Designing websites is far different from developing them. A designer will work to make something look attractive, using markup languages like HTML to create website structures that users will see on the front end. Developers go deeper than this, using more complex programming to build features and tools into their websites that offer users more to do. Of course, though, how exactly are you supposed to make the jump between these two different careers? Let’s take a look at some of the different steps you will need to take in this process.
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Learning Languages
Programming languages are very important to web development, and there are a few that you need to know about. PHP is used for server-side work, like checking databases and receiving login details, while JavaScript is better for front-end tasks, like changing website styles and handling data in forms. There are loads of tools around the web that can help you to learn about programming like this, giving you the chance to learn without having to teach yourself. It will always be worth spending at least a little bit of time learning like this before you dive into the code.
Getting Experience
Getting experience is a vital part of the process when you’re learning how to develop website applications. People aren’t going to pay you to get this experience, though, and this means that you need to take on passion projects that can help you to find work in the future. Building web-based games can be a great place to start with this. Not only will this enable you to learn very complex programming skills, but it will also provide you project that you will be excited to complete. Using tools like API projects for beginners can be another good way to gather experience and slowly build yourself as a web developer.
Finding Work
The world of web development can be a competitive one, but this doesn’t mean that there is any shortage of work. You can get a new job quite quickly if you have the right portfolio, with most people being more interested in the work that you have produced than the qualifications you have behind you. You can choose to either work for a business or for yourself, with options available for just about any type of work in the field of web development. This can give you an opportunity to build your own business, and this can be a great way to make use of your skills when you first start as a developer.
Working as a web developer can be a satisfying and fun career with loads of options as you go through it. Of course, though, you need to make sure that you have the right level of experience when you first start something like this, and this will take some work to build. You can continue to do web design throughout this process, and this will be a good way to spend your time.
