WebsiteSetup » How to Become a Web Developer

How to Become a Web Developer

(Beginner's Guide)

NICK SCHÄFERHOFF
Editor in Chief

Last updated: Dec 26, 2020

55 Comments
Certain skills are growing in demand.

Skills that can almost guarantee your jobs and

opportunities for years and decades to come.

One of these skills is web development.

Have you been wondering how to become a web

developer?

Contrary to a popular belief, you don’t need a fancy

bachelor’s degree in computer science to become a
web developer and create a functional website.

In fact, if you follow the instructions in this article,

you can become a web developer a lot quicker than
you think (but it will still take some hard work!).

Ready? Let’s start with the basics:

What/Who is a Web Developer

Here’s the simple answer to this question: They build
and maintain websites.

In other words – they literally create how you

experience the web. The websites which want users
to enjoy their experience need great web developers
– and they’re usually willing to fork over some
serious cash to get these great web developers.
Responsibilities of a web developer:

1. Write web pages with a combination of markup

languages.
2. Create quality mockups and prototypes.
3. Build a WordPress site from scratch.
4. Understand HTML and CMS.
5. Understand UI, UX and learning usability.
6. Develop functional and appealing websites and
web-based applications.
7. Provide website maintenance and
enhancements.

These are the most common requirements, but your

responsibilities and tasks will vary depending on the
web development gig as well as your web
development specialty.

Speaking of web development specialties, there are

three that you should be aware of:

1. Frontend development: The “frontend” refers

to “stuff” on a website that you see and interact
with, e.g. menus, dropdowns, etc.
2. Backend development: The “backend” is like
the portion of the iceberg below the surface.
Without it, the website can’t function. The
backend deals with servers, applications,
databases, etc.
3. Full-stack development: This is the
combination of both backend and frontend
development.

Why Should You Become a Web

Developer?
Web development is an industry that won’t die out
anytime soon.

In fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics has

predicted a 13% growth in available web
development jobs through 2028.
Put simply – if you can develop this skill, you won’t
have a hard time finding work for the foreseeable
future.

Here are FIVE big advantages/benefits of

being a web developer:

1. You can work remotely. Ever wondered what it

would be like to work from anywhere in the
world, on your own time? As a web developer,
you’ll have plenty of opportunities to work
remotely. Maybe you can finally fulfill that dream
of traveling the world while saving money at the
same time.
2. You can use your skills to build your own
websites and web applications. Want to make
a profitable website or application? With this
skill, you won’t have to pay a ton of money to get
it built. You can build it yourself for a fraction of
the price.
3. You can work independently. You no longer
have to work under the umbrella of a boss if you
don’t want to. You can freelance or start your
own business much more easily when you know
about web development.
4. Get into the profitable tech industry. Web
development is basically your ticket to the tech
industry. Most tech startups have some need for
web developers, so this can be your way to get
your foot in the door.
5. You can build awesome stuff! The fun part is
that you can be as creative as you want. Instead
of looking at websites and thinking, “Wow, that
looks awesome. I wish I could create something
like that,” you will now be able to create your
very own awesome-looking website.

What do you think? Does all of this get you excited

about the idea of becoming a web developer? If so,
you’re in the right place – because you’re about to
learn the steps you need to take to become one!

How to Become a Web

Developer

1. Learn the Basics of HTML, CSS,

and Javascript
These are the nuts and bolts of all website
development that you’ll work with daily if you
decide to build websites for a living.

HTML dictates the structure

CSS will make it look pretty
Javascript will make it function

Let’s discuss each one of these and how you can

learn them.

HTML

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It’s

one of the main ingredients of any website and one
of the so-called frontend languages.

In short – it provides the basic skeleton of a website,

mainly through a series of tags.

A tag is the HTML code that controls the appearance

of the HTML document’s content.

Here are some common HTML tags you should get

familiar with:

<HTML>…</HTML> – This tag shows up at the

beginning and end of an HTML document. It
indicates that the document is written in HTML5.
<title>…</title> – The title tag is the title for the
page. This is useful both for search engines
(when they scan and index pages) and users (it
shows up in a browser’s title bar) by explicitly
stating the primary topic of each page
<head>…</head> – This contains information
about the specific page, including title tags,
metadata, and links to scripts and style sheets.
<body>…</body> – This includes all content
 that will be shown to users, including everything
they’ll see and read.

