How to Become a Web Developer

Cultivating an online presence is an important branding exercise for a majority of businesses in the social media age. Information technology is a bustling industry with growing careers in cybersecurity, web development and roles as software developers.

At the hands of web developers, brick and mortar stores are expanding into gorgeous online boutiques. Web developers work behind the scenes to create and maintain the websites you see. If you have a passion for information technology and a knack for problem-solving this could be a career for you.

You may have heard of hypertext markup language or HTML, but there’s a lot more to web developers than just coding.

Web developers build and maintain websites, working behind the scenes and implementing a variety of programming languages to construct everything you see. Web developers increase functionality, aim to create an enjoyable user experience and satisfy all the needs of the client.

They can work independently as a freelancer or full-time as a part of a development team. Tasks involved in working as a web developer include creating and maintaining websites, managing website content, building web applications, liaising with clients and designers, utilising GitHub for version control and identifying bugs, remaining up-to-date on new programmes and technologies and implementing SEO strategies.

Increasingly web developers are expanding their skill set by learning to optimise websites for search engines. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is implemented to improve a website’s ranking in search engines like Google. This can include editing the meta-descriptions surrounding a webpage and utilising a particular vocabulary. An increased ranking often increases traffic which can create more sales or lead to larger brand recognition, all of which is crucial to web development.

Web developers can be divided into three categories:

• The development side or server-side
• The client-side or frontend
• Full-stack developers who work on both the backend and frontend

The most common qualifications for web developers include:

• Certificate IV in Web-based Technologies
• Diploma of Website Development
• Bachelor’s Degree majoring in Website Development or Computer Science

Alongside these qualifications, it is also assumed that web developers are fluent in a number of programming languages including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, C++ and others. These skills and qualifications are necessary for server-end maintenance and backend development.

The average salary for a web developer sits above the Australian median full-time salary of $55,000 per annum. According to Glassdoor, the average base salary for an Australian web developer is $75,380 per annum with the average junior web developer salary at $57,000. These salaries vary depending on employers, with some reaching as high as $138k.

These salaries vary depending on employers, with some reaching as high as $138k.

Is being a web developer right for you?

So you’ve read through the various job descriptions, list of tasks, necessary qualifications and salary but is this the right career option for you? If you love to learn new programs and systems, have a problem-solving mind and find yourself looking for innovative solutions web development could be the perfect career path.