Whether you are a student looking to decide their future career or a professional interested in changing paths, learning more about your potential job choices can be invaluable. If you are interested in working as a website developer, this guide is here to help. This guide has been created to help anyone who is considering a career as a website developer learn more about what the job involves, what experience is required and how to jumpstart your new career.

What is Website Development?

To begin with the basis, it is always useful to ensure you are clear about what the term website development actually means. Website development, or as it is more commonly known, web development, is the building and maintenance of websites. The work that a website developer is responsible for will affect a website’s aesthetic appeal, speed, performance, and quality of the site’s user experience.

Website development is usually broken down further into two distinct categories, and those are front-end and back-end development.

• Front-End Website Development

Front-end website development focuses on the layout, design, and user experience of the site. A front-end developer will be responsible for aspects such as the visual layout, navigation, and interactivity.

• Back-end Development

Back-end website development goes on behind the scenes, usually without the users of a site even knowing about it. Back-end development occurs where data is stored and critically; without the back-end, there is no front-end.

• Full-Stack Development

While website development is usually broken down into either back or front-end development, a third category exists, which is called, full-stack development. Full-stack development involves both the front and back-end development to understand how the server-side and client-sides of a site are related to one another.

What Does a Website Developer Do?

The type of work you will be responsible for completing as a website developer will typically depend on your specific role, namely if you are working as a front, back, or full-stack developer.

Front-end developers will focus on the user-driven aspect of a site, such as visual design elements that determine needs and behavior. The most common programming languages that front-end developers work with include JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. As a front-end developer, you will likely work closely with graphic and user experience designers. You will be responsible for translating ideas and sketches to reality on screen. You will also likely be responsible for structuring a site for optimal search ranking, testing, and fixing bugs.

As a back-end developer, you will need to be skilled in problem-solving logic and be able to work with a number of programming languages, including Python, SQL, and Ruby. There are a number of different roles that a back-end developer can take depending on their professional experience and personal preferences. You can choose to specialize in mobile application development, in particular operating systems, or work in specific industries.

Whether you work as a back-end, front-end, or full-stack developer, collaboration will be a very important aspect of your job. You will likely be required to work with content creators, marketers, user experience developers, UI specialists, and client services managers. A successful website developer is critical to this combination of technical skills and understanding, creative thinking, and collaboration.

How to Become a Website Developer?

The most straightforward way to become a website designer is to study computer science. It is also recommended that those who wish to get a head start and apply for the top positions should study for masters. You can easily study to become an online master of computer science in data science, which will prove invaluable when you are looking to work for a big technology company or in the finance industry.

While getting the relevant educational experience is a great way to kick start your career as a website developer, it is not the only path you can go down. After all, website developers are not doctors. You don’t need to study for a certain number of years in order to work. Although studying computer science will bring you a significant advantage, it is not the only path you can take to become a website developer.

What Skills Do Website Developers Need?

Some of the critical skills that a website developer will need are outlined below.

• Communication

As a website developer, you will be required to work with a range of different people, from marketers to graphic designers. To ensure the highest quality finished product, communication skills are essential.

• Coding

Coding is a fundamental skill that all website designers will need to have. It is likely that you will be required to work in a number of different programming languages over your career. You will also need to be well versed in coding and data management too.

• Problem Solving

A large proportion of your time at work as a website developer will be spent solving problems, whether you are focusing on a site’s front or back-end. You will need to be able to think both critically and creatively to find solutions to problems as a website developer.

• Design

Although it is unlikely that you will be responsible for the entire website design, it is still useful for website designers to have key design skills. This is especially true for individuals that are interested in working as front-end developers.

• Time Management

Time management as a website developer is crucial for several different reasons. Firstly, you will need to accurately judge how long tasks will take you so you can update other departments with the information they need to complete their work. You will also need time management skills to better organize your day and structure your ongoing projects.

If you are interested in working as a website designer, then it is useful to start building up the relevant skills and experience today. The more experience you have, the better your skills will be and the more hireable you will become. So start to practice and build your portfolio today to help you get that role in web development.