What it Takes to be a Web Developer

Working as a Web developer is something like playing a sport with a continuously changing set of rules. One minute you’re charging down the field at full throttle, and then suddenly the rules change and you need to readjust your strategy – fast – or find yourself benched.

Successful Web developers-at least, those who enjoy their work – thrive in this topsy-turvy environment, reveling in the ever-evolving nature of Web development. Web 2.0, Ajax, XML Feeds, audio and video all provide ample fodder for active brains – even if it means difficult technical skills mastered over the years may be in-demand one moment, close-to-worthless the next.

Web Developer Basics

A Web developer is responsible for the behind-the-scenes code and programming of Web sites and Web-based services. While the edges are often blurred in Web positions, Web developers typically have a more technical orientation than Web designers, who focus on a site’s look and feel, and information architects, who focus on sites’ organization. Web developers’ projects vary widely, ranging from bare-bones active Web pages to complex, multilayered Web applications that might power an ecommerce site.
Web developers need to have broad-based knowledge, encompassing areas such as:

• Usability and interface design.
• Basic Web skills, such as XHTML, CSS and JavaScript.
• Web 2.0 skills, including Ajax, blogs, and XML Feeds.
• Server-side technologies, such as ASP, PHP and Ruby on Rails.
• Databases such as MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle or IBM’s DB2.
• Online marketing and search engine optimization.

The title Web developer implies a level of knowledge and ability that spans multiple layers of Web development—sort of a jack-of-all-trades skill set. Given the collaborative aspects of Web work, strong soft skills are crucial. 80% of web design and development is about communication, another 15% is about expectation management and 5% is actually doing the work.

Morphing Skills

Web developers need top-notch technical skills and a willingness to switch to new technologies as they evolve. Hard skills come and goyou must have the ability to learn new programming languages quickly. And those skills should extend beyond hardcore technical skills. You can’t be a good developer without having some knowledge of terms such as accessibility, usability and search engine optimization.

As a Web developer, it is very important not only to be skilled in today’s technologies, but also to keep an open eye for future developments and emerging technologies.