Are you considering a career in web development but you’re hesitant to move forward because you don’t know if it’ll be a good fit? That’s perfectly understandable—why pursue a career you could end up hating? But there are ways to tell in advance whether or not you’re well-suited to work as a Web Developer. This article will provide you with the information you need to determine if a web development career is right for you.
10 Signs That a Career in Web Development is Right for You
Want to know if working in web development would be a good fit? Here are the top ten signs you’d excel as a Web Developer.
1. You Like to Learn
The tech industry evolves at a rapid pace; Web Developers have to continue learning throughout their careers to keep up with all the changes as they happen. If you like to learn, then that’s a pretty good sign that web development would be a good career choice for you.
2. You’re Detail-Oriented
Are you known for being detail-oriented and precise? If so, you could be a good fit for a career in web development. In coding, even the smallest of mistakes can cause the whole program to malfunction; that’s why attention to detail is an essential trait for Web Developers to have.
3. You’re a Good Communicator
The stereotype of the loner programmer coding alone in a darkened room rarely happens in the working world. The reality is that Web Developers operate as part of a team to finish a project; that makes good communication skills—especially listening—an absolute necessity. If you’ve been told you’re an excellent communicator, then web development might be a good choice for you.
4. You Love Tackling Difficult Problems
Another sign that you’d be well-suited to a career in web development is that you enjoy working through challenging problems and coming up with workable solutions. The process of developing a website is full of obstacles that need to be overcome and, unfortunately, solutions aren’t always easy to find. That means the ideal Web Developer will be someone who tackles problems head-on instead of shying away from them.
5. You’re Persistent
Being persistent is another great sign that you’d excel as a Web Developer. This trait goes hand-in-hand with tackling difficult problems. As a Web Developer, you’ll regularly face challenging issues, like finding and fixing coding errors. In order to successfully complete your project, you can’t be the type of person who gives up easily; you must keep working through the problem until you find a solution.
6. You’re Adaptable
Being rigid won’t get you far in the world of web development. The most successful Web Developers are those who can easily adapt to changing priorities; they're able to roll with the punches any time clients change their minds, project priorities shift, design requirements get altered, etc.
7. You Like Variety
When working as a Web Developer, no two days are exactly alike. One day you might be meeting with a client to discuss project parameters, the next you could be writing technical documentation for a website. If you like working on a variety of tasks, that’s another good sign that you’ll do well in web development.
8. You Enjoy Technology
This may seem like an obvious sign, but it needs to be said: if you want to succeed in web development, you should be technologically inclined. As a Web Developer, you’ll be working with technology for your entire career. That means people who like fiddling with new devices and figuring things out on their own will be a natural fit for web development while those who struggle with technology should consider another career.
9. You’re Self-Motivated
While developers do have a daily task list they need to accomplish, it’s rare for them to have a supervisor hanging over their shoulder making sure everything gets done. That’s why the best Web Developers are those who are self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision.
10. You’re Resourceful
Web Developers must be curious, resourceful, and able to research solutions when they’re unable to come up with one on their own. While there may be developers at your workplace to help if you ever get stuck, you can’t always rely on others to supply you with an answer—you must be resourceful enough to seek out a solution on your own. If you consider yourself resourceful, that’s another good indication that you’d do well working in web development.
How to Tell If You’re Not a Good Fit for a Career in Web Development
Working as a Web Developer can be a challenging and exciting career path, but it’s not for everyone. Here are a few signs you’re not meant to work in web development.
1. You Lack Creativity
Web development may be better known as a technical career, but it’s also a creative one. You’ll need to be able to generate unique, creative ideas if you want to succeed as a Web Developer.
2. You Don’t Work Well Independently
Let’s face it—not everyone excels in self-discipline. If you struggle to stay on task when working on your own, you may not be suited to a career in web development.
You’re Easily Frustrated
How do you react when things don’t go your way or you’re faced with a challenge that’s difficult to overcome? Web development requires a lot of problem solving, so if your primary reaction is to get frustrated, you might want to consider a different career path.
You’re Focused Solely on Salary
Web Developers tend to make a pretty high salary, often earning $100,000 plus after gaining a few years of experience. While those high wages may be attractive, a desire to earn a lot of money shouldn’t be your primary motivation for entering web development. It’s vital to have more compelling, less superficial reasons for pursuing a career as a Web Developer if you want to succeed. If money is your primary motivator, you’ll likely end up burned out and unhappy.
You Don’t Like to Compromise
Do you think your way is always the right way? Web Developers work as part of a team, so if you’re unwilling to compromise with others, then you might want to look into other career options.
You’re Impulsive
Working as a Web Developer requires the ability to think logically and remain calm when things don’t go as planned. That makes web development a poor career choice for people who tend to be impulsive or reactive.
You’re Don’t Care About Accuracy
Are you the type of person who prefers to look at the overall picture instead of focusing on details and accuracy? If so, then you’ll struggle as a Web Developer. Websites are made up of individual lines of code that must be accurate for the site to work correctly. If you overlook accuracy, you’ll spend a lot of your working hours going back and trying to fix your code—not exactly a recipe for success.
The Most Efficient Way to Start Your Career in Web Development
So how do you stack up? Are the signs pointing you toward a career in web development? If so, the fastest and most efficient way to become a Web Developer is to complete a bootcamp. Bootcamps offer intensive training on an abbreviated schedule which means you’ll be ready to start your new career in just a few short months. And with their focus on skills acquisition and career readiness, bootcamps are often viewed as a viable alternative to a university education.
Depending upon where you’re located, you may be able to find a web development bootcamp in your area. Options offered locally may be lacking, however, so you might be better off enrolling in an online web development bootcamp. With online training, you get the same hands-on experience and immediate feedback as face-to-face classes with the added convenience of learning from home. Online bootcamps also offer more flexible scheduling options compared to in-person instruction, which will help you fit training around your full-time job.
If you want to start learning web development basics but you can’t make time for a comprehensive bootcamp, you might consider enrolling in an individual class or two. There is a wide range of web development classes available online and in-person. By taking beginning web development classes, you can start learning fundamental concepts and programming languages while maintaining your current career.