Web Developer Career Outlook
There's a good chance you've looked at a website today. If you are reading this online, you’re looking at a website right now. Just like any other form of print, websites have to be designed and built, and populated with some kind of content, whether it is pictures, words, or a mixture of both.
How a Website Is Created
Since creating a personal website is as easy as a couple of clicks, let’s consider how a business might go about creating or updating their site. The team would likely consist of website developers and web designers, with a webmaster as well. What does each of these people do?
A Web Developer is responsible for many of the technical aspects of building a website. This job will be discussed in more detail below.
A Website Designer creates the look of the website. He or she makes sure it represents the company properly and it is easy to use and pleasing to the eye. Sometimes this job is also done by the web developer.
A Webmaster oversees the day-to-day running of the site and its maintenance. He or she may also help decide on the content of the site and analyze data patterns and user information.
What Does a Web Developer Do?
At times, the web developer encompasses all three jobs: design, building, and maintenance. Specifically, they construct the site itself, using software or a special computer language. They identify who the viewers of the site are likely to be and what the company needs are. They organize the site so it is easy to navigate; they also choose (or at least help to choose) the content.
What Is the Career Outlook for Web Developers?
Think about the Internet. How many sites are on it? How many are created each day? No one knows for sure, since the web is expanding so quickly, but a Google search of the phrase “How many websites 2010” led to 93.6 million hits. Logically, it follows that the job market for professional web developers should be strong, and it is. Here in the United States, the exact percentage of projected job increase is unknown, but according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is expected to remain strong through 2018.
The advantages of web development as a career are also some of the things that are taking away from its employment increase. For many companies, web developers do not have to be onsite; the nature of their job allows them to telecommute and send the work in. However, jobs that can be done via telecommuting are normally jobs that can be outsourced to areas where the labor is cheaper. In addition, advances in software have allowed many of the functions of web developers to be performed by relatively unskilled people. One example is the templates offered with web hosting services. Instead of having to create a site – and pay for it – small business owners with a minimal amount of computer knowledge can create a reasonably good site in a few hours.
What does this mean for the web developer’s career outlook? It tempers the trend toward strong employment gains, but it does not eliminate it. Many businesses will always want larger, customized, and more complicated sites than the ones they can make themselves. A web developer with work experience and a college degree should be able to land a job in this field. Also, to compete with the outsourcing trend, some web developers have gone freelance, working for companies on a job-to-job contract basis instead of as a full- or part-time employee. Either way, job prospects are good for the web development industry.
Schools offering Programming and Web Development training:
Certificate, Bachelor, Associate
Information Technology - Computer Programming, Information Technology - Web Design , Wireless Communications , Computer Network Technology , Biomedical Equipment Technology, ..
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina
Coursework, Diploma, Associate, Master
Landscape Design Program, Floral Design, Landscape Design, Computer Information Management, Advanced Computer Training, ..
Online School
Associate, Diploma
Computer Programming and Applications, Network Management, Computer Specialist, Legal Administrative Assistant, Graphic Design, ..
Minnesota
Diploma
Help Desk Analyst, Computer Programmer, Microsoft Office Specialist, Programmer Analyst/Internet Solutions Developer, Programmer Analyst/Web Developer, ..
British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, Ontario
University of Maryland University College
Bachelor, Master
Bachelors in Communication Studies, Bachelors in Computer and Information Science, MSIT in Information Assurance, MSIT in Informatics, Master of Science (MS) in Technology Management, ..
Online School
