Web Development Career - what does it take?

[GasX]

If you want to start doing web development, what skills do you need to have?

I assume you need to know html, but what are the other key skills you need to develop in order to get ahead or in the case of the current job market get a job...?

I am guessing flash and PHP, but am wondering what are the "hot" areas right now.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Descartes]

There are many types of "web development." Some people do design, with little emphasis on building actual web applications (I call them web designers), while some develop complex n-tier application architectures with web interfaces. The market seems to be leaning more towards extensibly application architectures, so there's actually little emphasis on PHP, Perl, ASP (of course this is changing quite a bit with .NET), etc.. If you're really wanting to make a career out of it, I would spend a lot of time studying application design, concepts of client/server or n-tier architectures, etc.. There's *a lot* more to building an actual web application than html + php/asp/else.

 

[GasX]

Are web designers (as you defined it) using more technical or artistic skills?

 

[calpha]

Actually, I'm seeing more of a trend for web developer jobs having requirements including ASP, SQL and Photoshop/Fireworks which still blows me away. But, I think that's a result of the Supply being so much higher than the Demand.

The best advice I would give about how one breaks into the Web Development world is not look at Web Development Only.

For an N-Tier Application you have to have:

Database Knowledge ---Data Layer-Tier 1
Buisiness Rule Knowledge--Data Layer 2-x (depends on design)
Front End--Data Layer 3 (GUI or Web Page)

This becomes even more important with .Net, since it's moving to a Web Service Type of Application, or thick web clients if you will. Don't understand....basically, you can expose Mehtods on Your Web Server that can be run from an application on any client that can connect via the web. So you can get true windows Gui Power, with the Centralized DB and Management of the web.

There are tons of web developer jobs out there, but just limiting yourself that way will only hurt. If you take a tiered approach and learn one skill at atime, you'll find yourself in position to qualify for many more jobs, and not just be limited to a dwindling vertical sector of the job market.

Also, learn more than one language.
I'd recommend Visual Basic & C++ or Java.

 

[royaldank]

I work in this area and will tell you that more and more it is getting into programming rather than HTML.

In the beginning, there was HTML. HTML, in essence, is very simple and can be picked up in a night or two. That will provide you with basics. I suggest getting a SAMS.NET "Teach Yourself HTML in 7 days." You can probably make it through in 1 night. HTML is simple, straight forward, and what much of the internet uses as it's base coat, so to speak.

However, more and more, actual programming principles and methods are being used. It's vital to know programming if you start getting into deep Flash. Flash Actionscripting is fairly similar to Java. Those are somewhat relatives of Visual Basic. So, I would reccomend learning VB and some Java.

Also, most websites now are built on databases which provide dynamic content. Database design is essential in web design now because people expect your site to do alot more than just sit there like a painting.

HTML will get you started. However, HTML is merely a base nowdays. The real work is getting Flash/Databases/PHP/Perl all to interact properly.

Thus, I'd say picking up VB would be a good start. Then, make sure you get into database design and implementation.

This is relavent if you are wanting to create the web pages. Many people are under the assumption that one person designs, codes, and polishes up a website. More and more nowdays, there is a team that designs the site. These people are graphic design folks with degrees in design. They move it on to the programmers once they lay things out. The programmers then do the dirty work like implement the databasing, use Flash to animate what needs it, etc. Basically, the programmer gets whatever the designer planned and is forced to make it work.

You should probably decide which side of the fence you want to be on. Typically, you either layout or program. However, if you can layout a page and know a good amount of programming, then you're more valuable. But, you're probably going to be limited to either/or if you want a good paying job with an established company.

 

[StageLeft]

To build on what was said here I find that a minority of the positions require flash experience or use as that is more in the web design realm, which usually requires at least some artistic ability. Such positions would be the sort of people who actually develop the look of a site. Most of the work on any website these days is behind the scenes, and thats why once a site is designed (the apperance and navigation) the web designer doesn't have as significant a role to play as the web "developer", who handles the asp, business tier, and database backend.

Flash is nice to know but I see very few jobs for it and those I do see require you to be pretty good with it (for instance no matter how much of it I know I'll never be capable with it because aristically I suck). I can't personally think of anybody I know who uses flash but I know many web developers and all they do is program.

Unfortunately I have no exposure to .net yet so I can't say how its going to look but other people here have gone through it a bit.

BTW like royaldank said HTML can be picked up in a weekend. Although I don't personally know more than the basic tags for it (as I don't work directly with HTML anymore) I consider myself an 'expert' in it because I have yet to come up to anything in HTML that was difficult and a book always covers it anyway - plus the web designers take care of most of this when the site is designed.

 

[Descartes]

Just extending what others have said...

Nowadays (is that even a word? ), the distinction between "web developer" and "developer" is much smaller than what it used to be. Now, the requirement is to be a developer who has knowledge of building web interfaces, not a web designer who has a little bit of knowledge to be able to hack out a little extra functionality in a server-side language. Your investment more on the development end will provide a greater return in the long run.

 

[StageLeft]

Agreed with Descartes. At least of the MS developers I know many have worked on web sites and non-web applications. I'm working now on a web-application that also has non-web aspects of it and in many cases everything blends together so you find yourself just a "developer" who also has done, or does web development.

 

[mithrandir2001]

I call myself a "web developer" but I do what descartes describes as "(developing) complex n-tier application architectures with web interfaces". The browser is merely the presentation device...I personally don't care much about Flash, fancy DHTML, complex Javascripting, etc. A lot of people are attracted to that kind of stuff, but it is often fluff...do they SOLVE business problems? Often not...they are mainly creative/artistic endeavors. I focus on component design/development using VB COM+, database work, server-side; the real meat, if I may be so blunt. I started off with traditional WindowsForms thick-client apps, moved to n-tier as COM started to prove itself, and then on to web development as IT departments realized the ubiquity of web browsers and ease of deployment.

Be warned that the market is flooded with "web designers". Often these types of positions don't require a college degree, so the pay is usually hourly and not necessarily very high...at least, not the 60-90K/year a server-side web developer can make.