning your craft, you can work as a consultant. To find out if potential clients are a good match, web consultants interview them and then build websites or apps that meet their needs. Their clients’ websites are often maintained and managed by them, which can lead to a steady income.
Web development offers a long-term career. Programming skills are always in demand. You can build a rewarding career by combining your programming skills and strong work ethic.
Developer’s Responsibilities
Web developers often have responsibilities that go beyond the writing of scripts. You could be responsible for any or all of these duties besides the programming part.
Meeting with clients You may need to meet with customers face-to-face to understand their needs and to communicate with them throughout the project, especially if they are small or freelancers.
Customer research You should first look at the data from your company’s customer research and surveys before you can start building the project.
Work with other teams: Your company will likely comprise UX designers, data analysts, project managers, and product designers. Most likely, you will work with all these teams to ensure the site is visually appealing and collects the correct user data.
Quality Testing: Testing plays a significant role in the development process. Before your app or site goes live, you must troubleshoot and test your work on different browsers and devices.
Your day-to-day routine will be very different for a web contractor or an engineer in a team of 30 people. It would help if you considered the things that give you the most satisfaction before signing a contract. Programming is a flexible skill that can lead you down many different paths. Choose the one that suits you best.
Four Skills that Make a Developer a Success
A strong portfolio and a solid understanding of HTML can help you land the job. However, many other skills can help you advance your career. They cannot be taught in an hour-long Youtube tutorial.
These four skills will help you excel in web development. These skills may come quickly to you, but if not, you can sharpen your eye for detail and logical problem-solving, creativity, and communication with every website you create.
Pay attention to details: Even the slightest typo could lead to a page being 404. Programmers are taught to read their code several times to find efficiencies. It takes patience, laser focus, and the ability to see your work objectively.
Logical Thinking: Programming languages work with definitions and rules. These languages will be easier to learn if you can think logically and solve problems naturally. You can break down statements and predict logical outcomes as you experience them.
CreativityDevelopers are responsible for finding the best solution for the end-user. You’ll discover that there’s rarely one solution to complex problems. Instead, there are many options available to you. It takes creativity to envision how each will work together.
Communication: Whether part of a large engineering team or a contractor working alone, you must communicate with stakeholders and other members during your projects. Keep your mind open to the ideas of clients and designers. Be bold and speak up when you encounter roadblocks. Open communication is vital to better products and a better developer.