My Web Developer Journey

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It all started back in 2018 when I’ve graduted Northern Virginia Community College with an Associate of Science in Computer science. I transfered to Longwood University for Spring 2019, but after spending a semester there trying to finish my computer science degree, I realize that it isn’t for me. So I dropped out of college and spend the whole summer of 2019 researching for career options that might interest me. I wanted a career that has great job security, allows me to be creative, has a high pay, and allows me to work remotely. I came across two possible career options that interest me, digital marketing and web development.

Both options seems great, but I didn’t know which one was the right fit. So I spend about a year learning about these field from youtube videos and google. After learning the basic skills in both field, I find that my main interest lies in Web development. I thought about returning to Longwood after discovering my interest in Web development, but after looking at the available courses, I realize that there isn’t much. This has caused me to decide to look at other Universities, but so far not many of them have updated courses for web development.

After all of these searches, I’ve decided to go the self-taught route. I’ve decided to take some courses on Teamtreehouse, udemy, freecodeacademy, and studioweb. I’ve paid for some monthly membership on these sites and I pretty much coded everyday. I’ve sacrified my social life and any free time I have just to master the basic of web development. It was hard, but because of the challenges and struggles that I’ve faced while learing web development, this actually helped me become better and better. I thought about giving up at times because of how hard it is to learn web development, but it is my determination to succeed that drives me to continue. Am I finish with my journey yet? no! Because web development is always evolving and there is always some new technology that we have to keep learning about.

Thinking About Starting a Career in web Development and don’t know where to start? wait no more read the guide below to learn more!

If you are thinking about changing or starting your journey to become a web developer then you are at the right spot. Is web development a fun and rewarding career? YES! Web development is a wonderful career for those that love being creative and problem-solving. It is also a highly flexible career and has a high paying salary potential. And did I mention that you can work anywhere you want, whenever you want? In other words, you have the option of creating your own work schedule and work wherever you want without having to be at an office all day. You can work at the beach, at home, at a restaurant, and even while you travel the world! Keep in mind that although web development is a highly flexible career, you still have to get things done on time, so there is no excuse to slack off and wait till the last minute to get things done. Now let’s get into full details.

First, let’s understand what web development really is. Web development is the process of building and creating a website using various types of programming languages and Javascript libraries. The common programming language used is HTML, CSS, Javascript, Reactjs, Jquery, PHP, SQL, and Python. There are other languages use as well but for now, let’s keep things simple by focusing on these. When it comes to web development people commonly mistake it as a career that involves sitting and coding 24/7, but in reality, web development is more than just “coding”. Web Development involves collaborating with your team consisting of a User Experience Designer, User Interface designer, web designer, front-end developer, and back-end developer working together to order to build a highly functional website. In general, there are three types of web developers. You have front-end developers, you have back-end developers, and then you have full-stack developers.

Front end developement

Let’s start with front-end development. Front-end development is like the server in a restaurant. They serve the website by showing you what it looks like in the front. Front-end developer is in charge of analyzing code, design, and debugging, the act of fixing and identifying any errors from computer software or hardware, applications along with ensuring a flawless experience for the users. In a simple explanation, Front-end developers is in charge of creating the look, the feel, and ultimately the design of a website using HTML, CSS, and Javascript. According to glassdoor.com the average salary of a front-end developer in the United State is $76,929.

html( Hypertext markup language)

HTML creates the layout of a website and is basically the building block of a webpage.

Css (Cascading style sheet)

CSS is used to style elements in an HTML code, by styling its font, colors, background, etc.

JAvascript

Javascript that is in charge of the functionality of a webpage.

backend web development

Next, let’s talk about back-end web development. Refers to the server-side of an application and focusing on how the site works. A back-end developer’s responsibility is to monitor the functionality of a webpage and make any change or update needed to a website. This type of web development consists of three main parts: a server, an application, and a database. Back-end development pretty much works behind the scene. Imagine a chef working behind the kitchen to cook the dishes, and then the server (front-end developer) brings it out to the customers. Common tools used by back-end developers are Java, PHP, Python, Ruby on rails, and another programming language to get the job done. Note, back-end developer must also know how front-end development work. The same can be said about front-end developers, you must know how back-end work in order to be able to communicate with your web development team. The average salary, according to glassdoor.com, for a back-end developer in the United State is $101,619. Not bad!

Fullstack web development

Finally, we will talk about full-stack web developers. Full-stack developers are pretty much a combination of back-end and front-end development. They must know both the front and back end and utilizes tools from them to build a website. You can think of a Full-stack developer as the jack-of-all-trade of web developers. Salaries vary for Full-stack developers, according to glassdoor.com, which is estimated to be $105,813. Out of all three developer roles, full-stack is the most in demand position that employers are hunting for. Yes, you’ve heard me! recruiters are constantly seeking out people to fill the role of a Full-stack developer, as like I mention, they are the jack-of-all-trade in web developer having both the skill of front-end and back-end developers.

conclusion

Web development is a very excellent career for people looking for a career change or those that recently graduated from college that love having the ability to be creative, solve problems, and enjoys the option of working remotely while getting paid a very good salary. Not to mention you’ll be in demand, and not have the worries of not being able to find a job, that is if you continue to work hard and learn, like many other jobs. You also don’t need a college degree for this career. Many colleges these days are pretty outdated, and web development is constantly evolving every single day. You must always keep yourself updated by learning new technical skills to stay relevant. The moment that you stop learning and updating your skill is the moment you are no longer a developer! Now get out there and start your journey today, websites such as teamtreehouse.com, freecodeacadamy.com, and Udemy.com all teaches the fundamental of web development and plus they much more affordable than a college degree, keep in mind I am not telling you to drop out as having a degree is quite helpful in getting your foot in the door and noticed by employers, but this isn’t a requirement.