INTRODUCTION TO WEB DEVELOPMENT TOOLS - WHAT YOU NEED TO LEARN PROGRAMMING
INTRODUCTION TO WEB DEVELOPMENT - HOW TO LEARN PROGRAMMING
INTRODUCTION TO WEB DEVELOPMENT TOOLS - WHAT YOU NEED TO LEARN PROGRAMMING
Welcome back, we trust that you have read other resources provided for you on the platform. At this time you should have heard or seen the term full stack and web development too many times to count, don’t worry that is the aim of these articles and sessions. We want to make you so acquainted with the terms and concepts that you have them in your mind all the time.
Today we are going to take the first technical steps towards becoming full stack developers, let me tell you what I mean. In today's article we will talk about web development, all you need to know about it, the career paths and more so buckle up and get ready.
TOPICS
Let us break down all that we will be looking at today into organized topics:
- Who is a web developer?
- Types of web developers
- Skills needed to be web developers
- Career paths for web developers
- Basic tools for web developers
- Motivation for newbies in the field
- Conclusion
- External resources
Please endeavor to write down points and refer to all the external resources provided for more information and clarity
WHO IS A WEB DEVELOPER
A web developer can be described in many ways but fundamentally, a web developer is one who is responsible for the design, development and deployment of a website on the internet.
Think of it this way, a builder takes all the materials and tools necessary for the construction of a home from foundation to the rooftop, a developer also plans; from the usability and functionality to the technologies to be used in building each particular website.
Once the planning is done, web developers design these websites to give themselves a mental picture and guideline for the actual development, the design of websites involves the use of tools such as figma, Adobe photoshop, illustrator and more.
After the design, the developer begins to write lines of code to implement the actual design of the website into a format that is understandable by computers and can be displayed in the web through browsers like chrome, safari and more. The coding part is the actual development of the website or web application.
Once the website has been developed the developer is responsible for testing the functionality of websites and fixing/debugging all errors on deployment. This is a very crucial and important part as it helps for a great user experience and scalability.
TYPES OF WEB DEVELOPERS
There are basically three types of web developers basically, let us look at them and see what they actually do;
- Front end web developer - They are developers responsible for building the user end of the websites, they make web page designs with languages and frameworks like html, css, javaScript and react.
- Back end web developer - They are responsible for building web servers, servers are the backbones of these web applications and the developers are responsible for writing the logic that controls the functionality of all these websites. Generally users cannot see the work of a backend developer but can feel the effect of his work by how well the web application works
- Full stack developers - If you are reading this article from our coding bootcamp then chances are that you aspire to be a full stack developer. Full stack developers are responsible for building both the front end and the back end of web applications, they are skilled at the planning, design, development, deployment and testing of web applications using an array of languages and tools.
SKILLS NEEDED TO BE WEB DEVELOPERS
At this stage, we are aware of the responsibilities of web developers, they work with tools and languages such as html, css and javaScript to ensure all the functions of the website or web application work according to purpose.
Skills needed by web developers are as follows
Front-end: Html, css, javaScript, React, Angular Vue, bootstrap, tailwind and more
Back-end: Php, Java, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Rust, Golang, C++, C#, SQL, MongoDB and more.
A full stack developer has to be knowledgeable in all the skills for both the front end and the back end. Some website for mastering these skills are:
- W3 schools
- Frontendmentor
- Ensure to visit these websites for learning resources.
CAREER PATHS FOR WEB DEVELOPERS
First of all, you will always be in high demand as a web developer. This is due to the high massive growth of the internet and the use of Information technology in all real life applications in this century.
An advantage of being a web developer is the fact that you can get remote jobs in any part of the world without needing to relocate at all, the average salary for developers is also mouth watering and higher than average in most cases and career fields.
As a web developer you can basically have two career choices, official employment or freelancing.
- Official Employment - This simply means getting an official job at a company as a developer, to get such jobs you have to apply to companies and pass certain tests and interviews before employment. At an official job, you will have deadlines, specific time frames to complete tasks and a community of colleagues which is very good for beginners. Official jobs can be both advantageous and disadvantageous and these depend on the company.
- Freelance Employment - Freelancing simply means working for oneself or working for an unofficial company like a friend or relative. Most times freelancers are people who built businesses around their work as web developers, they are their own bosses. As a result of this their work patterns vary and change, they have all the time to themselves and use it as they see fit. As a freelancer you advertise your services as a web developer and get jobs to build web applications, your best way of getting jobs is through friends, recommendations and returning clients.
There are advantages and disadvantages of each career path so choose based off your interests and work hard, at this early stage you should not bother with the path you will choose as it will become clear as you progress.
BASIC TOOLS FOR WEB DEVELOPERS
The following are compulsorily needed for web developers, please endeavor to download and procure all the tools to start practicing. When learning a skill for a career path it is important to take the requirements seriously as it makes the process easier and more encouraging.
- Computer - This is fundamental, you will find it very difficult to learn to code without a computer. It is not impossible to code on a phone ot tablet, however a computer will give the advantage of a bigger screen and easier multitasking.
- Google - A search engine like google and a web browser like chrome are your best allies when learning to code, ensure to always ask questions and read online resources.
- Text Editor (VS code) - A text editor is an application software that enables developers build applications by writing code, vs code is currently the most popular and the best for beginners. Go to download vs code. Install vscode on your computer by following the instructions on the website and start coding!
- Stack Overflow and online resources - Stack overflow is a website that provides solutions to coding problems and challenges people face. The answers on this website are provided by fellow developers so it is a great place to learn and grow. Go to see this website and create an account.
MOTIVATION FOR NEWBIES AND CONCLUSION
Learning to code is incredibly rewarding but can also be difficult and frustrating. The strongest assets you have as a student are a desire to build, a problem solving mindset and persistence in the face of setbacks.
The web development industry has a very long history of successful developers with varying backgrounds, so people tend to care more about what you have actually built than how you got there.
Work on becoming a problem solver and always be consistent!!
As a developer whether full stack or not you will face challenges at work and with other fields of life always make sure to look at the end goal and never let minor setbacks discourage you.
RESOURCES
The following websites are recommended for learning web development whether front or back end for free.
- Freecodecamp
- Codecademy
- Udemy
- Mozilla Developer network
- The Odin project
- Youtube
- CS-50
- W3schools
- Frontend mentor
All these websites can be accessed on the internet and will aid you learn web development for free and the right way. That is it for now, remember to download your text editor (vs code) and start coding.
What's Your Reaction?