Tips For Aspiring Web Developers

After having a few interviews and interviewing students for web development positions, I decided to throw out a few tips for you who are aspiring to become developers and make a big impact on the web.

1. Don’t be content with what you were taught in class. 
In a semester there is absolutely no way a professor can teach you everything about a programming language that took years to be developed, and is probably still being updated. Professors give you a foundation that you can continue to build upon. To be a developer and succeed in this industry means you literally have to be a student every day, and continuously improve yourself and learn new things.

2. What languages should I learn?
The absolute basic and must learn languages are HTML5, CSS3, Javascript/JQuery. Without those, you won’t even get up to the door of a company; especially if you’re still using tables to layout webpages. I still can’t believe I get applicants that went through college using tables.
The next thing you want to do is learn a server-side language such as PHP, ASP, or Ruby. Starting out you only need to learn one of these well and as you grow you can learn more if needed. This way you don’t overwhelm yourself all at once.

3. Google is your best friend
It’s okay if you don’t understand much, or any, of what you’re typing. None of us did when we just started out. You won’t become a good coder overnight. Always, always Google what you don’t understand. You’ll be amazed at how many tutorials there are about your problem on the web. It also teaches you to work independently and will get you on your boss’ good side when you’re not constantly asking what to do, or how to do.

4. Subscribe to Web Blogs
This is one of the best ways to learn what’s new in web development, what languages are on the rise or even pick up a few pointers or lessons. I’ve learn so much from these web blogs, from how to write better quality code to how to build custom back-ends. In this business you can never learn too much.

5. Have Patience
Have patience… a lot of patience with building yourself and with others around you. Take all the time you need to learn the basics. They are fundamental and you will always find yourself coming back to them. If you don’t get a job, don’t be afraid to ask the recruiter ask why and what you can do to improve. Take everything as a learning experience and try to grow from it. Only you can make you what you want to be. The emphasis is on you.

Written by: Le-Andris Daniel