Education & Career Trends: April 23, 2023
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
- Excerpts are taken from an article published on dice.com.
Web development can seem like an exciting career. Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to build a website or service that’s used by millions—maybe even billions—of people? But anyone who wants to become a web developer probably has lots of questions.
On a most basic level, web developers build and maintain websites, web pages, and web applications. In terms of skills, that means knowledge of the web’s fundamental technologies (HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and more) is a must. But as the web evolves, other technologies inevitably rise to the forefront: the next few years may see blockchain, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), and other platforms finally hit the mainstream.
There are different kinds of web developers, each of which have specialised skills:
1. Front-End Developers
Front-end developers are responsible for the look and feel of a website or application, working with designers and back-end developers to produce a product that meets the needs of the client. Some of their most critical skills include:
- JavaScript
- Front-End Development
- Software Engineering
- React JavaScript
- TypeScript
- Software Development
- Web Application Development
Front-end developers must also work hand-in-hand with the organisation’s UX/UI experts to ensure that whoever’s using the website has the best possible experience; the interface must be intuitive, with an easy-to-grasp flow. Some front-end developers find it very helpful to take a few UI/UX classes during the earlier stages of their careers. Understanding reactive design (i.e., how websites will run on different kinds of devices) is likewise critical.
2. Back-End Developers
These technology professionals must build and maintain the infrastructure that allows the front end of a website (i.e., what the user sees) to operate. Some vital skills for back-end developers include:
- Continuous integration
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- ElasticSearch
- GitHub
- Machine Learning
- React JavaScript
- MongoDB
- Test Driven Development (TDD)
- Big Data
- Backend Development
That’s in addition to mastering key programming languages and frameworks that help power the back end of the web, including (but also not limited to) Java, Python, SQL, and Ruby.
3. Full-Stack Developers
Full-stack developers are versatile technology professionals who’ve mastered a range of front- and back-end technologies. For example, they might be able to advise their company on the best practices for UI/UX while utilising server-side languages like Java, Python or Ruby and database technologies like SQL (MySQL) and NoSQL (DynamoDB, Mongo) to keep the web properties running.
According to Lightcast, the following skills pop up most frequently in “generalised” web developer job postings. If you want to become a web developer, knowing many of these skills is absolutely critical:
- JavaScript
- Web development
- Front-end development
- Software engineering
- SQL
- Java
- Git
- HTML
- CSS
Which skills should you learn first?
A lot of that hinges on whether you choose to pursue front- or back-end development (for example, a front-end developer should prioritise learning HTML and JavaScript, while a back-end developer might want to also focus on mastering cloud-based storage and other infrastructure-related skills). More and more web developers are also gravitating toward full-stack development.
Web developers must also gain serious problem-solving skills if they want to have an enduring career; projects can quickly become complex, and you have to apply a great deal of creativity and intuition to solve some thorny challenges. In a typical week, a web developer might be called upon to:
- Debug a website and/or coding errors.
- Optimise the website’s speed and performance.
- Ensure that the website works properly across a range of browsers.
- Optimise the website’s responsiveness on a wide range of hardware, from phones and tablets to PCs.
While you’ll pick up the solutions to many common problems during your web developer education, keep in mind that you’ll also learn a lot in the course of the job.
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Have you checked out yesterday’s blog yet?
Why Should You Pay Attention To Improving Your Cognitive Flexibility?
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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