Looking at a Career in Web Development? Here’s How

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January 6, 2021 Career

Are you interested in learning web development but aren’t sure where to begin? If so, it’s important to know that there are several ways to acquire the skills needed to land either a part-time or full-time position in the field. Web developers are well paid, have access to multiple career paths, and enjoy plentiful job opportunities as the entire tech sector continues to grow.

One of the first decisions to make is how you’ll learn the essential skills. After that, it’s time to move on to other, equally vital questions like how to pay for schooling or training, where to look for jobs, and what niche is a good fit for your skills. Here’s a brief overview of the central questions involved in learning about web development.

Get a Degree in Computer Science

The most straightforward way to break into the web development field is to get a college degree in computer science. While this is a longer time investment, it does help cover all of the knowledge bases needed to succeed in the field. If you are headed to college and haven’t decided on a major, opting for computer science can be the ideal way to learn the necessary skills.

Whether you opt for an undergrad, graduate, or associate’s degree in computer science, there will be various costs, like tuition, lab fees, textbook expenses, and more. Of course, four-year and graduate degrees are the costliest, while associates diplomas and certificate courses are less of a financial burden. The smartest way to make sure of obtaining full coverage of all related school expenses is to apply for a private student loan.

The logistics of applying and figuring out your future payments is a stress-free portion of the process. In fact, you can use an online calculator to see all of your monthly payment options and choose one that fits with your eventual budget. That way, once you begin repaying the loan there won’t be any surprises, and during school you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that all the major costs are covered. That’s a good way to focus on coursework and not have to worry about the financial side of things during school.

Study on Your Own

Plenty of successful developers use the self-study technique. The beauty of this method is that you can pick up courses here and there, online, at community colleges, or from textbooks you purchase. There’s no time limit, expenses are minimal, and you can study at your own pace. If you already have a demanding nine-to-five job, studying on your own, at your own speed, is often an efficient way of breaking into a web development career path eventually.

Take Classes Online

Some opt for a more organized approach of choosing an online series of tutorials, all of which are aimed at teaching web development skills. Students get an introduction of basic programming and then get into the specific languages like JavaScript and others, that make up the core components of front-end and back-end web development education.

Hire a Mentor

One of the newer ways to acquire solid web development skills is to hire a mentor. Check the freelance job sites online and search in the mentoring/tutoring category. Be careful to select someone who works with beginners because many of the mentors only offer high-level skill training. However, there are folks who are building their own résumés by tutoring beginners, and that’s where you come in.

You have to decide on what a fair price is based on what the person offers. For instance, if you merely need guidance with two or three languages and need to check in with someone once or twice per week, avoid intensive training sessions. But, if you want a boot camp style scenario in which you learn a lot of core skills in a short period, like a month or a few weeks, then you’ll be looking at longer, one-on-one sessions with the trainer.

Consider placing a no-cost help wanted ad on freelancer boards stating precisely what you are aiming to learn, how much you’re willing to pay, and your timeline. After receiving several inquiries, it’s easy enough to select from the offers based on what you can afford and all the other parameters. Don’t be reluctant to ask for a trial period, which you should pay for but will only last for one or two lessons. Trials are an effective way to see if you and the mentor are a good fit.

Intern with a Non-Profit

One of the best resume-building techniques around is volunteering for a non-profit. For prospective web development professionals, this is an excellent way to get started, get free training, and do some real good for your community. How to begin? Call local churches, homeless organizations, social service agencies, and even animal shelters. Many are in need of volunteer technical staff members.

There are two ways to take advantage of this technique. First, if you are brand-new to the field and know virtually nothing, don’t be shy about saying so when you make calls. Many agencies just want trainable developers who are willing to work between 10 and 20 hours per month, often on weekends. If you connect with an organization, their in-house, paid developer will train you. Don’t expect to learn multiple languages or a wide range of skills. The majority of small nonprofits operate with a finite set of frameworks and languages. But it’s a great way to get your feet wet, add some relevant lines to your tech résumé, and build a professional network.

Second, if you already possess beginner-level core skills, be sure to let people know exactly what you can and can’t do. That way, they’ll be more able to place you in a position where you can use what you currently know and train you to do more advanced development work. Nonprofits are one of the easiest avenues for industrious future professionals. The only catch to the deal is that you don’t earn money. The upside, however, far outweighs that sole negative because you gain experience, get free training, meet other professionals, and boost the power of your résumé. It’s a worthwhile tradeoff.