Explore the various factors that make web development a lucrative and rewarding career choice, such as high salary potential, growing job demand, room for skill growth, flexible work hours, and a constantly evolving, challenging work environment. Discover the role of a web developer, specializations in the field, and alternate career paths related to web development.

Key Insights

  • Web developers are responsible for building websites and web applications, focusing on meeting project objectives and ensuring a positive user experience. They write and test product code, often maintaining performance and capacity.
  • Specializations in web development include front end development (visual elements and user interface), back end development (site structure and functionality), and full stack development (combining front and back end skills).
  • In the United States, web developer salaries can range from $51,000 to $155,000, with factors such as education, experience, skills, company size, industry, and location influencing the compensation.
  • The job outlook for web developers is promising, with an expected growth rate of 23% through 2031, substantially higher than the national average for all careers. An average of 21,800 new web developer jobs are expected to be added each year within this period.
  • Web development offers significant room for growth, with salaries increasing with experience and the continuous evolution of web technology creating new skill demands. The field also provides flexibility in work hours and location, making it suitable for remote work.
  • Alternative career paths that utilize similar skills to web development include user experience (UX) design, user interface (UI) design, mobile app design, software engineering, and data science.

The question of what makes a good career is subjective, but there are certain consistent factors that most people look for in a career. If you’re trying to decide whether to become a Web Developer, you’ll probably want to know what your salary is likely to be, what the job’s outlook is in terms of growing demand and future job security, how much potential room for growth there is within the role, how much flexibility or stability you will have in the hours and location of your work, and whether the work is likely to be interesting and challenging for you.

Many consider web development to be a good career for a number of these reasons. For example, Indeed put Full Stack Developer at the top of its Best Jobs of 2023 list. Web Developers tend to be well paid, especially once they gain experience and build desirable skills. Demand for Web Developers has increased in recent years and is projected to do so at a significantly higher-than-average rate through at least 2031. Web development is a field that allows for growth within the role as you learn and apply new skills, and as innovators continue to discover new potential uses of web technology. Web Developers tend to have a fair amount of flexibility in what hours they work and whether their work is remote, in-person, or hybrid. Since web development is an ever-evolving field, you can expect to find new challenges and interesting problems to solve throughout your career.

What is a Web Developer?

A Web Developer builds websites and web applications for companies or clients who hire them to create a product that serves a specific purpose. They are responsible for meeting the project objectives while providing a positive experience for the end user. Web Developers write and test the product’s code and are often responsible for maintaining performance and capacity. 

Various specializations fall under the Web Development umbrella. A front end developer focuses on the visual elements of a website or application—that is, the interface that the end user sees and interacts with. A back end developer designs and creates the site’s behind-the-scenes structure and functionality. However, the type of web developer most desirable to employers is a full stack developer with front-end and back-end development skills.

Web developers may work solo or as part of a team, often depending on whether they are freelance or work full-time for a particular company. Almost any business in any industry needs a web developer, but whether they have a web development team or hire a freelance developer will depend on their circumstances. Businesses need web developers because having an online presence increases their client base. Many businesses also need web developers because they want to connect with potential customers through their own web applications. 

Read more about what a Web Developer does.

Web Developer Salary and Job Outlook

Before choosing to become a Web Developer, you should know what you will likely be paid and the factors that affect your compensation. Web Developer salaries will vary according to a candidate’s education, experience, and specialized skills. The company size, workplace location, and industry also shape the compensation offered. But experience is the most important factor, followed by skill set and location. You will earn more if your employer is located in a large city. Salaries for Web Developers in the United States can range from $51,000 to $155,000. It is essential to research specific locations and industries when applying for Web Developer positions.

The job outlook for Web Developers is also excellent, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The demand for Web Developers through 2031 is projected to grow by 23%, far higher than the 5% national average across all careers. The labor market is projected to add an average of 21,800 new Web Developer jobs each year in this time span. If you choose to become a Web Developer, you can expect the position to be in high demand with good job security in the coming years.

Read more about Web Developer salaries and the job outlook for a Web Developer.

What Makes Web Developer a Good Career?

Salary

A major consideration when choosing a career is the pay offered. A Web Developer can expect to command a substantial salary and generally receives benefits as well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median US annual salary for web development in 2021 was $78,300. That is 71% higher than the overall median salary for all careers that year. For 2023, Back End Developer was the fourth highest paying job in the nation.

As with many fields, the salary a Web Developer receives will depend in part on the location of their workplace. In tech-heavy California, with its high cost of living, the highest paid Web Developers make over $150,000 a year. However, there is not necessarily a direct correlation between the cost of living and pay for Web Developers. Salaries also depend on demand. As of 2023, Web Developers in Iowa are paid almost as well as those in Washington, D.C., because Iowa currently has a particularly high demand for Web Developers, especially in areas like Des Moines. 

