Best Web Development Certificates Chicago, IL: Find Courses & Onsite Training

Learn More About Chicago Web Development Certificates

Web development is the building and maintaining of websites through web design, web content development, network security, and coding. The first website was created in 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee, paving the way for the rapid development of the online world, virtual retail, and digital marketing. According to Forbes, 71% of businesses now have websites, making web development professionals indispensable for modern commerce.

Web Developers specialize in one of the following: front-end development, where they work on user-side features; back-end development, where they work on data storage and security; or full-stack web development, which entails working on both front-end and back-end processes. They’re jack-of-all-trades when it comes to anything web-related, requiring technical programming skills, an innovative problem-solving mindset, and an understanding of user-friendly web design.

Working in web development has many benefits. Often, Web Developers can work remotely and, typically, earn a competitive wage. The median salary for a Web Developer is $77,200, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And, with Web Developers being in such high demand, there are plenty of career opportunities and the bonus of career longevity. If you’re interested in learning web development but are unsure where to start, keep reading to learn more about becoming a Web Developer and the best training to take to land your dream job.

Why Become Certified in Web Development?

Many paths can lead you to a career in web development, but pursuing certification has many benefits over general training and classes. Becoming certified demonstrates that you are competent in web development and that you can meet industry standards. It also shows your dedication to the field, as certifications typically require a larger commitment of time and money.

Certifications are also highly favored (and even sometimes required) by employers. Adding your certification to your resume, portfolio, or cover letter often gives you an upper hand in the job application process. Proving your proficiency can set you apart from other candidates, especially when you’re trying to break into web development. And, since web development is a constantly evolving field, acquiring certifications shows that you’re current with the latest skills and technologies.

As stated above, there are many benefits to working in web development, like the ability to work remotely and competitive wages. Becoming certified in web development can increase your chances of being hired for a web development role, allowing you to access the flexibility of working from where you choose and a sustainable living wage.

What You’ll Learn While Becoming Web Development Certified

Web development is a vast and expanding field, but generally, a certification would cover skills like how to manage data, design websites, ethically hack computer systems, and use advanced technology to enhance your potential for employment.

The topics covered in a certification will depend upon the type of web development training covered, whether front-end, back-end, or full-stack. Listed below are some of the top skills that you’ll learn in a certification course, as well as a brief description of the benefits of each of these skills.

Coding

There are three basic programs for front-end development: HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), and JavaScript. Back-end development has additional programs you can use, like PHP, Java, Ruby, C#, and Python. Knowing your way around these programming languages will be essential to your success in web development.

Version Control

A version control system (VCS) manages and tracks changes to documents, files, and database coding. VCS allows developers to turn back the clock and compare earlier versions of the code to help find and fix any mistakes made while minimizing the disruption to other team members. Mastering VCS will help you to quickly identify and solve problems within web development.

Responsive Design

In today’s mobile-focused age, designing a website that works on both desktop and mobile devices is key to its success. Responsive design allows websites to automatically adapt to the size of different screens, whether a cell phone, desktop, or tablet. Responsive design can improve user experience, increase mobile traffic, enable faster website loading times, and provide better SEO performance.

Libraries and Frameworks

Similar but with some fundamental differences, libraries and frameworks are essential for web development. A framework provides a structure for the developer to work within, while the reusable portions of code stored in a library allow the developer more flexibility when determining the architecture of a website. Both are used to make development simpler and more efficient.

UX and UI Design

UX Designers are responsible for project architecture tasks like creating and evaluating user journeys based on data and insights. They also produce design deliverables to illustrate user experiences. UI Designers typically focus more on the visual and interactive elements of web development. They gather and evaluate user requirements in collaboration with UX Designers, product managers, and engineers, and design graphic user interface components like page navigation buttons and search fields. UX and UI work together to create the best user experience possible, so having even a basic understanding of UX and UI will be extremely helpful in web development.

Testing and Debugging

Testing and debugging are two skills that go hand-in-hand in web development. Testing is the process of finding bugs and errors, while debugging is correcting or removing the found bugs and errors. Knowing how to test and debug will help you get back on track when software or programs fail to perform as designed.

SEO

If you’re creating and maintaining websites, you’re most likely responsible for ensuring the site ranks in search engines. While Web Developers mostly deal with technical SEO (how search engine bots crawl and index a website), you may also deal with on-page and off-page SEO to help ensure a positive user experience. Web Developers often need to know basic SEO-related topics: security, response codes, redirects, Robots.txt files, sitemaps, URLs, mobile-friendly design, site speed, heading tags, and dynamic content.

