Have you heard about web development? Not web development like spider webs, but website development!
Some of the latest statistics show that web development jobs rank in the top ten of several popular job categories. Getting into the website development industry can be very worthwhile, but can require some patience with learning and acquiring clients.
Today, we want to share some tips to help you get started and become a successful web developer.
Becoming a web developer
Getting started with web development can be challenging and you may wonder, Where do I start? Do I need to go to school? Thankfully, you don’t have to go anywhere for web development. You can learn right from your computer.
Some view web development as strictly coding from scratch. This is not a fair understanding of coding. Most of the time, a web developer will code within an content management system (CMS) such as WordPress, allowing styles and content to already be in place. This can be very helpful with getting started.
The first step is learning how to code. There are many communities of coders who share their code to help others learn and progress in their understanding of web development. Consider using a free online course. Read our guide about learning to code using an online academy.
Start practicing. Start writing html and see if you can build a website for yourself.
Learn by doing
This concept may seem a bit scary, as you may not fully know all of the different coding aspects, but you will learn the most through doing. A lot of online classes and guides do not have all of the scenarios that happen when developing a website. Working on a live website gives you the ability to understand the full picture as well as gives you the opportunity to get experience working with an actual client.
What if I get stuck? Many successful web developers spend many hours a day on Google. Googling an issue that you are experiencing is not a bad thing. This gives you the ability to connect with other developers to fix issues.
If you are still struggling with solving an issue, reach out to developers either on an open-source community or work to partner with a developer on Fiverr or Freelancer.com.
Action plan
Having an action plan allows you to be challenged and gives you a roadmap to becoming a successful web developer. What does an action plan look like? Here is an example action plan for the remaining months this year:
Month 1 (August) – Learn Bootstrap
Month 2 (September) – Build a non CMS website using HTML, CSS and Bootstrap
Month 3 (October) – Learn Javascript and advanced design
Month 4 (November) – Update original WordPress website with new design and coding.
Month 5 (December) – Build another website using HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, and Javascript.
Taking an hour and writing out a plan for the rest of the year, similar to the one included, will allow you to have a “checklist” of-sorts to follow.
Build a portfolio
If you create and follow an action plan, you will have work that you can use in a portfolio. Use social media as well as your own website to start a showcase of your work. Use your portfolio as a way to sell your skills to your potential clients.
Don’t stop learning
When a client wants to know about SEO, apps, a different CMS or language, learn by doing. Take your clients request and become challenged by it. Learn how to provide that specific service. Don’t stop learning. Even though you may not know it right now, add another skill to your tool belt.
Conclusion
The web development industry has many opportunities. Some may view the web development industry as hard as spinning their own web, like a spider, but in this article, we’ve been able to show that with patience and persistence, it can be done! Start learning how to code through an online learning academy. If you feel overwhelmed, use Google or a developer friend to help you figure it out. Creating an action plan allows you to focus each month on learning something new. Once you have built several websites, build yourself a portfolio to showcase your work. Don’t stop learning. The learning by doing principal is not just true in web development, but in all of life. When you are always learning, you are always growing. Start developing websites on a Shared Hosting plan with InMotion Hosting.