Note: All tags start like “<body>” and end like

“</body>”. The “/” indicates that the specific tag is
no longer in use afterward. It’s important to put the
end tag in. Otherwise, the entire document will use
that tag.

Here are some resources for learning HTML:

HTML Beginner’s Guide

HTML Cheat Sheet

CSS

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets.

It puts the style behind the HTML structure.

Basically, without CSS, HTML, and consequently, the
whole web page would look boring.

Here’s how they combine: Within your HTML code,

you reference a CSS style sheet.

Here’s an example of what CSS looks like in action:

#top-header a,
#top-header a {
color: #fff;
}

#top-header,
#et-secondary-nav {
-webkit-transition: background-color 0.4s, transform 0.4s, opacity 0.4s ease-in-
-moz-transitions: background-color 0.4s, transform 0.4s, opacity 0.4s ease-in-ou
-transistion: background-color 0.4s, transform 0.4s, opacity 0.4s ease-in-out;
}

#top-header .container {
padding-top: 0.75em;
font weight: 600;
}

Here’s a great resource for learning CSS: CSS Cheat

Sheet
Javascript

Javascript is a programming language that allows

you to implement elements on web pages. It powers
features like interactive maps, 2D/3D graphics, and
more.

Here’s a great resource to help you learn Javascript:

Javascript Cheat Sheet

2. Learn the Basics of WordPress

To become a web developer, you’ll have to get
familiar with WordPress. After all – 63% of all
websites are powered by this free, open-source
software that you can install on basically any web
host.

Once you set up a WordPress site, it’s fairly easy for

your clients to add content by themselves (even if
they don’t have any web development experience).

We have plenty of WordPress guides on this website.

Check out the links below:

How to Make a WordPress Website

How to Make a WordPress Blog
How to Customize WordPress

3. Get to Know UI and UX

UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) are the
basics of user experience design.

Most developers aren’t web designers – these are

two different realms.

It’s still important to note that by learning the

fundamentals of user experience design, you can
better understand how a website is supposed to
work. That will keep more users on the site, help
them find what they’re looking for, and ultimately
spend more money on that site.

To learn the building blocks of design skills, we

recommend learning the Adobe Creative Suite.
Photoshop should be the first thing you dive into, as
it’s the go-to for most serious designers. If you don’t
like Adobe, you can also dive into Sketch, which is a
rising star among designers.

Here are some resources for understanding and

learning UI and UX:

The Difference Between UX and UI Design-A

Layman’s Guide
Treehouse and Lynda offer excellent beginner
courses in both Photoshop and general design
concepts

4. Learn SQL and PHP (Optional)

We’ll lump these two together because they’re like
two sides of the same coin.

SQL is a database technology (see SQL cheat sheet)

that stores information. PHP is a ‘scripting’ language
that places or pulls stuff from a database (see PHP
cheat sheet).

Think about WordPress, for example.

It uses MySQL to store and manage information

(blog posts, page content, comments, user
information, etc.) in a database ‘table’. PHP is what
makes a WordPress website dynamic, interacting
with all of these different elements and properly
updating the database as you go.
Learning more about how SQL and PHP work
together can help you master WordPress site
development, which literally hundreds (if not
thousands) of people are looking for every day on
job and project boards across the internet.

Additional resources for learning PHP and SQL:

SQL Course
TutorialsPoint (PHP)

It’s not easy. You won’t master all of these over a

week or two. But over time, becoming familiar and
then good at these skill sets means that you will
always have a profitable career ahead of you.

5. Learn the Basics of SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. This
refers to the process of improving a website’s
rankings within a search engine like Google. It’s one
of the most important skills in online business.

You may be thinking, “If I’m a developer, why do I

need to worry about how well a site ranks in the
search engines? Isn’t that the job of the bloggers and
content creators?”

Well yes, a large part of a website’s SEO has to do

with the content. But the actual structure and code
of the website play a role as well.

For example, heading tags (HTML) are extremely

important for SEO. They tell search engines what’s
really important on a website.

Now, do you need to be an SEO expert? Absolutely

not. But you should learn the basics of SEO, and
keep SEO in mind while you’re creating each
website. In doing so, you’ll give the website a much
greater chance of success, and make your web
development client that much happier.

