It is undeniable that the world of work has changed considerably over the past 20 years. Even since 2020, jobs in information and technology have increased by 33,400 workers, a number that will only increase. According to Deloitte, by 2026 there will be over 1.1 million tech workers in Australia. One of these technology roles includes web development.

Maybe you are considering a career change or maybe you want to build websites as a side hustle. Anyway, if you’re reading this, your attention has been piqued. Read on to find out what exactly a web developer does and how to get started.

What does a web developer do?

A web developer is someone who develops websites and other web content. It may seem obvious, but there are a lot of moving parts that go into this role. According to Seek, most web developers specialize in either the front-end (the part the client or reader sees) or the back-end (the mechanics of the website). Some master both. If you are one of them, you are known as a full stack developer.

If you work online, you might be familiar with the terms HTML, CSS, Java, and JavaScript. Web developers are also specialists in these programming languages. Essentially, they can turn a website from unreadable code into clickable content.

Front-end developers typically focus on the visual and design elements of websites and can fully anticipate and appreciate user needs and behavior. As the name suggests, front-end (or client-side) development involves programming what will be visible to the user. Languages ​​such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML are widely used in this development role.

Since front-end development is responsible for what you can see on a website, it is often confused with web design. Although front-end developers do not design websites, they are the link between design and technology that can turn an idea into an interactive web page.

With an expected 25% job growth over the next five years, it’s no wonder more and more employers are looking for people with the smarts and skills to build websites.

What are the daily tasks?

Some of the basic tasks that a web developer may be responsible for include optimizing a website so that it is easy to find through a search engine, collaborating with other designers such as user experience (UX ) and graphic designers to ensure the website is usable, testing websites and fixing bugs, and, perhaps most importantly, transforming a design (i.e. sketches or wireframes of a website) into code that can then be used by users.

Essentially, every website you visit has been touched by some form of web developer. A very important role in the 21st century.

How to start

Feeling inspired to turn yourself into a computer whiz and help set up websites? One way to get involved is to enroll in a course. This information is quite specific, so by studying a course, you can familiarize yourself with the language and the tools needed.

Holmesglen Institute and Lighthouse Labs, Canada’s leading coding boot camp, have created a range of IT courses to get you started. This partnership means Lighthouse Labs is able to offer global courses created by developers for developers in Australia for the first time. Choose between a 30-week Web Development Bootcamp with flexible options or a 12-week Web Development Bootcamp.

Some of the key units include software architecture and how to code with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Ruby on Rails. You will also learn how to build with modern front-end tools such as Babel and Webpack and the course will lead you to a number of industry roles including front-end, back-end and full-stack developers.

Plus, if you sign up for Bootcamp with Career Boost, you’ll have lifetime access to job resources. The team will help you land a job in web development thanks to personalized and individualized career support.

Applications close August 19, 2022 with a start date of September 19, 2022. For more information on your next career move or to find out how to get involved, visit Holmesglen. Good luck, computer whiz.