Seeking advice on web development jobs

6 replies
Hi guys,

I'm interested in potentially entering the web development field and was curious to see if someone familiar with the industry would be able to gauge my skills and judge how far off I am from the minimum standards expected. Any assessments or advice would be greatly appreciated.

To start, I have an undergraduate degree, but it's unrelated to computer science. About a year ago I began teaching myself HTML and CSS using resources like Jon Duckett's HTML & CSS and the standard online resources, to the point where I'm now generally comfortable coding most common things. I do have to look things up a fair bit, but it's usually just for a refresher. For example, I'd need to look up the exact format for adding a new font to a website, though I understand the general process.

I'm familiar with HTML5 and CSS3, but have very basic programming knowledge (if/else statements, functions, declaring variables). I don't know much JavaScript or jQuery, though I'm in the process of learning.

I've worked on real sites and work on my own test site just to experiment with different concepts regularly. My question is, how close am I to being qualified for a position, and how good at JavaScript or jQuery do you think I'd need to get? I've heard from some that knowing JavaScript isn't even really required to be a front end developer, though I'm not sure I believe them.

Any thoughts?
#advice #development #jobs #seeking #web
  • Profile picture of the author PHR
    Hi Tillytoby,

    Im working fulltime in a software development company as an Application Developer and we have also 5 Web Developers there.

    What I have to tell you first:

    You dont need a degree in computer science nowadays. There are lot of people in this area which do not have one.
    And its not really rare that they are even better than that one which have a degree in CS.


    What I dont understand in your thread is this:


    Your thread title is on advice for Web Development skills.

    Then you are talking about an Frontend Developer.

    Then you are telling us that you have basic programming skills and that you dont have much experience in JS and jQuery...



    But anyways, you should have those skills IMHO:

    A Web Developer´s part is to develop or expand new/existing software in the area of the Internet. He should have strong knowledge in:

    HTML, JS, ASP.NET or PHP

    and should have basic understanding of

    jQuery, Apache XAMPP, mySQL, mongoDB or other databases and a few IDEs and different API´s.

    If you have those requirements you are good to go!

    Have a great day,
    Peter
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    • Profile picture of the author Tillytoby
      Thank you for your insight, PHR.

      So is there a difference between a front end developer and a web developer? I guess I thought they were both the same thing, since they happen on the front end (browser side) rather than the server side.

      And by basic programming skills, I mean I'm familiar with the concepts, and can do those things in JavaScript, but am no where near capable of actually creating applications or something practical with those skills yet.

      As far as I can tell, I definitely am not qualified for front end development, since I don't know most of those, (ASP.NET, PHP, mySQL, etc...). I had heard that these were necessary, but perhaps they were talking about another profession?
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      • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Morgan
        15 year web developer here, as well as having about 10 years experience hiring web devs.

        To add on to what PHR said (which I completely agree with). College education is almost irrelevant in this field these days. (Though a degree of any type will help with larger companies).

        There are several areas of "Web Development" these days, and your best bet is to familiarize yourself with all of the areas, then focus on one for a specialty. As I see it here are the areas: (roughly)


        Graphic Design / CSS - Photoshop, Illustrator, SASS/LESS, etc
        FrontEnd - UX/UI, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Angular/Backbone/Ember, etc
        Backend - PHP,Ruby,Python,C#/ASP.NET
        API - All of the above but APIs instead of webpages
        Data - MySQL/SQL,Postgres etc.


        Now this may seem overwhelming but you don't need to master all of them to get into the game. But you need familiarity with them. It's the only way to survive these days.

        Pick what you love. Personally I've always been a huge fan of the data end of things, so I put a very heavy focus on Database and Backend programming, but along the way I've learned Photoshop, html, JavaScript etc as well. I build my own sites for fun to push my learning and you should too. Which brings me to my next suggestions:


        1. Sign up for GitHub and start putting stuff on it. This is your resume now.
        2. Build your own website(s). This gives you motivation to learn and try things.
        3. Take tutorials. Anything you can google. Pick something and learn how to do it.
        4. Take courses. NetTuts, Pluralsight, CodeAcademy, etc. there are tons of them.
        5. Build a blog. Share stuff you've learned or what you're working on. This is a part of your showcase.
        6. Pick up any side work you can, and do a great job on it. Knock the ball out of the park and use the site as your reference. Many managers want to you to show, not tell.

        And keep at it. This is a booming industry that's not likely to go away anytime soon, and it's easy to enter with hard work and dedication. Good luck!
        Signature
        Jeremy Morgan, Software Developer / SEO
        Check out my Programming Blog for news, tips, and tutorials
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      • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Morgan
        Originally Posted by Tillytoby View Post

        So is there a difference between a front end developer and a web developer? I guess I thought they were both the same thing, since they happen on the front end (browser side) rather than the server side.
        Generally, "Web Developer" is server side/backend stuff, and "Front End" is UX/UI, JavaScript based stuff. But it can vary from company to company and area of the country.


        Originally Posted by Tillytoby View Post

        And by basic programming skills, I mean I'm familiar with the concepts, and can do those things in JavaScript, but am no where near capable of actually creating applications or something practical with those skills yet.
        You will have to develop some kind of programming skills no matter what. JavaScript is the easiest entry point. Years ago there were "only graphic people" and "only html", "only backend" etc, but today these things often blur together. Don't be intimidated, learning good programming skills in one language can be carried over to another.

        Originally Posted by Tillytoby View Post

        As far as I can tell, I definitely am not qualified for front end development, since I don't know most of those, (ASP.NET, PHP, mySQL, etc...). I had heard that these were necessary, but perhaps they were talking about another profession?
        ASP.Net, PHP, and MySQL are considered "back end". Most "front end" development is jQuery, Angular, Backbone, Ember and other JavaScript stuff. Again, don't be intimidated by it just pick one for now and work on it. Baby steps are crucial.
        Signature
        Jeremy Morgan, Software Developer / SEO
        Check out my Programming Blog for news, tips, and tutorials
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        • Profile picture of the author Tillytoby
          Thank you Jeremy, that was exactly the sort of advice I was looking for. Now I kind of have an idea of what I need to work on, and what the job landscape looks like. Much appreciated! I'm actually going to start going through the list you laid out for me in my free time. I've been editing my own sites, but nothing is public yet, so I'm going to start working on that first. I'll have to jump on GitHub too, though I am a bit intimidated because I'm so new to everything.

          And IonutBajescu, I'll look into some certifications. Thank you for your contribution.
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  • Profile picture of the author IonutBajescu
    A degree will help you a lot. It's a requirement in 50%+ fulltime jobs.

    Also, I don't recommend you to take another degree. That's will be a waste of time.
    Maybe you can get a Zend PHP5 Certification(backend) or another web certification, they will look pretty in your CV.
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