Here are a few SEO tips for web developers:

Get your meta tags optimized. On the search

 page, the meta tag tells browsers what your site
is about – the better it is, the more likely they are
to click through to the site.
Make sure your heading tags are in a specific
order. H1 should be the main heading, and then
you should descend through lower-level
headings through the page (i.e., H2, H3, H4, and
so on). This makes it easier for search engines to
navigate the site.
Make sure your title tag properly describes
the web page. The title should emphasize
what the page is about.

Here are some resources for learning the basics of

SEO:

The Beginner’s Guide to SEO

How to Learn SEO: 10 of the Best Resources to
Bookmark
How to Increase Website Traffic

Dedicate at least 3-5 hours to reading through

resources and learning the basics. This will prepare
you to develop websites with SEO in mind.

6. Make Sure Your Site is

Responsive
When you’re creating your own website (which will
be a good idea if you want to get more clients) – you
should make sure your site is responsive.

Responsive means that the elements of the website

adjust according to the screen size. This means that
your website will look good whether the visitor is on
a laptop or mobile device.

In 2018, responsive design was crucial. All of your

clients will expect it – lead by example and make
sure that your website is responsive.

***

Okay, so once you go through these 6 steps, you’ll

have a basic understanding of web development.
You’ll know how to do it (at least at a basic level).

Take your time with these steps – the demand for

web developers isn’t going down anytime soon, so
you have time to learn.

But here’s the big question: Once you feel like you
have that basic understanding down, how do you
actually find web development clients?

You’re in luck – that’s what we’ll talk about next!

How to Find Your First Web

Development Client (or
Become a FREELANCER)
Just because you have the skill doesn’t mean people
will just fork over money to you. You need to do a
little bit of work and sell yourself. You also need to
put yourself in the right places to get opportunities.

Now, as a web developer, you have two choices. You

can 1) try to land a full-time, on-site job with a
company or 2) go the route of freelancing, and look
for online gigs.

We recommend freelancing. While it doesn’t afford

the same guaranteed paycheck that a full-time job
does, there are 3 huge benefits:

Freedom: No more clocking in and clocking out.

You might still work the same hours (or more),
but your schedule, location, and living
circumstances are completely up to you. (Plus –
no commuting, which saves you hours every
week!)
Money: Once you become a good freelancer,
you’ll have a better shot at making more money
(than waiting for a measly 3% raise each year).
Prestige: Over time, you’ll have the opportunity
to build your own personal work and brand to
the point that eventually guarantees you a
 steady influx of new clients (without even having
to look for them!).

In the following section, we’ll focus on how to get

your first freelancing gig as a web developer.

1. Get on Job Boards

Most freelancers hit job boards to find their first web
development gigs. Those can be great for
accumulating experience, but you probably don’t
want to use them as a long-term strategy.

The quality of clients can be very hit-or-miss. Some

might be great. Others less so…

Many times they attract people who are

inexperienced with hiring, which can create a lot of
problems when you’re trying to work with them.
Quite often, job boards will also attract people with
unrealistic time frames and budgets.

Over-relying on job boards (for too long) won’t give

you the opportunity (or free time) to start building
your own brand. Attracting ‘inbound’ attention to
your work will ultimately land you the best (and
highest paying) clients at the end of the day.

But like we said, it’s not a bad option to get started

and gain experience.

Just understand that every gig you get on a job

board (while it may not pay extremely well) will help
you to gain experience and get more future work.

It’s also quite easy to get started on job boards…

Below is a picture of the results from a quick search

on UpWork:

(As you can see, there are tons of job opportunities

for web developers!)
Here are some job boards where you can find web
development gigs:

PeoplePerHour.com
Codeable.io (for WordPress)
TopTal.com (for WordPress)
UpWork.com

2. Put Together a Portfolio Site

For making it easy to get more clients (and for clients
to find you), you should create a portfolio site. This is
where you’ll show off your latest projects, show
testimonials from happy clients, provide potential
clients with an easy way of contacting you, and also
show off your web development capabilities.

