Careers in Web Design

Areas in the Web Development Field

Frontend Development

Frontend development revolves around coding the "client side" of the website. Frontend developers handle the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for websites.


Backend Development

Backend developers work on the servers for a website, ensuring the proper processing of data entered and sent out. While users don't interact with this part, it's just as essential to a website as the frontend. These developers work with PHP, Java, and Python, as well as databases typically coded in SQL.


Full Stack Development

Full stack developers do both the frontend and backend development for a website. This comes with the upside of being able to implement end-to-end solutions. This, of course, comes at the cost of more work, however.



Skills

Technical



General



Education

While a degree isn't necessarily required to get into the web development field, a majority of people in the field have a bachelor's degree, specifically 71%. Factoring in master's and associate degrees, a total of 96% of people in the web development field have degrees.


Web Development Programs

Of course, it always helps to have experience and education when trying to get into a field. That's what courses are for, many of which can be found easily online.

Web Design for Everybody: Basics of Web Development and Coding

This program is offered by the University of Michigan for free and has a flexible schedule, but typically takes 2 weeks. Its courses are:

  1. Introduction to HTML5
  2. Introduction to CSS3
  3. Interactivity with JavaScript
  4. Advanced Styling with Responsive Design
  5. Web Design for Everybody Capstone

Meta Front-End Developer Professional Certificate

This is a program offered by, as you can tell, Meta (the people who made Facebook) for free. It typically takes 6 weeks, but it's flexible. As for its programs, they're:

  1. Introduction to Front-End Development
  2. Programming with JavaScript
  3. Version Control
  4. HTML and CSS in depth
  5. React Basics
  6. Advanced React
  7. Principles of UX/UI Design
  8. Front-End Developer Capstone
  9. Coding Interview Preparation


Average Salary

Of course, the question is, how much money can be made off of this? Why would you want to have fun? There's money to be made! Well, for the USA, the average salary for a web developer is $93,848 per year. That's quite a bit, but it varies heavily by state. Florida sits at the bottom of the list at $70,132, while the list is topped by Washington at $106,291.

Work Environment

Of course, why would you want to work in a job you don't enjoy going to every day? Well, luckily, most web developers have decently easy days (as long as nothing goes wrong). They spend most of their day writing and reviewing code, either alone or as part of a team, as well as standard office job things like checking emails and attending meetings. Furthermore, they need to make sure Git is tracking changes properly. This is done either in-office, virtually, or as a hybrid setup.

How Do I Get Started?

So, you're hooked on web development? Well, don't worry - getting into this field is as "simple" as getting a degree and building your portfolio! Granted, these are typical job requirements - most jobs won't let you in without a degree and/or portfolio. But you don't need to rely on just those two things! By doing internships and earning certifications, as well as simply having a good resume, you can score any web development job!

Sources

Web Development - GeeksforGeeks
13 Web Development Skills You Should Have | DeVry University
How to Become a Web Developer | Coursera
What Is Computer Science Web Developer Salary by State?
Web Developer Daily Life: What Do Web Developers Do Day-to-Day?
How To Become A Web Developer