Looking for a Job in tech? or Trying to start your career as a Freelancer? Try Web Development.
Web Development is one of those industries that probably won't die any time soon.
It is also one of the fastest-growing industries according to the satistics. There has been a surge in demand to learn Web Development because it is a skill that doesn't require you to have any degree and can be learnt by anyone regardless of their education or age. Web Development has also been referred to as a gateway into the tech industry because of its popularity among the non-technical audience. If you can develop this skill, You do not have to worry much about finding a job or a stable source of income.
There are three types of Web Developers
- Front-End Developers: People who work on the structure and styling of websites.
- Back-End Developers: People who work on all the logic and functioning of the website.
- Full-Stack Developers: People who do both Front-End and Back-End Development.
Which one should you choose to become and Why?
There are many reasons why one would choose a particular type over others, I will share what's my take on this.
If you are interested in how a website looks and feels rather than all the logic and the core functions behind it then Front-End Development is what you're looking for. There is a huge demand for Front-End developers in the industry.
If you are interested in things like databases, core logic and the functioning of websites then you should try Back-End Development. Back-End Developers are often hired as Software Engineers (SWEs) in a lot of tech companies.
If you would like to be the master of the web and are interested in build things from start to end all by yourself, Then you should choose Full-Stack Development. Full-Stack Developers have a high demand at start-ups and often do very well as Freelancers.
What can I achieve as a Web Developer?
Everything. I mean it. The sky is the limit. I know a lot of Web Development agencies which are doing 7 figures and were started by just a single web developer. There will be many in future too.
There are so many opportunities you can pursue as a Web Developer. Few of them are:
- Getting a Job in a Tech Company
- Freelancing
- Building a Start-up (Facebook, Google, Amazon were websites!)
- Creating a course
- Consulting
Here is an example that I found on my Twitter feed which shows the fruitfulness of the Web Development path
Who can become a Web Developer?
Absolutely anyone. You do not need a fancy degree neither do you need to attend some expensive Bootcamp. Anyone could be a Web Developer. Everything you need to learn is all available online and a lot of it is available for free!
You can be a Web Developer regardless of your age or education. There are no criteria what so ever.
What do I need to learn to become one?
Now the best part about Web Development is that the learning curve is relatively easy compared to other fields in tech.
Software is one of those fields where you just have to keep learning no matter how good you get. It's an endless journey. But the catch is, You don't need to master anything to get started. You can start applying to Jobs and start getting freelancing clients as soon as you learn the basics which only take 3-4 Weeks to learn
Front-End Development
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- A JavaScript Front-End Framework like React or Vue (Optional for beginners)
Back-End Development
- A Server Side Language of Choice (Like Python, Node, Rails, GoLang)
- SQL Database of Choice (Like MySQL, PostgreSQL)
- NoSQL Database like MongoDB (Optional if you learn SQL)
- Cloud Basics like Deployment through AWS or GCP
Obviously, You need both of those to become a Full-Stack Developer.
I highly recommend learning Fron-End Development. Because You could easily kick start your career as a developer at a company or even as a freelancer very quickly. Then, based on your interests and opportunities you can start learning Back-End Development. In most of the cases, you don't have to.
I am also writing a blog on How To Learn Web Development In 100 Hours where I will be including a detailed plan for learning Front-End Web Development involving free and paid resources available. so subscribe to my newsletter and keep an eye out for that.
P.S Read Learn Web Development in 100 Hours.
My Advice
The best advice that I can give is: Don't Give Up. When you're learning something new it is obvious that you will come across a few things which you may not understand right away, things that might make you frustrated. That's common and everyone feels the same way. In such scenarios take short breaks. Approach your friends or people online who can help you through things but never give up. Join subreddits like r/learnprogramming where you may find people just like you who are trying to learn to program for the first time. Twitter Developer community is also one of the great resources to help you through your journey.
Conclusion
In today's world, the job market is getting more and more challenging. The traditional jobs are phasing out every day. So, why not learn a skill that will keep you employed (possibly wealthy)?
The best part as I mentioned above is that you don't need a fancy undergraduate degree to get into this field. All you need is determination (and a Laptop). You can learn all of the concepts yourself for free online using resources like Google, Youtube, Udemy, etc.
Good Luck on your journey! If you have anything to ask leave a comment. Also, you can follow me on Twitter @abbasmdj where I post a lot of content and resources related to Web Development and other exciting things like Machine Learning.