Here are some tips for creating your web

development portfolio site:

Use testimonials from past and current

clients. This will assure visitors that you do great
work and that others were happy to work with
you. (Make it a habit of asking testimonials
whenever you finish a project.)
Infuse your personality. What’s great about
working with you, and what makes you stand
out? When you infuse personality into your
portfolio site, you’ll automatically set yourself
apart.
Include the right elements. Your name, the
short version of your story of how/why you
became a web developer, your contact details,
your recent work, and your skills.
Answer the “What’s in it for me?” question.
 Basically, let them know the main benefit of
working with you, i.e., what clients will get from
working with you.

Most of all – you should make sure your portfolio site

looks awesome! You want potential clients to see it
and think, “Wow! I want something like that for my
website too!” That way, they’ll be a lot more
interested in working with you.

Here are a few examples of great web developer

portfolio sites to use as inspiration:

MattFarley.ca
Caferati.me (Speaking of infusing personality,
this developer does it in a big way on his site. Go
to the homepage and you’ll see what we mean!)
Pierre.io

Here are some resources to help you build your web

development portfolio site:

How to Create a Portfolio Website

10 Tips for Creating Your Developer Portfolio

3. Start Networking
Don’t just spend all your time scouring online job
boards. If you want to get great opportunities, you
have to get out into the real world too.

Make it a point to attend at least 2-3 relevant

networking events each month. Assuming you live in
or within an hour or two of a big city, it shouldn’t be
difficult to find these kinds of events.
Start by searching for meetups on Meetup.com and
Eventbrite. On these two platforms alone you should
find tons of relevant events.

Aim for events that draw entrepreneurs, as these

people will be the most likely to want to build a new
website. As you connect and network with more of
these people (and let it be known that you’re a web
developer), you’ll expose yourself to more and better
gigs than those you’d find on job boards. You’ll also
start to grow your personal brand.

Here’s another great resource to help you find

events: How to Find Networking Events Actually
Worth Attending

The Benefits of a Full-Time

Web Developer
We talked a lot about freelancing as a web
developer. However, working full-time in a company
does have it’s own benefits:

You’re working with other developers – this

gives you the advantage of a shared experience,
especially if you’re entirely new. Working with
others allows them to share their experience with
you, which is quite valuable.
Client support is organized – when you’re
working in a company, you’re not bound to work
at varying times of the day. This means that
company clients know when to contact and
expect your work to be finished.
Much more focused workload – several
freelancers today work on different projects at
the same time. This divides their focus which can
 affect the overall quality. As a full-time
developer, you’re more likely to work on a single
project that requires your full attention.

Conclusion
The job market is getting tougher. The more
traditional jobs are phased out every day. So, why
not learn a skill that will keep you employed (and
possibly wealthy) for the foreseeable future?

That’s the big advantage of web development. The

great part is- you don’t need a fancy expensive
degree to get into the field. Simply by following the
steps we’ve listed out here, you can start out the
path of becoming a web developer.

Also, there are a lot of Integrated Development

Environment (IDE) software options out that make a
developer’s life much easier.

To recap, here are the basics steps to becoming a

web developer:

1. Learn the Basics of HTML, CSS, and Javascript

2. Go through WordPress Tutorials
3. Learn the Basics of UI and UX
4. Learn SQL and PHP
5. Learn the Basics of SEO
6. Make Sure Your Site is Responsive

And here are the basic steps to find your first web
development gig:

1. Get on Job Boards

2. Put Together a Portfolio Site
3. Start Networking

Now it’s time to take action and show the world

what an awesome web developer you can be!

If you have any questions along the way, please feel

free to either comment below and let us know.
 + 55 comments

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Post Comment

vaibhav goyal

Actually i have learnt html, css, javascript and

react for frontend so will it be necessary to learn
php or get into word press development.
Learning javascript and making websites
completely by myself will not work?

Reply
 Nick Schäferhoff

It really depends on your goal. WordPress is

actually moving more and more toward
JavaScript, so if you know it already, you are in
good shape. You can also make a living building
websites from scratch or using another CMS.
WordPress is just a system that a lot of people
are familiar with and that has a large ecosystem,
which is why a lot of people gravitate towards it.
But it’s not a must.

Reply

Judith D. Scruggs

Hi, NICK SCHÄFERHOFF

I can’t thank you enough for all of your guides

and tips on BLOG NICHE. They are like a
goldmine for me, keep rocking on, you are
helping so many.

Reply

Raza Javed

I also want to learn web development. So i

started with making small Web apps with
Django. Is it necessary to learn JavaScript for
web development OR it can also be done using
Python?

