Web developers build web pages as well as web-based applications that comprise the Internet. Starting your career as a web developer can either be about working independently as freelancers or for a company. Depending upon the nature of the job these professionals may focus on front end development or back-end development. Front end involves designing sites and producing content while back end development involves writing code to make website features work.
In some cases, web developers also become webmasters. As webmasters, they tend to provide maintenance, updates as well as troubleshooting services.
Also, click here to find the list of 2020 highest paying jobs in India for freshers & experienced.
Role of a Web Developer
Web Developers are generally a part of the marketing or IT departments in a company. A career as a web developer might require an overlap in web design as well. Web development is all about building technical front end code, back end code or both, for site function.
- Front End Developers: Front end web developers are fluent in languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They build the visible parts of a website that we see when viewing through a web browser. Front end web developers can do everything from working for an established company to freelancing and being self-employed and strengthening their skills while working for individual clients. Hence, front end web development is a great and flexible way to break into the tech field.
- Back End Developers: While the front end of a website incorporates everything that a user can interact with directly, the back end includes everything that users can’t see or interact with. However, back end web developers have to make those parts run smoothly for the overall efficiency of the website.
- Full Stack Developers: A Full Stack Developer is a combination of front end and back end developer. They carry the experience of both the fields and also provide support for applications.
Skills of A Web Developer
The skills required to become a web developer can be divided into two broad categories, hard skills, and soft skills.
Hard Skills: Hard skills consist mainly of programming languages. Front end Developers usually are fluent in HTML, CSS as well as JavaScripts while back end developers use PHP, Python, Java, etc. They often use popular software like WordPress and photoshop as well. A list of some of the main programming languages used by web developers are:
- HTML
- PHP
- Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
- JavaScript
- ASP.NET
- Angular.js
- Python
- Ruby
Soft Skills: In addition to learning the above programming languages, web developers also need to possess a bunch of soft skills to function efficiently. They often work individually and as a result, they must conduct quality control and manage their own projects. Some of the main soft skills that will be beneficial for web developers include:
- Attention to Detail
- Multitasking
- Organizational Skills
- Self Driven and highly motivated
- Creativity
- Communication Skills
- Customer Service Skills
Duties & Responsibilities
The daily duties of a web developer depend strongly on the job position, as well as the project they are working on. However, in a general sense, these are the tasks they are responsible for:
- Communicate with clients and understand their expectations
- Plan web layouts
- Compose code to enable site functions
- Add verbal or visual content into the code structure
- Test website functions
- Take charge of building, maintaining, updating, as well as troubleshooting websites
- Write well designed and dynamic code by practicing the best software development practices
- Create the website layout or user interface by employing standard HTML/CSS practices
- Combine data from various back-end services and databases
- Collect and refine terms and conditions based on the technical needs
- Design and maintain software documentation
- Be responsible for maintaining, expanding, and scaling websites
- Stay plugged into emerging technologies as well as industry trends and apply them into operations and day to day activities
- Collaborate with web designers to meet their visual design intent
Career Outlook
In this new age of e-commerce, the demand for web developers is on the rise (there are a lot of IT companies near me). In fact, the employment of web developers is predicted to see a rise of 13% in the span of the next ten years. This is way faster than the average for all other occupations. Online purchasing is presumed to increase faster than the entire retail industry. In addition, the rise in the usage of mobile devices to search the web will also lead to increased demand for web developers. This is because instead of creating a website for desktops, developers will create sites that are compatible with mobile devices. Unlike desktops, mobile devices come with a wider variety of resolutions and screen sizes, which will lead to more work for web developers.
Since Web Developers can work from any location in the world, they must understand cultural differences and nuances that allow websites to interact with users.
Salary
Since a career as a web developer is so in demand, the starting salary of these professionals is around 3 LPA. With the right kind of exposure and experience, they can double this salary within a few years of working. These figures are however given on an average and may vary in terms of companies, job location as well as the candidate himself. A highly skilled fresher can easily earn more than an average candidate with minimal skill set. Additionally, relevant experience can add a good hike to the salary as well.
About the Author
Washija is a content specialist at Receptix. She has an MBA in Tourism and a passion for creating web content. She is an avid reader, a traveler, and a versatile writer. She has been writing on the topics of education, career advice, and related areas for the past 3 years.