Web Development Industries in Chicago

Chicago has the most diverse economy among U.S. metros and the third highest employment in the finance and insurance sector. This isn’t surprising, considering that Chicago established the first banks and exchanges nearly 200 years ago. Since clients can now access their bank accounts through an app, security is a top priority in the financial industry. Being proficient in web development will allow you to build secure, safe, and reliable services that your clients can access from anywhere, knowing that their personal and financial data is protected.

Did you know Chicago is the nation’s food innovation and manufacturing capital? An estimated 67,000 people are employed in the food manufacturing industry in Chicago, with a 9.6% employment growth between 2019 and 2022. From processing and packaging to logistics and transportation, the food manufacturing industry relies on the programs and software that keep them functioning efficiently. Web Developers help connect consumers to products by creating websites that can easily be used to browse products and place and track online orders.

Life sciences is quickly growing into one of Chicago’s top industries. Bringing in $28.5 billion in 2022, research and development is at the forefront of the region’s life sciences. Being the home for large biotech companies like Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Baxter Healthcare, and Hospira, as well as homegrown start-ups like Nanosphere and Ohmx, adds to the industry's success. Web Developers are in high demand in these areas, as their technical skill sets help to create the programs utilized by scientists, academics, and pharmaceutical developers.

There are, of course, countless other industries in the Chicago area with a need for web development professionals. From education to retail to tourism, any business that operates online will require a Web Developers’ problem-solving and technical skills.

Web Development Careers in Chicago

Working alongside designers, product managers, and project managers, web developers spend most of their time building and deploying products using programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Web development can often be a completely remote career, offering you the flexibility to live and work from wherever you choose. Avoiding Chicago traffic and public transit rush hour can be especially appealing.

There are currently an estimated 216,700 Web Developers and Digital Designers in the United States, and that number is projected to grow rather quickly, thanks to the position’s high demand. In fact, employment of Web Developers and Digital Designers is projected to grow 16% between 2022 and 2032, substantially faster than the average for all other occupations.

Web development jobs can have a variety of titles like Web Developer, Web Designer, Front-end Developer, Back-End Developer, and UI or UX Designer. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, web developers boast a median pay of $80,730. Your title can make all the difference regarding salary, with Forbes and several other online sources reporting that Back-End Developers can often earn more than Front-end.

Learning web development can lead to a lucrative and exciting career when you consider the projected growth, current median salary, and pay ranges for more experienced Web Developers reported at over six figures.

Should You Pursue a Certificate or Certification

While both certificate and certification programs can provide a quality education, there are some key differences between them. Understanding these differences will help you decide which option is right for you.

A certificate is granted after the completion of a course or training. Often categorized as continuing education or professional development, mid-career professionals pursue certificates to enhance or develop high-demand skills in their industry. Others might be looking to change their careers or pivot into new roles and can gain an upper hand and much-needed new knowledge from a certificate program.

Certificates typically require fewer credits than an associate degree as they involve fewer courses in a particular subject matter area. These courses are noncredit programs sponsored by educational institutions with designated learning objectives and a specific curriculum. Held in regular classrooms or taken online, they are typically shorter than other graduate programs. A certificate can certainly add value to your resume, but it’s important to note that it won't carry the same weight as an associate's or bachelor’s degree, which is commonly required for many jobs.

In contrast, a certification is a professional credential that you earn through a professional training program or assessment. These certifications typically culminate in a final exam or test, and many jobs require specific certifications for promotions or career advancement.

Certifications can lead to increased pay, potential promotions, and enhanced professional expertise. For many professions, certifications must be renewed at regular intervals. Some companies may even cover the certification cost, as these credentials can bring value to the workplace.

So, what do these differences mean for you? If you want to change career fields entirely and need to learn as much about your new industry as possible, then a certificate could be the right choice. If you are established in your career and looking to level up, perhaps to gain a new title or increase your pay, then a certification course is probably the right route.

Your financial and time commitments will influence your decision as well. If your company requires a certification for you to advance in your career, they will most likely pay in full or offer assistance for your certification course. Both certificates and certifications can vary in length, so it’s also important to be mindful of how long the program will take you to complete. If you’re looking to change careers quickly, a shorter certificate can be a great choice.

Regardless of whether you choose to pursue a certificate or a certification, both can give you an upper hand in your professional development and expand your skill set, making you highly desirable within your current field or a new one.

