Key Takeaways
- The era of digitization generates the demand for web developers.
- A career in web development is highly rewarding.
- Having a skill in web development will improve one’s chance in employment in any industry.
What is a web developer?
According to the Trend Analysis for Web Developers made by the Canadian Government, there’s a good outlook for web developers in Canada, particularly in British Columbia in the next 3 years.
You can start a career in web development to meet this projected demand. What is web developing exactly and how can you prepare yourself to be a web developer? Web development refers to the creation and development of websites and related technologies to it such as web applications.
To be a web developer, you must know any or all of these skills:
Hard Skills
- Coding – learning HTML5, CSS, JavaScript and other programming languages.
- Visual designing – create user-friendly interface with the use of Adobe Creative Cloud particularly Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Adobe XD.
- SEO – Search Engine Optimization or SEO to effectively drive traffic to their website.
Soft Skills
- Attention to detail – to carry out tasks flawlessly.
- Problem solving – to address problems.
- Communication – to communicate website content, deal with the team and to translate their client’s web page goal to the actual website.
You can learn any of those skills and even more through diploma programs or bootcamps and with hands-on training experience provided by some colleges through capstone projects.
Are you ready to become a web developer?
If you have answered “yes”, you need to decide first what kind of web development category or career path you would like to fall under:
Back-end web development – If you would like to focus on creating a website’s structure and have a knack for coding and languages such as JavaScript and Python, you can choose to specialize in this.
Front-end web development – Aside from knowing how to code you need to be proficient in some web design software such as Photoshop and InDesign if you want to specialize in creating graphics and UIs or the user interface.
Full-stack development – If you are keen on being a coder and graphic designer, this specialization is for you. You can work as a one-person team for a website’s coding and UI needs.
Diploma or Bootcamp?
If you have decided to be a web developer and have a specific path to take, the next step is to choose between a diploma or bootcamp program. Here are pros and cons:
| Pros | Cons | |
| Diploma |
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| Bootcamp |
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Perks of a career in coding
Aside from the projected demand for coders because of the shift to digital technology, a career in coding is highly rewarding!
Salary of a Full Stack Web Developer in Canada
| Beginner | Average | Experienced |
| $70,109 | $85,000 | $120,000 |
Source: https://ca.talent.com/salary?job=full+stack+developer
Also, a career in coding allows one to work in any industry! Any kind of office has a need for web developers. If you are a fresh graduate and you find it hard to apply at big tech companies, you can choose to work for schools, accounting firms, car dealerships or visit your alumni job board to get started.
You can even start your own web development consulting firm, be your own boss and build your reputation as a reliable web developer.
Sources:
Coursera. (2021, September 29). What Does a Web Developer Do (and How Do I Become One)? Retrieved from https://www.coursera.org/articles/web-developer
Job Prospects | Web Developer in Canada. (2021, November 30). Retrieved from https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/outlook-occupation/17892/ca Web Developer in Canada Source Canadian Occupational Projections System – ESDC
Salary in Canada – Average Salary. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ca.talent.com/salary
