If you are interested in how to learn web development on your own because of a career choice, without a bachelor’s degree, probably you are wondering what it takes to become one. Do you need to go to school, get a college degree for it? Maybe some coding bootcamps? Or is it something you can learn on your own? In this article we will cover all of that and also some important topics you should know about, basic things for a web developer like web apps, UI, UX, HTML, CSS, etc. None of those rang a bell? Then you need to keep reading. Let’s get you your web development gig!
What is web development?
Web development is building a website from zero and keeping it running with efficiency. This is done with three key elements, web design, back end development and front-end development. Learning web development on your own is completely doable, you don’t need a bachelor’s degree in computer science or graphic design in order to become a web developer. In order to master web development it is recommended to take several web development courses. There are different kinds of web development skills:
Web design
A web designer should be able to understand how a website works and put attention to every detail of the web design. Web designers are in charge to style every element of the website and make it usable for the visitors. A bad web design can tank a rising business. But not everything is about looks, everything should also function well, so a good web designer should be able to find that right spot. Background on graphic design is desirable.
Back end development
Back end developers tend to be professionals of the software programming field who have a deep knowledge of programming languages such as PHP, Python and JavaScript; build websites into frameworks like Django; are experts in managing SQL databases and make sure servers, web apps and databases are working as intended for long periods of time. Both web designers and front-end developers should at least understand what back end developers do. They are that important for building a website.
Front-end development
Front-end developers are in charge of everything a visitor will interact with on a website. They are experts on using frameworks like React or Bootstrap. A framework is the platform a website is built on. A front-end developer will be capable of making the user experience for the visitors as smooth as possible. They will also have to be able to develop web apps. Front end developers will work on the “face” for the website so they must have a creative background in web design and graphic design.
Full stack development
Full stack developers can do the job of both back end and front end developers. Because of this, full stack developers are more in demand for wealthy clients. Stack developers can do more money if they are in the job market looking for the right job. Something to consider is the job market may cater to back end and front end developers because they charge less.
How to learn web development on your own without a bachelor’s degree
First you have to know what development skills you need to learn and the job titles. Familiarize yourself with terminology like visual design, the basics of UI and UX., the functions of bad end and front-end development. It won’t make you a web developer for now but is a great starting point. You shouldn’t waste any learning opportunities.
Visual design
Behind the concept of visual design there are three main shapes: a square, a circle and a triangle. If you apply this information to the web development field a square means a block of content or images, a circle means a button and a triangle can be used as icons with the function of interacting with the visitors. If you have a sense of design you should be able to get a vibe from these shapes and get an idea of what a good website design is.
HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language or HTML is one of the go to programming languages of any person who is looking to learn how to code on their own. HTML coding is like instructions a browser follows in order to present a website to the visitors. Headings, paragraphs, links, images and other elements of a website are controlled by these instructions. This programming language is used even in visual-based design platforms, it is a must to know, and the best part is that it is not hard at all, there are a lot of resources online to learn HTML and everyone can do it, it is one of the most entry level programming languages, so it is a nice place to start learning web development on your own. Put special attention on the use of header HTML tags like H1, H2 and H3, those tags are used for content hierarchy so they will be very useful if the website design is SEO oriented, most websites are. You can always use a code editor to make your life easier.
CSS
Knowing how to code in CSS gives web developers the ability to alter the sizing, color and alignment of any element of a website. CSS means Cascading Style Sheet and it makes responsive design possible. This means CSS will allow an experienced web developer to build and design a website that will work on any device and any screen size. This is a must because visitors nowadays can access a website from their phone, computer, tablet and even their television. The web development field wouldn’t be as big as it is without CSS. A code editor may come in handy to make sure you are not making any mistakes while using CSS.
UX
UX stands for user experience. Coding a great user experience is important for an experienced web developer because it is a must have in a large-scale web development project. One way to learn to do UX correctly on your own is including it in early or small projects so you can practice. UX is the flow a visitor will experience when browsing a website. It helps web developers to make sure visitors can access every part of the website with ease, no website is complete without UX.