Reply
 WebsiteSetup Editorial

You can still do it in Python, but Python is better

for building applications. For websites, it’s
easier to use WordPress.

Reply

Tony Minh Chau

As a current student majoring in

Communication, do you think I can get a job
after college even if I didn’t major in Computer
science? I have noticed a lot of job listings that
requires the CS degree, I was wondering if I am
at a disadvantage? Note that I am already self-
teaching myself a lot of web development tools
on Udemy and I have learned HTML and CSS so
far, I have been building a few projects as
practice every now and then, and I am learning
Javascript, but I am feeling a little discouraged
because I lack the correct degree. I’d appreciate
some feedback.

Reply
 WebsiteSetup Editorial

From what I’ve seen, web development is an

industry where degrees are largely optional.
Focus on learning as much as you can and start
creating development projects for yourself that
you can add to a portfolio. Use that to get some
freelance gigs and further improve yourself –
nothing beats real world experience.

Reply

Gazi

As a student i completed all these

languages(including back end) and now i can
make a website but i don’t know how to sell it.
Please help me

Reply

Nick Schäferhoff

If you are having trouble finding clients, this is

the right post for you:
https://websitesetup.org/how-to-get-web-
design-clients/

Reply
 Ashraf

I’ve been learning HTML and CSS and been

wanting to learn WordPress for some time now.
I’ve been hearing how successful people are
when becoming a freelance WP developer. I’ve
always wanted to start my own freelance
business and figure.Will it be wise to learn the
front-end languages and learn WordPress at the
same time. Any thoughts???
Please help me i am really confused.

Reply

Nick Schäferhoff

Absolutely! When you know HTML and CSS, you

can start customizing WordPress themes (use a
child theme!). However, if you really want to get
into WordPress development, sooner or later
you will have to get into PHP and probably some
JavaScript.

Reply
 Ken

Hi,

I am currently working as a Technical Architect

in a local company. I am knowledgeable with
server management, good in using SQL
language like PL/SQL and T-SQL and a little
knowledge about scripting using UNIX and
Powershell. My goal is to start learning web
development and do freelancing until i can
leave my day job. My question is, what do you
recommend for me to focus first? Frontend or
backend?

Reply
 Nick Schäferhoff

Hey Ken, that sounds like a great plan! I’m all for
starting a side hustle and then transitioning it
into your main job.

As for your question, it really depends on what

you prefer doing. The back end is a lot more
technical than the front end. You have to deal
more with databases and things happening
server side. With your skill set, that might be
right up your alleyway.

Personally, I am more of a front end guy and I

think, generally, front end is easier to learn.
HTML and CSS are a lot easier to get into than
scripting languages and you can start tweaking
the design very quickly. Still, with your existing
skills, you might just hit the ground running in
the back end.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any

other questions.

Reply
 Aderinsola

This is awesome. My first 2020 project.

I actually built my first website from tutorials

from this site. But I built the site for my
business. Can’t help but keep coming back. I
keep bookmarking all your pages. Learned to
start a podcast also from here.
Now I want to become a developer and earn
money from it. I am also learning how to code. I
am excited already.

Thank you so much Nick

Reply

Nick Schäferhoff

Hey Aderinsola, your comment is one of the best

compliments we could receive. Thanks a lot!
Good luck in your new career and come back to
let us know how things are going.

Reply
 Akib

Hey! I really loved this article.

I’ve learned HTML and CSS. I’m not clear about

what should I learn next to become a complete
Front End Developer. I am just confused with
what to start? jQuery, React, Javascript,
Bootstrap, Sass, Git and and many others
options. Could you please help me with this
process?

Reply

Carmen

Great article! I’m reading and taking notes,

listening to the You Tube lessons you
recommended…

I’m 55 and I really want to learn how to create

websites. I feel a little drowned, but your article
gave me courage to start. Thank you.

Reply

Nick Schäferhoff

Hey Carmen, congratulations on upping your

skills set! You should be proud of yourself. And
don’t worry about your age. Check out the video
in my answer to Kimberly below if you are
doubting yourself.

Reply
 Amr Talaat

If you are looking for an order, based on my

work with those frameworks I recommend after
you are done with HTML and CSS, get into
Vanilla JavaScript (plain JavaScript) no
frameworks. Then Bootstrap because it’s very
popular, then Jquery which is a framework for
JavaScript, then Git (very important for any
programmer/developer).

