Competing with Other Website Developers
The labor market is full of web developers, but there still needs to be more competent specialists who know their business. Now the emotional doesn't need to know where you studied and what University you graduated from. First, they are interested in your knowledge, previous experience, and how ready you are to learn and develop yourself regularly. We will consider what the profession of a web developer is, what knowledge they should have, and what their responsibilities are. We will also analyze the market and competition in web development. The market is crowded, and there is a lot of competition between web designers and developers, but it is still possible to build a successful career if you put in a lot of effort and work hard on your skills. Consider how to be competitive and stand out among other professionals.
A website developer
This specialist writes algorithms, updates them, and fixes errors. Web developers are divided into three narrow areas.
Front End
The front-end developer deals with the project's visual design work with designers and is responsible for the correctness of the layout.
Back-end developer
A specialist deals with the server part, so the user does not see when they enter the application or the site.
Full-stack developer
Individuals or teams that are competent in all stages of web development. Generally, a combination of front-end and back-end developers.
What are the responsibilities of a web developer? Job responsibilities depend on the chosen direction in web development (front-end, back-end, and full-stack developer). Also, individual requirements may be presented by the employer or the customer. Let's break down the functions of a web developer. In that case, this includes creating a database, fixing errors on time and quickly, creating websites, testing the site, updating algorithms, monitoring the operation of the web resource, and, in general, monitoring the smooth operation of websites or online services.
“Average Americans work well into their 60s, so workers might as well have a job that’s enjoyable and a career that’s fulfilling. A job with a low stress level, good work-life balance, and solid prospects to improve, get promoted, and earn a higher salary would make many employees happy. Here’s how Web Developers’ job satisfaction is rated in upward mobility, stress level, and flexibility.”
What knowledge should a website developer have
We will examine what web developer needs to know when they pass a job interview. They must know the following:
- basic mathematical knowledge;
- be able to create easily readable code by following standards;
- compose algorithms and logical chains;
- read, understand, and work with codes created by another person;
- know HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, etc. other languages.
Also, the interesting point is that employers only sometimes pay attention to higher technical education. Many of them understand that it is not a diploma that plays a significant role in this profession but programming skills and the ability to learn a lot of new material.
Monitoring the market
All companies are trying to grow and want to succeed. To expand their business, they must have websites and communicate with customers online. COVID-19 has significantly affected the web development market as many companies have moved to online sales and begun to develop their websites. Websites are needed by everyone, without exception or new features. The demand for web developers is very high and will likely stay active as long as the Internet exists. Since new technologies are constantly developing, the requirements for web developers are changing. For companies, more than creating a traditional website is required; they want to create web applications, web portals, ERP systems, etc.
Regularly study and improve your skills.
Everyone knows you need to regularly study and improve your knowledge to be a sought-after specialist who knows your business. There are many different ways to do this: watching tutorial videos, taking web development courses, attending conferences, and reading articles and books. There are all opportunities for self-development and self-support in an excellent professional manner. Constant learning is essential for a web developer because technology advances and new updates emerge. Attending conferences allows you to communicate with other developers, share knowledge and learn more about innovations. You can get valuable knowledge that will help develop the company you work for.
Competition among website developers
Currently, the market is vast, and the profession of web developer is in demand by web agencies and the industry. But we must remember that no one needs an inefficient worker. To find a good job, you must have many skills and knowledge. To be competitive, you must regularly study a lot of new information, practice the studied material, and improve your skills as much as possible. If you create a good and high-quality product, you will easily find a job. Finding a genuine specialist is more challenging than some think. After watching some training videos, some believe they are ready to develop websites.
Things on a list of highly qualified web developers
A highly skilled web programmer must advertise themself by presenting a large arsenal of quality work and attending as many competitions as possible to prove how high their abilities are among the rest of the professionals. Great developers are not only fixated on the skill set of website development but also may bring in other skills, for example, understanding SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and trends in digital marketing.
Promote Yourself
First, you must create a high-quality, diverse, and exciting portfolio showing your skills and work style. Every employer is interested in your work experience. If you need help finding a job due to a lack of experience, you can join a volunteer team to build an excellent professional reputation as a specialist and gain experience. Attending conferences and training where you can gain new knowledge and find new connections (perhaps an employer) is also vital.
Participating in Competitions
“The Coding Contests or Competitions provide you the opportunity to analyze your skills and proficiency, and to compare yourself to other programmers across the world. Apart from these, various scholarships, prizes, jobs, or internship opportunities are also provided to the participating programmers.”
By participating in competitions, you will see what your competitors can do and confirm your professionalism and knowledge by winning. You can qualify for a higher salary or promotion after receiving different certificates.
Pros of being a web developer
There are many benefits to working as a web developer:
- The demand for the profession in the market and a decent salary.
- Companies provide health insurance, paid vacations, sick days, and pension insurance.
- Regarding career growth, there are different ways to get promoted. You can start as a junior but move up the career ladder as a developer or manager.
- Work without leaving your home, provided you have internet access.
- Also, a flexible schedule cannot help but rejoice. If something urgent happens, you can solve your problem and then get to work.
- Since technology constantly evolves, you will develop with them by learning new information and acquiring new knowledge.
- This work is not heavy physical labor.
- You will work among intelligent and motivated people that will inspire you to develop yourself.
- Benefits of hiring a trainee, junior, and experienced web developer
“We already know that STEM talent is scarce. Instead of making your developer search even more difficult by only accepting the cream of the crop, why not find someone with the basic skills you need and then grow them in-house? Even experienced developers will have a learning curve with your company’s culture, tools, and strategies; hiring junior developers will give you the chance to discover and grow talent in your company’s image.”
There are different benefits of hiring a junior and an experienced web developer. Each company has different views on what kind of employees to hire. Hiring a professional or inexperienced employee entails various pluses and minuses.
“Are drive, determination, persistence, and curiosity, essential to your culture? Or, are you more low-key and relaxed about time management and deadlines? Whatever characteristics make up your culture, you want to ensure that the web developer will fit in.
For example, a brilliant web developer who has worked at a large financial institution may not do well at a startup. Why? A startup typically requires traits like versatility, adaptability, risk-taking, and a self-starter personality, but these may be less important at a large company.”
Benefits of hiring a junior
When an employer hires a junior specialist, they understand that the employee needs to be more experienced. But at the same time, they are motivated to learn many new things and show their progress more rapidly. A junior specialist can be trained in a necessary way for the company. At the same time, there are disagreements with experienced specialists; sometimes, they want to avoid adapting to the company.
“Behind every interview, there is a team eager to welcome you as a new colleague; and they will be looking for someone as eager to join them as they are, someone who will give the best they have to offer. Although basic technical skills will be a must, there is just as much importance on the potential you show to become a great developer down the line.”
Hiring an experienced web developer
When hiring an experienced specialist, they can be trained without being trained, as they know what and how to do the job. An experienced developer will be familiar with many tools and the direction web coding is moving. You can spend less time teaching them or explaining how to solve specific problems. But specialists usually know their worth and ask for a large salary.
