Web development is an exciting career path with great potential. With approximately 17,900 web development positions opening up every year, there’s never been a better time to pursue a job as a Web Developer. But how exactly do you break into the field? How can a beginner land a job in the industry with no experience? Here’s a quick guide to help you through the process of finding your first web development job from start to finish.
Choose a Specialty
Long before you start looking for a job in web development, you have to make a very important decision: which specialty you’ll pursue. Web development is broken down into three basic types: front end, back end, and full stack. Let’s take a look at each one of these.
Front End Web Development
Front end web development deals with all the website elements that users can see and interact with, such as the text on the page, drop-down menus, images, and forms. The job of a Front End Web Developer is to program the outward appearance of the website according to project specifications while making it responsive, easy to use, and error-free. The most common programming languages used in front end web development are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Back End Web Development
Back end web development relates to elements on the server side of a website where data is stored and arranged. The role of a Back End Web Developer is to create, test, debug, and maintain all the technological components that support the front end of a website and allow it to operate. The primary coding languages used in back end development are JavaScript, Java, Python, Ruby, and PHP.
Full Stack Web Development
Full stack web development is the combination of both front end and back end web development; that means it deals with both the user-facing elements of a website plus all the technological components behind the scenes that users don’t have access to. A Full Stack Developer needs to have wide-ranging skills and knowledge of a variety of programming languages, including most of those listed above for front end and back end development.
Make Sure You Have the Right Skills
In some ways, the skills you’ll need depend upon whether you choose to focus your career on front end, back end, or full stack development but some basic skills apply to all potential Web Developers, including:
- Computer literacy
- Teamwork
- Attention to detail
- Problem-solving
When you look at the different specialties within web development, the skills required do vary a bit. Those interested in working as Front End Web Developers should have (or learn) the following skills:
- A solid grasp of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- An understanding of user experience (UX) principles
- An interest in creating websites that are beautiful and functional
- The ability to test code, find bugs, resolve issues, and track changes to the code
- Familiarity with front end tools such as libraries, frameworks, and content management systems (CMS)
Anyone who’s considering a career as a Back End Web Developer should have or acquire these necessary skills:
- A capacity for writing high-quality code using Python, Java, PHP, and JavaScript
- The ability to create and manage web applications
- Knowledge of database, hosting environment, and server management
- The ability to analyze problems, find solutions, and make corrections to the code
- An understanding of accessibility and security compliance
As a jack of all trades, Full Stack Web Developers need to acquire skills from both the front and back end. If you’re interested in learning full stack web development, it’s best to start on the front end then add back end skills later.
Network With Other Web Developers
As you start acquiring the skills you need to become a Web Developer, it’s important that you become active in the web development community and network with others in the industry. The more people you meet who are already working in web development, the more job opportunities you can learn about and have access to.
The good news is that the web development community is thriving, both on and offline. For in-person networking opportunities, you can find various groups through Meet-Up, attend tech conferences, or join a local coworking space. The top places to go online are Stack Overflow, Reddit, and Dev.to. Not only will these connections help you land a job, but they’re also great sources of information; if you ever find yourself stuck on a project, just search for the answer on these forums or ask your question if it hasn’t already been addressed. Chances are you’ll get a response from fellow Web Developers fairly quickly.
Find a Mentor
Having a mentor can help you in a variety of ways throughout your career; they can give advice on projects, review your code, offer constructive criticism, help you foresee any potential problems, and provide you with career advice so you can find your first web development job. The greatest challenge will be in finding a mentor who’s willing to help.
One way to find a mentor is to enroll in a web development bootcamp or classes at a training school that includes mentorship as part of their program. This is one of the best options because you’ll know the person you’re matched with has professional experience in the web development industry and they can help you through your training by providing you with feedback on your work and helping answer questions you may have about entering the tech field. They can also serve as a valuable resource once you start looking for your first web development job.
If you’re acquiring web development skills through self-learning, then the best option for finding a mentor is to look to the community. You’ll meet countless experienced Web Developers if you go to meet-ups, attend tech conferences, and actively participate in the web development community online. Eventually, you should develop some close relationships and may be able to find a programmer who’s willing to provide you with consistent guidance.
Create a Portfolio
To land your first web development job, it’s essential to have a portfolio to show off your skills to potential employers. While some people might describe a web development portfolio as a kind of online résumé, it’s so much more than that; a résumé is a brief document that provides an overview of your education and experience while a portfolio gives you an outlet to showcase your skills, personality, and expertise.