Important note: HTML, CSS, JavaScript are the

basics/foundation. The rest are just frameworks
for them, meaning you use the framework to
control the CSS or JavaScript in an organized or
easy manner.

My Advice: Check your local job boards and see

what is the framework used most frequently. For
example, I saw Bootstrap was in almost 80% of
the job posts so I learned that first. Even though
it isn’t my favorite framework, I’m sure I’ll get a
job sooner learning it.

Good luck

Reply
 Nick Schäferhoff

Hey Akib, what to learn next really depends on

your goals and the type of work you want to do.
Generally, I often hear the recommendation to
learn plain JavaScript for front end. This will
help you understand the language and give you
a foundation before getting into different
frameworks, etc. Maybe that would be a good
next step for you?

Reply

Kimberly

Hello

I loved the article, it really motivated me to learn

web development and web design. I am an
older person (I’m almost 50), I really want to do
freelance work. Is it too late for me to learn?

Reply

Nick Schäferhoff

Hey Kimberly, absolutely not! If you put your

mind to it, you can learn most things at any age.
We actually recently posted a video on our
social accounts that might be relevant to you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=jcggB6vRUzE. Good luck and let me know
how it goes!

Reply
 Alvin Louis Jones, Sr.

Nick: Thanks for building this wonderful website

with top down and quality information. I am a
1960 mainframe communications Data Com
Analyst with MSDOS, Unix, Fortan, COBOL, etc. I
have retired years ago but I am knocking this
out with your help. I am ready to build some
web sites now.

Reply

Nick Schäferhoff

Hey Alvin, your kinds of comments is what we

run this site for. So happy to hear you feel ready
to put what you have learned here into practice!
Please feel free to reach out if you need any
help. Cheers!

Reply

Tony

A “tip of the hat” to ya. Came across this as I

started my html journey. Learning all I can while
keeping my day job.

Reply

Nick Schäferhoff

Glad to be of service, good luck in your journey!

Reply
 Michael

I know a great amount of C#, beginning to

intermediate.

What other programs do I need to know to build

a interactive website?

I heard HTML5 CSS3 and Bootstap… but I don’t

want to learn Javascript for bootstrap.

Also, can I learn HTML5, CSS3 and ASP.NET Core

to make a interactive website?

And how much C# do I need to know in order to

build a website?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated…

THANK YOU!

What I have learned:

In C#, I learned… loops, arrays, constructs,

methods, object, classes, strings, operators.

Reply
 Nick Schäferhoff

Hey Michael,

C# is not really a language used in web

development.

You are definitely on the right track with HTML5

and CSS3. I personally don’t have any
experience with ASP.Net Core so I can’t give any
opinion on it.

For Bootstrap, you don’t necessarily need to

learn JavaScript to get started, though it helps.
See our tutorial here:
https://websitesetup.org/bootstrap-tutorial-for-
beginners/.
With your knowledge of C#, you might consider
learning PHP, since you already know the
overarching concepts. PHP is used in a lot of
server-side programming for web applications.
Content management systems like WordPress
and Joomla are also mainly made up of PHP, so
this would help you modify any site build with
this kind of CMS.

Hope this helps!

Reply

Anna

Beautiful article! Well written, lots of useful

resources, thank you so much, you made me
very excited about learning!

Reply
 Randel

Thanks for the tip

I started learning html and css and i must say it’s
pretty interesting. Yet to start with JavaScript,
php and SQL

Reply

WebsiteSetup Editorial

Sounds exciting

Reply

Jorge Teixeira

Hi WebsiteSetup Editorial,
Thank you for creating this Web Developer
guide, it’s helping me very much!

Jorge Teixeira

Reply
 F

Well, you pretty much only have the option of

freelance work with the basic skills you listed.
There are very few companies hiring full-time
employees with just those skills anymore. You
basically need to be a programming guru with a
CS degree now. You may luck out if you’re a top
graduate from a top coding school and have a
very impressive portfolio, but even many of
those graduates end up having to take barely
related job positions or freelance work.

Also, if you’re in an expensive western country

such as the US, even worse if you’re in an
expensive city, have fun competing with people
in very cheap countries offering to do the same
work for a fraction of the cost.