Job Outlook and Security

One factor that attracts many people to the idea of becoming a Web Developer is the strong job outlook it offers. In 2021, over 94% of Web Developers were employed. The data about employment for Web Developers suggests a high current demand, regardless of challenging economic times. Someone who becomes a Web Developer in the next few years is likely to have a good chance of finding a job expeditiously.

Long-term job security for Web Developers also has a good outlook. The BLS projects that 45,400 web development jobs will be added to the US economy over the years 2021-2031. As such, new Web Developers will continue to find their skills in demand as they proceed in their careers. Given the increasingly wide range of applications for web technology, there is reason to believe that this trend will continue.

Room for Growth

Are you wondering whether your prospective career offers room for advancement? The great news about web development is that there’s lots of scope to grow. Salaries increase commensurate with experience in this field. Also, there are always new skills in demand as web technology develops over time. By continuing to learn more about your field, you’ll have opportunities to earn promotion as positions become available.

In addition to allowing for growth in salary and responsibility, web development is also a good career for someone who is intrinsically motivated. If what you want is a career where you will always be able to learn something new, you could make a great Web Developer. And that motivation to learn will also help you earn greater compensation and advance your career.

Flexibility

Many people find having control over their hours and where they work from plays a big role in whether they find a job appealing. Web development is a career that allows the work substantial autonomy in these respects. 

A Web Developer can do much of their work at any time of day they like, especially coding and other tasks that are typically performed solo. However, they must be available for scheduled meetings with collaborators, which may sometimes fall outside their preferred hours. Web Developers are also likely to be called upon to work longer hours when a project deadline is approaching.

Web development is also a career that fits well with remote work. Since most of the work takes place on a computer anyway, and remote meetings are now a matter of course, there is no particular reason why a Web Developer needs to be in a specific location. Yet different industries and employers may vary in their expectations for whether a Web Developer should be expected to work in-person, so it’s important to investigate the requirements for a specific role before choosing to apply.

Interest and Challenge

In looking for a career, you may be wondering whether the fields you consider will keep your interest over time. One great thing about being a Web Developer is that your daily tasks offer challenges that will continue to engage you throughout your career. In web development, you will always be solving new problems and figuring out how to create new functions of the technology you work with. That’s not to say that there aren’t some repetitive elements to the work, but fundamentally, it’s always a process of discovery.

Another way that web development can provide you with challenges is through the new skills that you will always benefit from learning. If you start as a Back End Developer and then learn front end skills, you’ll make more and be able to do more as a Full Stack Developer. Then if you further develop your JavaScript skills, you will add even more value to your company, and so on. The more you learn, the greater the rewards. So if you like to keep challenging yourself, web development could be a great career fit for you.

Career Paths Related to Web Developer

Several worthwhile alternative career options are similar to web development in the skills they use. These include user experience (UX) design, user interface (UI) design, mobile app design, software engineering, and data science.

If you’re interested in becoming a front end developer, consider UX or UI design, as these also involve the graphic interface and interactions users encounter on a site or app. If you’re proficient in back end languages like Python or Java, you can apply those skills to data science or Android mobile app development, respectively. Back end skills will also serve you well in software engineering, which is similar to web development, except the programs you write are hosted on hardware operating systems rather than on the web.

Read more about other career paths related to Web Developer careers. 

Learn the Skills to Become a Web Developer at Noble Desktop

To become a Web Developer, you must learn specific skills critical to the job. Noble Desktop can help you build these skills through in-person or live online instruction. Either way, you’ll have access to expert instructors who can clarify issues when you are confused, provide feedback on your work, and guide you through becoming a Web Developer. Small class sizes and the option to retake any course for free once you’ve completed it are additional incentives for studying with Noble Desktop.

Noble offers several relevant certificate programs demonstrating your Web Developer skills and qualifications to share with potential employers and support you in your job search. Completing the software engineering certificate gives you the broadest qualifications and career path options. If you are primarily interested in developing for the front end, consider the front end web development certificate. JavaScript is becoming increasingly popular for web development, so completing the certificate in Javascript will boost your resume. Opt for the full stack development certificate if you're interested in front end and back end programming. And if you prefer behind-the-scenes programming, pursue the certificate in Python development.

If you’re a beginner in web development, Noble’s hub of articles and resources on web development is a great place to start and plan your learning path. Noble’s web development courses are excellent if you’re eager to start learning but not yet ready to commit to a full certificate.

Key Takeaways