As the Internet turns into a fancy place to spend time in, more and more talents want to become a web developer. The thing is, web development is not just about writing markup for web pages anymore. The modern web technology stack consists of multiple frameworks (both front-end and back-end), as well as of DB technologies and API integration solutions.
To understand why to become a web developer and how actually do it, let’s discover 3 steps to beginning your career in the web development industry.
3 Steps To Become A Web Developer
Now, before we jump into planning your web development career, let’s clarify this: no one can ever give you the recipe with a “how to become a web developer” tag. What we are going to consider is a set of steps for you to have a better understanding of your options and to get you started.
1. Decide On Your Role In The Web Development
The industry has grown, transformed, and evolved so much, that you can – and quite have to – choose your role. These include but are not limited to the following list:
- Front-End Development. Front-End developers write code for the client-side part of a web application. They handle all aspects of the user interface and functionality on the front side;
- Back-End Development. Back-enders focus on delivering performance and sustainability on the server-side part of a software product. This includes the background logic and database flows handling. Most of their work remains unseen to the user. However, you can usually tell whether the back-end developer did a great job judging by the app performance;
- Full-Stack Development. This is a combination of the previous two. Full-Stack developers can solely create projects from scratch. These are considered the most skillful ones. However, Full-Stack development knowledge takes the most time and effort.
Don’t get us wrong: there are countless web development positions in-between those: UI/UX specialist, product designer, QA expert, solutions architect, and many more. We are only discussing the principal fields of web development, so you can understand the bigger picture and become a web developer the soonest possible.
2. Select A Development Stack Based On Your Desired Role
Now that you’ve decided on the impact you want to bring to your future web projects, let’s discover the most suitable web development technologies on the market to date.
If you lean towards Front-End development, congratulations, there are several solid front-end frameworks for you to choose from:
- React. Developed by Facebook, React is a lightweight framework combining flexibility and rich functionality. There is a cross-platform mobile development tool React Native, so learning React will also extend your opportunities to the mobile development industry;
- Angular. Angular is an incredible framework backed by Google. MVC development pattern, countless helpful features like multiple rendering options (including server-side one), and a comprehensive framework ecosystem: all these aspects make Agular a competitive solution on the market of front-end frameworks;
- Vue. Vue is a community-driven tool aiming at creating the most lightweight web solutions possible. Our Gravum web development specialists believe that Vue is the easiest one to begin with (compared to Angular and React).
As far as Back-End development is concerned, the most popular options are the following:
- Express. Express is a truly minimalistic JavaScript-powered framework. It a solution for Node.js developers aiming to keep their technology stack compact and stay within JavaScript;
- Phoenix. Phoenix is written in Elixir – the functional language, which is perfect for building maintainable and highly-scalable applications;
- Rails. Rails is a Ruby-driven server-side web framework. With its large library of available plugins and massive community, you’ll feel welcomed in the web Back-End development industry;
- ASP.NET Core. This framework is for C# lovers. Implementing .NET technologies in web solutions has its own benefits like excellent performance and robust code.
No matter which one you will choose, show your commitment and try your best to master it. Some technologies may come easy for you, some may take time to understand.
3. Practice Your Skills
You cannot just know the development technologies and call yourself a web developer. You have to prove that you can implement them in some attention-worthy software products. The majority of employers want to see the previous experience in your CV to make sure you know what you are doing.
Now, there are several approaches to building your portfolio:
- Creating the project you are keen on. Maybe, you’ve always wanted to create a web version of a Snake game. It’s time to bring your ideas to life;
- Get real-life project ideas by completing test assignments. If you feel confident enough, you can get down to completing the test assignments attached to the open web developer positions. This way, you develop relevant solutions for real-life problems and get a chance to receive a job offer at the same time.
Both approaches work, but there are some aspects to bear in mind. First of all, filling your portfolio with projects you find interesting is more fun. At the same time, it may take significantly longer to find a suitable job for you, as the employer find out about you only from your non-commercial projects.
On the opposite, completing test assignments is far less engaging but often tends to work faster in finding a job. So, it’s a choice based entirely on your preferences and short-term goals. Discover also our tips on picking the best web dev tools
The Bottom Line
How long does it take to become a web developer? Some need a few weeks to get started, for some – half a year isn’t enough. It all depends on your motivation and learning ability.
In a nutshell, the answer to the question “how to become a web developer” is to decide on what you want to do, select a technology you find appealing, and create outstanding software products with it.
If you are looking for an expert web development assistance, reach out to our Gravum web developers. We have developed countless web solutions and can make your project succeed. Let Gravum become a web developer for your revolutionary app, let the professionals lead the project to success.