From research to communication, the web is in everything we do.
Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, once said, “Learning to write programs stretches your mind and helps you think better. It creates a way of thinking about things that I think is helpful in all domains.”
If you’re wondering about the benefits of learning web development, you’re in the right place. Let’s jump right in.
Is it Important to Learn Web Development?
Whether you see yourself as a web developer or just want to learn the basics to create a personal or business website, the answer is yes: learning web development is helpful in the real world. The field of web development not only teaches you the behind-the-scenes steps of creating and maintaining websites, but it also improves other skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and fierce attention to detail.
Because we live in the digital era, web development is relevant, and the skills you learn will be applicable for a lifetime.
But let’s say you are interested in learning web development because you want to go into this field as a career. If this is you, then keep reading!
Reasons Why You Should Learn Web Development
The reasons to learn web development are plentiful, but in short: Learning web development teaches critical thinking skills, communication skills, and opens the door to lucrative job opportunities.
High Demand
Since the whole world relies on the internet daily, web developers are having trouble meeting this demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the employment of web developers is projected to grow 8% from 2019 to 2029, which is much faster than the average across all occupations. BLS also mentions that the demand for these professionals “will be driven by the growing popularity of mobile devices and e-commerce.”
Work Flexibility
As a web developer, the majority of your work will obviously be online. This means you can work remotely from absolutely anywhere. Of course, working from home makes sense, but let’s say you want to travel and change up your environment. Want to work from a cabin in the mountains? From a beach on the coast? No problem! The work flexibility of the web development industry is an invaluable perk for many people.
Great Income and Earning Potential
It’s no surprise that web developers make a hefty income. BLS reports that the median pay for web developers and digital designers is $73,760 and that the highest 10% earn more than $142,080. These are impressive numbers, especially when considering the flexibility of many positions!
No Required Formal Education
While some web developers have bachelor’s degrees in computer science or related fields, many only have high school diplomas or associate degrees. Keep in mind that most employers hire web developers based on their knowledge and portfolios. In other words, formal education is not a requirement to become a successful web developer (although education is always a plus!) In addition, you can take certain training online, like coding boot camps.
Opportunities to Specialize
Once you start learning web development, you will probably decide on an area of interest. For example, front-end web developers work on everything that the audience of the website sees, like the text, the colors, and the images.
On the other hand, back-end web developers work with the “server-side” of the website, which includes everything that goes on behind the scenes. These professionals ensure that the back-end communicates with the front-end so that the website works. Back-end web developers work with languages such as Java, Python, and PHP.
Of course, there are those who fulfill the duties of both front-end and back-end development and are known as full-stack developers.
Work-Life Balance
U.S. News & World Report ranks web developers as #8 in Best Technology Jobs. Why? Because of all the reasons we have discussed: the impressive salary, the high demand, the future growth, and the work-life balance. In fact, U.S. News gives web developers a 10/10 in the work-life balance category because of the above-average rating in upward mobility, the below-average rating in stress levels, and the high-rating in flexibility.
In other words, the field of web development seems to be low stress across the board, leaving plenty of time for other important parts of life, like family and friends.
Conclusion
As you can see, web development is a secure, growing, and lucrative field. Many people, like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, believe that programming will soon be a required course in schools: “In fifteen years, we’ll be teaching programming just like reading and writing… and wondering why we didn’t do it sooner.”
