Considering A Career In Web Development? Read This First

If you’re a college student or individual looking for a career change, you may be excited about the prospect of becoming a web developer. In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll introduce you to some of the essential tools you might need on this journey so you can decide if it’s a best fit.

Getting Started with Web Development

You’ve probably interacted with different types of websites countless times before. If you’re truly excited about web development then you’ve probably wondered how different kinds of websites and web apps work and what distinguishes them.

Let’s go through a high-level overview of the most common types of websites that you might encounter:

• E-commerce websites: These are probably the most common types of websites you’ve come across. These allow you to browse and purchase products online. Examples include Amazon, eBay, and Walmart.com. On Amazon, for example, you might need to log in, browse products, add items to your cart, and checkout at payment, through swiping for instance. These websites typically have complex web design and architecture, as they need to be able to handle a large volume of traffic and transactions. Since they handle, store, and transmit sensitive user data, security is of key importance.  
• Social media websites: Social media allows you to connect, share, and interact with friends, family, and communities in real time. Examples include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These websites typically have a focus on user-generated content and real-time interactions. Scalability is also an issue here as they should be capable of handling a large number of users and simultaneous connections.
• Search engine websites: Did you know that Google is actually a website? Other examples here include AOL, Bing, and Yahoo! Search engine websites have complex algorithms that rank websites based on relevance and other factors. They also need to be able to handle a large volume of search queries per second.
• Content management system (CMS) websites: These websites are created with the use of a content management system (CMS), a software tool that eliminates the need for writing custom web code and streamlines the creation and management of websites. CMS websites include those made with WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. They are the easiest types to develop and deploy and are therefore quite popular.
• News and media websites: These websites provide users with news and info on various topics. CNN, BBC, and the NYT are just the tip of the iceberg here. News and media need to be able to handle a large volume of traffic, as they are often the first place people go to get news about current events. They also need to be secure and tokenized due to the increased possibility of hacking. 
• Educational websites: These websites offer consumers a wide range of topic-specific educational content. Coursera, Udemy, and Khan Academy are a few examples. They are usually built with interaction in mind, or they may help you write my essay.
• Gaming websites: Users of these websites can engage in online gaming. Battle.net, Origin, and Steam are a few examples. Since gaming websites must be able to provide a lag-free and seamless gaming experience, they usually have high-performance needs. To safeguard user accounts and data, they must also have strong security procedures in place.

Web Design and Web Architecture

Now that you have an idea of the type of web dev projects that you’ll be working on, let’s move on to the basics. Here, it is important to distinguish between web design and web architecture, which are distinct but quite related disciplines. 

Web architecture is the process of developing a website’s functionality and structure, whereas web design is the process of generating a website’s visual look. Without a software development degree or a college education, you could be an excellent web designer. However, a solid foundation in computer science expertise is necessary to design proper web architecture. 

Good web design principles include using clear and concise navigation, creating a visually appealing layout, and using high-quality images and videos. Web architecture is also quite important for any website, as it affects the performance, scalability, and security of your website. Good web architecture principles include using a modular design, optimizing your website for search engines, and implementing robust security measures.

Web Development Principles

We’ve knocked some terminology and principles out of the way, so let’s dive deeper. Web development is the process of creating and maintaining websites. Web developers use a variety of programming languages and tools to build websites, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP.

You can imagine web development as building a house; the front end is what you see (the walls, windows, doors, and livery), and the back end is what makes everything work behind the scenes (the plumbing, wiring, and foundation).

For any type of website, the user typically initiates a request (for example, log-in to an account). The user may provide data such as their email and password, and in this way, an HTTP request is initiated. Once the request is authenticated by the back end, the user can log in to the website and access other resources. 

Front-end (Client-Side)

The front-end part of a website or web application is ideally the part that you can see and interact with. A simple project to begin with is creating a user-friendly registration form. You use HTML and CSS to build this form, which is like drawing the structure of the form and choosing how it looks. You can even add client-side validation to ensure that users enter information correctly before they submit the form.

Back-end (Server-Side)

The back end is the behind-the-scenes part that powers the front end. Data handling and authentication requests are handled from the back end.  A typical project here might involve creating a server using technologies like Node.js and Express.js. This server handles things like storing user data securely and making sure your website or app works smoothly.

Full-Stack Development

As a software engineering or computer science major looking to work in web development, you won’t just be limited to the front-end or back-end. Your role might be much more encompassing – you might perfect the user interface, user experience, and all the back-end and client-side logic that runs the website.  

Full-stack development also involves ensuring that user data is stored data securely and can easily be retrieved, and sessions managed smoothly. 

Some Tools You’ll Get to Know

While there are dozens of tools that might be typically involved in the web development process, you only need to start with the basics, especially since you’ll be starting with simpler projects. Here are a few of them:

1. HTML & CSS: These are the building blocks for your front-end allowing you to structure web pages and style them beautifully. At this stage, you’re simply doing web design. 

2. Front-end and back-end frameworks: Frameworks essentially make the web development process easier by integrating web applications into specific environments, improving code efficiency, improving security, and making code easier to prototype and debug. Front-end frameworks include React, Angular, and Vue.JS which allow the development of dynamic web pages, light code, and scalable elements. Back-end frameworks include Django, Ruby on Rails, and ASP.NET. Some of the functions of backend frameworks include simplifying database queries, form validation, and simplifying API logs to make client-side implementation much easier. 

3. Databases: Web applications need a backend storage integrated with the front and back-end frameworks. Examples include MySQL, MongoDB, and PostgreSQL. 

Building Your Web Projects

Now that we have a good understanding of the principles of web design and development, how do you get to working? Start by building a portfolio. This will give cred to your resume and showcase your skills as a freelancer or professional. However, developing a portfolio and finding time to work on such projects requires quite a bit of time.

Your portfolio should ideally start from the simplest types of projects, for example, a login page with simple UI and backend authentication. Here are some tips for noob web developers:

• Start by learning the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Work your way up to PHP and Laravel if you’re more focused on the front-end and user interface and experience. 
• Experiment with different web development frameworks and tools. Have a good idea of what type of web project you want to work on first. 
• Check out free web dev videos on YouTube and courses on platforms such as Coursera. Remember to learn practically by performing actual tasks, and not just watching videos or learning through “osmosis”.

Finally, be sure to check out different code on GitHub and see what other developers are doing with your type of projects. Try reusing code from similar projects and see if you can catch some bugs or common problems faced by other developers. 

Your Web Dev Journey Starts Today!

We’ve just provided a high-level overview of what web development entails and what you can expect further along the road. Web development is an exciting journey that will see you bring some of your boldest visions to life. It isn’t without its challenges and you might take years to perfect the craft. However, rest assured that those thousands of hours of practice will certainly be worth it. Good luck!

PS: Check out this writemyessays review to learn how you can balance tough academic assignments with side projects such as web development. 

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