There are certain web development essentials that you need to have a strong knowledge of to enter this career in 2022. It takes time and dedication to learn and practice the skills necessary to succeed, and you need to know what type of web developer you wish to be.
The career opportunities are strong if you have the necessary skills. They are not as difficult as you might think, and people can learn web development from scratch. The following is a guide to the web development essentials that will see you towards a lucrative career in this profession.
Specialisation
You need to decide whether you want to be a front-end or back-end developer. At the front-end, you will be working on what people see when they browse the internet, and it may involve working with UI/UX teams to create visual elements and interactive features.
A back-end developer, meanwhile, focuses on everything that happens behind the scenes. This means things like databases, server requests and the development of supporting applications. You could also be a full-stack developer by learning skills for both to offer a more comprehensive service, but this is naturally the most work to learn.
HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language is the basic language that all websites are written in. Browsers download the HTML for websites they load, and it is composed of very specific syntax. This language enables a browser to understand the contents of a webpage, including:
- Buttons
- Links
- Pictures
- Videos
- Animations
HTML5 is the current standard for websites to follow. While various plugins are still necessary, HTML5 has most of the capabilities you could need to build and run a website, so it is important to learn it thoroughly.
CSS
Cascade Style Sheets (CSS) works alongside HTML for browsers to interpret and load a webpage. HTML dictates the contents of the page and CSS defines how it will be displayed. This includes things like fonts, layout and colours of text and other standard design elements of the page.
CSS3 is the current standard for telling browsers how to present the HTML and visual styles. It works in conjunction with HTML, aligning tags and headers for the required website appearance.
Programming languages
Once you have a strong knowledge of HTML and CSS, the most common programming language to learn is JavaScript. These three things will generally be enough to build high-quality projects and get you through your first interviews towards starting your career.
There are, however, various other languages that are frequently used in the professions. They include:
- Python
- PHP
- GO
- Ruby on Rails
- C#
- Objective C and Swift
To begin with, focus on the HTML, CSS and JavaScript combination. Once you have gained some experience with these and have a few demos to showcase, you can begin the process of branching out and specialising.
You will also need to educate yourself on Structured Query Language, or SQL, to be able to work with databases. This is relatively simple, but it is nevertheless important and you will be expected to know it.
Education
There are courses to learn the things listed above, but you can teach yourself using books and online tools. Once you have those skills in your arsenal, you need to get yourself ready to actually start applying them.
Web development courses are abundant, and many of them can be accessed for free. However, if you want formal certification, you will probably need to pay. Certification programs can be beneficial in that they give you certificates to demonstrate your credentials, and this can be something that employers and clients look for.
Portfolio
Once you are ready to start building websites, you will need a portfolio under your best to showcase what you can do. You can work on generic projects to build demonstration websites for various common purposes, or you can work with companies and brands to develop projects specifically for them.
Building a portfolio is a great opportunity to practice your skills and learn on the job. Once you have it, you have everything you need to showcase your abilities and present them to potential clients and employers looking for developers with your skillset.
Final thoughts
It’s never too late to learn coding. There are a myriad of training opportunities out there to learn and practice your skills and the career potential is fantastic.
The things listed above are the web development essentials you need to be able to start out in this career. As you go along, you will learn more skills and discover new areas of study to grow throughout your professional life.
Venturing into the world of web development can be exciting but also a slow process. You may have a development project you’d like to start sooner rather than later. That’s where we can help! Take a look at the full range of services our web development experts can offer you and be sure to get in touch if you’re ready to get started.