If you’re planning to become a web developer, you’ve come to the right place. A new career is a huge decision, so it’s imperative to do your due diligence and research. This guide covers a combination of government information, real-time job analysis data, and expert insight to offer you answers to your burning questions. Below are some of the common questions about web development.
What does a web developer do?
Basically, a web developer builds websites but there’s more to that. A web developer must analyze user requirements to make sure proper graphics, content, and underlying structure must meet both user’s and website’s owner needs. A web developer specializes in either the front-end (client side) development or back-end (server-side) development.
Some skilled, versatile and highly-sort after developers do both and are called full-stack developers. So, if you’re up to the task, you can join a web development bootcamp to get started.
Web developer tasks and responsibilities
As a web developer, you can work for an agency, company, or as a freelancer taking individual clients’ tasks. The tasks vary depending on the work situation, but most common responsibilities include:
- Writing and reviewing code for websites, usually JavaScript, XML, or HTML
- Designing user interfaces and navigation menus
- Testing web applications
- Integrating multimedia content onto a website
- Collaborating with developers, stakeholders, and designers
- Troubleshooting issues with user experience or performance
Career outlook for web developers
If the above information has excited you to become one, you’ll be thrilled to hear that the positions for these experts are growing. As per the Beau of statistics, web development positions are expected to increase 13% throughout 2030. Every business and even freelancers want a website and as a web developer, you’ll never be short of work. Most web developers start in a junior role and work their way up to the senior web developer positions. As you gather experience, you could try your hand at freelancing or even start your own web development business.
Common jobs for web developers
There are numerous titles under the umbrella of a web developer. An expert with this knowledge and skills is qualified to work in several positions related to computer programming and web development. There are over 197,000 web developer jobs posted annually. Some of the web development titles include:
- Front-end developer
- Back-end developer
- Full-stack developer
- User experience designer
- User interface developer
- Software developer
How much does a web developer make?
With web development jobs expected to increase, so is the salary. If you’re going to invest your money and time into this new career, you’ll be happy to know it’ll be worth it in the long-term. BLS reports of 2020 showed that the median annual salary was $77,000 which is quite higher than the average for all occupations in the same year. The salary can vary depending on factors like education, experience level, geographical area, industry, and whether you’re self-employed. In the same year, the lowest 10% earned below $40,750 while the highest side earned over $146,430 annually.
Technical skills
- Coding
- Responsive design
- Technical SEO
- Version control
- Visual design
Workplace skills
- Customer service
- Communication
- Detail-oriented
- Organization
- Problem solving
