When considering a career as web developer, many people wonder if they need a college degree to secure employment. Since this field is relatively new, there are various paths one can take to become this professional. Understanding the requirements to become one helps you decide if this field appeals to you and which option is best suited for you. In this article, we’ll investigate if it is possible to become a web developer without an academic degree and provide answers to other related questions.
What is a web developer?
These are programmers responsible for creating websites and applications. They pay close attention to the visual appeal of a program while guaranteeing its performance is optimal. Web developers help clients realize their vision by crafting web development that fulfills all requirements. There are three primary types of web developers: Back-end developers, Front-end developers, Full Stack developers.
Can You Become a Web Developer Without a Degree?
Learning web development is possible, and many professionals in this industry are self-taught. Unfortunately, there needs to be an established education path or degree program for web developers – making the industry relatively unfocused on providing specific education options. Currently, there has yet to be an official web development certificate offered.
The employers usually prioritize work experience over educational background when considering candidates for employment. That is why many job seekers create a professional portfolio to showcase their abilities. Instead of looking at your education section on your resume, these employers want to see if you possess the coding and design skills necessary for creating websites.
How Can You Learn Web Development?
Learning web development is possible even if you don’t have a computer science degree. Popular options include:
Coding BootCamp
Another option is to attend a coding boot camp, where you’ll gain beginner web development skills at an expedited rate with hands-on experience. These project-based programs can take one week to several years to complete. Upon graduation, developers receive a portfolio to use for job applications and earn certification.
Online Learning
Another option for learning web development is taking online courses. These typically teach a specific coding language, like Python, or an interesting concept that intrigues you. Furthermore, these programs provide opportunities to put what you have learned into practice by building real websites with responsive design. Like boot camps, many of these online programs provide certifications upon completion.
Self-Education
Additionally, you can educate yourself by reading web development and coding books independently. Or consider studying excellent websites designed by experienced web developers. Other methods for self-education include following forums to stay abreast of new trends in web development, watching videos on a specific topic and building projects to practice your skills.
What Skills Do Web Developers Need?
The type of career you pursue determines the necessary tools and technical abilities. Successful web developers typically possess several key traits.
Cloud Service Providers: Web developers often have an understanding of cloud providers or databases to access and manipulate data.
Coding Languages: Learning coding languages such as JavaScript or CSS can assist web designers in designing interactive websites.
Collaboration: Web developers collaborate with web designers and other team members to create websites, staying in constant communication.
Communication: To ensure successful outcomes, they communicate regularly with clients as well as other members of their team – sometimes asking for advice on a particular issue.
Composure: Web developers often work under duress and must complete multiple tasks daily, making it important to maintain composure when dealing with clients.
Detail-Oriented: Web developers pay careful attention to each line of code they examine, ensuring they include key details necessary for performing their desired action.
Problem Solver: Web developers work to fulfil their client’s desires and translate them into a website, often finding solutions for problems that arise along the way.
Time Management: Web developers often have multiple deadlines to meet while helping their teams meet their objectives on time.
What are the advantages of being a non-technical web developer?
Being self-taught offers several advantages. As these individuals use their resources when researching answers to problems instead of asking a professor, they learn how to research effectively. Finding answers will serve them well in the future when working in web development or developing strong work ethics for their career. Other advantages include:
- Allowing you to learn at your own pace.
- Saving money on tuition or coding boot camp fees
- Offering more schedule flexibility with less commitment
- Focusing on learning subject matters that interest you
Are you interested in becoming a web developer but unsure where to get the skills?
FunctionUp provides access to our Web development bootcamp, providing all the knowledge necessary for success – everything from HTML/CSS to responsive web development, Git, or JavaScript all are covered here and more – everything you’ll learn will pave the way for the field of work!
This comprehensive program will give you all the skill sets necessary for any web developer job offer. With FunctionUp, you can become a professional web developer starting as early as today!