Ideally, your project will include four or five samples. Try to choose those that best represent your work and highlight your range of skills. If you haven’t completed any projects yet, don’t worry — there are plenty of ways to get samples to complete your portfolio. For example, you could build your portfolio while taking web development classes. You could also volunteer to do projects for friends and family or ask local businesses to hire you at a reduced rate to get more samples for your portfolio.
Polish Your Resume
Just because you have a portfolio doesn’t mean you can bypass the résumé altogether; you’ll need both to land your first web development job. Résumés are still a large part of the hiring process. Reviewing résumés provides potential employers with an easy way to scan applicants’ skills and experience to separate those who qualify for the position from those who don’t.
Making it past the first round of review can be challenging for newcomers to the field because you have all the skills necessary but your experience is limited. The best way to prevent this from becoming a problem is to create a résumé that highlights your skills while downplaying how long you’ve had them. For example, you don’t need to specify that you acquired your web development certificate just last year; all you need to do is state that you have one.
If you still find your résumé lacking, you might want to consider contributing to GitHub, working on open source projects, and participating in hackathons. These will provide you with more experience to add to your résumé while also improving your skills and giving you a chance to network with more people in the web development industry.
Apply to Jobs
Once you’ve learned the skills, created a portfolio, built a network, and polished your résumé, it’s time to start submitting job applications. Starting out, you’ll need to look for an entry-level web development position such as Junior Developer or Junior Front End Web Developer. There are countless job search sites you can use. Some of the most popular include:
- Indeed
- Glassdoor
- StackOverflow
- IT Job Pro
- AngelList
You should also be sure to ask people in your network for job leads; you never know who'll have the inside track on a great position.
While you might not feel like you can be picky when searching for your first web development job, it would be wise to consider what type of company you’d prefer to work with so you don’t end up in a position you loathe. For example, would you rather work for a large or small company? What industry would you most like to work in: marketing, tech, education, manufacturing, government, hospitality, finance, construction, entertainment, or something else? Do you prefer a remote or on-site position? Are you open to working for a start-up or would you rather find a job at an established company?
As you’re searching for jobs online, don’t allow yourself to become intimidated by the long list of required qualifications. You don’t have to meet every single requirement to be a viable candidate; as long as you have around 80% of the skills mentioned in the job ad, you should feel confident enough to apply for the position.
Ace the Interview
After submitting a few applications, you’ll start to get requests for interviews. The standard rules for interviews still apply: research the company beforehand, arrive early, dress appropriately, be polite, and come prepared. As part of your preparation, make sure you come up with at least two to three questions to ask about the company and position; you can ask what stack they typically use, which operating system, how many team members there are, what your job duties would be, etc.
You should also be prepared to complete a coding exercise or technical test as part of your interview. This gives potential employers a chance to evaluate your skills, ensuring that you’re capable of doing the job. It also provides them with an opportunity to see how well you can solve problems while under pressure, something that commonly occurs while working as a Web Developer. This entire process may sound intimidating, but just remember what you’ve learned, work through the problem a step at a time, and you’ll be fine.
Don’t be too disheartened if you don’t get the very first job you interview for. It’s not uncommon to have to apply and interview for a variety of jobs before finding the right one for you. Just remember that every interview you go through is a learning experience and will make you better prepared for the next opportunity that comes along.
How to Start a Career in Web Development
The best way to start a career in web development is to enroll in bootcamp. Often viewed as a viable alternative to university education, these skills-focused programs operate on an intensive, abbreviated schedule to get you career-ready in just a few months’ time. That’s especially good news when you consider how many open positions there are in the field of web development; you can start to earn back your financial investment shortly after graduation.
Noble Desktop offers a variety of web development bootcamps including a 72-hour front end web development bootcamp, a 198-hour full stack web development bootcamp, and a 138-hour language-specific Python bootcamp. You can even take these web development bootcamps live online from the comfort of your own home; that’s much more convenient than having to navigate to an in-person school through busy rush hour traffic.
If you’re not ready for a full bootcamp, you could start on your new career path by enrolling in individual web development classes. Noble Desktop has a wide array of both front and back end web development classes available covering languages and tools such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, Ruby on Rails, Git, Flexbox, React, and more.