Reply

WebsiteSetup Editorial

If you’re good at something, you’ll get job easily.

If you aren’t that good, you need to sell (market)
yourself. I’d rather master web development
until people want to hire me vs. vice versa.

Reply
 Rob

Hey,

So what is the point of learning all those coding

languages if WordPress can make the websites
for you?
and why would clients hire you to make them a
website with WordPress? isn’t that something
they can easily do themselves? I’m confused on
that…

Reply

WebsiteSetup Editorial

Sometimes you want complex features on your

site which are difficult to implement on
WordPress without coding. If your business
grows very large, it is essential to hire a web
developer who can manage your day to day
tweaks and edits :).

Reply

Carlos

Hi WebsiteSetup Editorial!

Thank you for your post. It’s really interesting. I

would like one day become a Web developer
and I finished a course with Teamthreehouse
about HTML for beginners. I was a little bit lose,
But with your post I know what I want to
achieved. Thanks.

Reply
 Sarah

Did you really learn this all on your own? Would

you not recommend getting an associates
degree or something? Would you think that
would be more marketable?

Reply

WebsiteSetup Editorial

I’m more into freelancing I can be my own

boss then, ha!

Reply

Diamond

Did you get a degree. I don’t mind self studying

but how do you know you have mastered all the
skills throughly to land your first job. Most
companies I see require ano associates degree.

Reply
 Dwayne

Hey WebsiteSetup Editorial,

Im very new to coding, Im very interested in

front end development but not sure what kind
of progress I am supposed to make and when.
How long do you feel it would take an novice to
learn HTML5/CSS/JavaScript/Wordpress to a
level that would get me hired on contract gigs
on job boards like upwork.com.

Kind Regards,

Dwayne

Reply

WebsiteSetup Editorial

Hey Dwayne,

You want honest answer? It could take years.

WordPress is by far the easiest, this you can
master within 6 months I’d say.
HTML could take a year.
CSS & Javascript are more difficult, though.

Hope this helps

WebsiteSetup Editorial

Reply
 Alice Clark

Thank you for this, a easy and simple road map

to follow from start. Thanks.

Reply

Christine

Thanks for this reassuring blog! I quit the job in

the big smoke earlier this year to do exactly just
this. It has enabled me to work flexibly (exactly
what I need with a young family). I love the
variety of clients that you have and the
opportunities to understand other industries
and sectors.

I am so glad that I took the leap. If you are

thinking about whether you should or not go for
it. Plently of people need help with their online
presence.
Thanks

Reply

Cavin

Good suggestion!
HTML+CSS+JavaScript -> SQL+PHP
And then, some popular framework like yii or
laravel should be learn after that, it can use to
build a site more fast.

Reply
 Karen Delaney

This is a fantastic article! The structure and

detail are easy to follow and user friendly.
Thanks for the external links for added support.
I currently create my sites on Weebly but have
been playing around with HTML and CSS codes.
You make a some great suggestions I plan to
follow. Thanks for taking the time and energy to
share this valuable information.

Reply

David

How did i took so long to know your website ? I

never did this sort of thing, but, I’m just passing
by to thank you from the bottom of my heart for
this incredible content that you make. Keep up
the good work !

Reply

ori

Hello
You have made a mistake on the codable.io …
its codeable.io
Regards

Reply
 WebsiteSetup Editorial

Thanks and fixed

Reply

andy

I am a newbie web developer. Do you suggest to

put in my portfolio site all the small projects i’ve
made so far?like those on freecodecamp for
example?

Reply

Dubem

I love your write up, I have always dreamed of

becoming a developer.I tried HTML in 2011 but
later loose hope due to home painstaking it
could be. I still want to go back

Reply

Phil

Good stuff. I also started learning WordPress

and I’ve pretty much mastered. PHP & SQL are
yet to be learned, but overall I think I’ve been
doing fine.

Thanks for the tips, WebsiteSetup Editorial

Reply
 Rodney

You might as well learn at least basic Javascript.

Html/css

Reply

James

Great post.

Can I ask for someone looking to begin their IT

career. With the stuff listed above as well as
online resources are there any textbooks you
would recommend?

Reply

Nick Schäferhoff

Hey James, you may want to check out this

post: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/9-
books-for-junior-developers-in-2019-
e41fc7ecc586/

Reply

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