Top Web Development Certificate Programs in Chicago

A certificate in web development has many benefits – setting you apart from other applicants, helping you create a portfolio of work, and thoroughly preparing you for a tech-focused career – but choosing the right certificate program can seem challenging. To help you make the best choice for you, below are some of the top certificate programs available in Chicago and online.

Web Development, Basic Certificate

Designed for students pursuing entry-level website design and development positions, this certificate teaches students the programming principles, programming languages, and web technologies needed to create dynamic websites. You’ll also learn to increase website productivity and interactivity by integrating web and database servers, a highly desired skill in web development.

Comprised of six courses, this program is typically completed over two semesters for full-time students. Because this certificate is through City Colleges of Chicago, you can attend this program at any of their seven locations, depending on course availability.

Full-Stack Web Development Certificate

Offered through Noble Desktop, this thorough certificate training teaches you how to program the visual appearance of a web application (the front-end) and the infrastructure that allows it to function (the back-end) to create complete webpages. Project-oriented, it will cover everything you need to know to code websites from scratch while building a portfolio of working web applications to showcase to potential employers.

Held live online, this course takes 17 weeks for full-time students and ten months for part-time. This course includes 1:1 mentoring and one free retake, and financial assistance options (like installments and financing) are available for those in need. You’ll receive a certificate of completion at the end of this training that can be added to your resume, cover letter, or online portfolio.

Web Design and Application Development Certificate

Held in-person at Illinois Tech, this course consists of at least four graduate-level courses on web application development, rich internet applications, human-computer interaction, intelligent device applications, and web systems integration. You also have the opportunity to take additional classes that interest you and can apply earned credits in the certificate program toward a graduate degree.

Students must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, but it doesn’t need to be in information technology or a computer-related field. Additionally, some courses may have prerequisites, but those will not be applied toward the certificate.

Web Development Certificate

Consisting of 27 credit hours, this beginner-friendly course emphasizes scripting and programming techniques. You’ll work alongside skilled faculty and get hands-on experience in database systems, internet fundamentals, web foundations, web authoring tools, web scripting foundations, web accessibility, interactive scripting, ecommerce strategies/technologies, and server-side scripting.

While there are no prerequisites to joining, there are some prerequisites for a few of the courses within the certificate program. You can take this as a standalone certificate or you can use the credits earned through this training towards a degree.

Web Design and Development Certificate

Made up of three courses, this certificate offers students the skills and knowledge needed to design and develop websites and web applications for today’s marketplace. You’ll use WordPress to learn about the design and accessibility of websites through programming languages like HTML and CSS, JavaScript, React, or a similar JavaScript framework.

Loyola University’s School of Continued Education & Professional Studies offers this certificate course as a stand-alone or in partnership with an SCPS degree. The program starts in August of each year. Once you’ve completed the program, you can confidently seek entry-level and freelance web design and development positions.

Front-End Web Development Course

Offered fully online by General Assembly, this course helps you gain critical web development literacy to stand out in tech-driven fields like design, marketing, and product development. You’ll learn how to build interactive, responsive websites and create a coding toolkit you can use when you’ve landed your new web development job. Lasting ten weeks, this front-end web development course can also be taken at one of the General Assembly’s campuses around the globe.

Students will get familiar with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript (ES6) and then apply their newfound skills to a real-world project where they’ll build a dynamic website of their choice, like a design portfolio, data visualization, or game. You’ll get live guidance and feedback from your instructor during class times and virtual office hours and have access to networking events and workshops to keep evolving your career for years to come.

Top Certificate Programs

Top Courses

Top Certificate Programs

Top Certificate Programs

Top Courses

Top Certificate Programs

Top Courses

Full-Stack Web Development Certificate Learn The Skills Guarantee™

Key Insights

Learn More About Chicago Web Development Certificates

Why Become Certified in Web Development?

What You’ll Learn While Becoming Web Development Certified

Coding

Version Control

Responsive Design

Libraries and Frameworks

UX and UI Design

Testing and Debugging

SEO

Web Development Industries in Chicago

Web Development Careers in Chicago

Should You Pursue a Certificate or Certification

Top Web Development Certificate Programs in Chicago

Web Design and Application Development Certificate

Web Design and Development Certificate

Front-End Web Development Course

Chicago Web Development Corporate & Onsite Training Noble Desktop

Web Development Training Locations in or Near Chicago

Chicago Careers & Salaries Related to Web Development

Related Classes

Chicago Web Development
Corporate & Onsite Training