Learning to be a Web Developer

I don’t have to tell you that web development is one of the most exciting fields in the world right now. For a career that didn’t exist twenty years ago, it has not only seen astronomical growth and innovation but also, arguably, has produced products that have changed the day-to-day life of ordinary people more than almost any other industry in the last fifty years. It’s an awesome field to be in, and anyone who is even halfway good is almost guaranteed a good salary, job security, and advancement opportunities. (Also, I’m pretty sure that in fifty years they’re going to make a show like Mad Men about how effortlessly cool we all are.)

Of course, you have to learn how to be a web developer first — and then convince someone to hire you for your first job.

When you’re first starting out and learning basic HTML and CSS, you might not have any idea how deep the rabbit hole goes. Once you start learning the difference between front-end, back-end, and all the associated technologies that go with them — CSS preprocessors, Javascript frameworks, server-side languages, MVC, version control, testing, the list goes on and on — it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.

Don’t panic! The following series will get you through some of the initial bumps in the road as you look for your first job as a web developer. We’ll be publishing these every Friday, so be sure to stay tuned to the blog.