UI
UI stands for User Interface. It covers anything that has to do with buttons, or how it is known in the web development industry: clicking content. UI dictates how the visitor is going to manipulate the website in order to use it, the same as someone who is willing to drive a car would use the stick and pedal. The UI elements of the website would allow visitors to actually use the website. This can be possible thanks to two key UI principles: simplicity and intuitive design. An experienced web developer will make use of UI in order to create easy to use interfaces that are engaging to the visitor. If you are looking to learn web development on your own, you should analyze the websites you frequently visit and try to understand why its interface works the way it does. With time, this practice will make you intuitive at what works in a good UI and what doesn’t.
Layouts
There are certain patterns that repeat themselves on a lot of websites. The path the visitor has to take is now intuitive to him because he has seen it so many times. If a web developer wants an easy route for the visitor, he should use a layout that is known to work already.
Get knowledge, but use it
If you don’t have a bachelor’s degree and don’t know how to use a code editor, don’t worry, you are not behind, you just need a little bit of guidance. You can learn a lot from watching tutorials, reading blog posts about web development , enrolling in an online web development course about web design, being a sponge in relation to all information you can find online about web development. All of that is great, you will be getting a lot of knowledge and basic information that will totally help you become a web developer. But the only real way to get started is by developing a website. You can find a lot of resources online, from templates to frameworks to free hosting services to get you started out on a project without much budget.
Start with a small project, maybe something for you at first, like your own portfolio. But eventually you will need to break out and work on someone else’s project and receive feedback from a client. You can start with the people you know, maybe someone needs help with their portfolio or has a small business that needs online presence. This way your portfolio will keep growing and soon you will be able to take web development gigs and more clients. Some developers have their own YouTube Channels where they share their knowledge.
Websites you should visit in order to learn web development
If you are looking to learn web development, don’t just do a school search, you need to know what resources for web developers are the best. Some of these websites offer paid resources for anyone interested in learning web development. With these examples of online resources you can keep your school search and make it all the way to the top in the web development industry.
- FreeCodeCamp.
- Udemy.
- Coursera.
- Treehouse.
- Codeacademy.
- W3Schools.
- HTML Dog.
- Traversy Media.
- Youtube Channels about web development.
Pay attention to your learning path
If you are learning web development on your own then you must know what you have to learn first and what is better to be left for the end, that’s a learning path. On a reasonable pathway to learn web development you must prioritize learning the needed terminology. Then you should learn a programming language, focus on it and become familiar with others. Learn web development by using some of the mentioned resources. Maybe throw in a few YouTube channels where you can learn in your free time. But what is more important is knowing you can actually learn web development on your own. It is now going to be an easy way ahead, especially getting clients and starting out in a very competitive field, but if you are talented and put enough work on it, it will be very rewarding in the future. Your learning path should begin with you not knowing anything to landing your first client.
Things to consider
Set yourself a time to achieve your goals. Also be realistic about it. If your goal is learning three programming languages in one month, you are setting yourself up for failure. Instead, you can set the goal of taking some online courses through the years or if you are ready to jump out of your comfort zone and become a web developer then you can set the goal of getting a client.
Always put the knowledge you acquire into use. Practice makes perfection. Knowing a lot about web development is needed and very much desirable but it doesn’t serve any purpose if you never use any of those skills in a project. Making websites is what makes you a web developer.
You can enroll in some of the coding bootcamps that focus on web development. Coding bootcamps are taken by experienced web developers, that’s how good they are. This can help you with your learning over a fixed period of time. This way you can start building websites quickly.
Never stop learning. Doesn’t matter if you are already a professional and experienced web developer, the way websites are built is constantly changing, so it’s only natural the best practices for it change too. Next time you ask yourself how to learn web development on your own now you have a lot of material and resources you can use to make your dream of being a web developer a reality.
Remember a lot of web developers start out from the beginning without a college degree and rise up to the top of their dream job on their own. Take some web development courses and you will know if your new career choice is fantastic or not. Soon you will be part of the job market and have your first web development gig!
