Web Developer Qualifications
- Empathy
- HTML
- Time and Stress Management
- CSS
- Perspective
The web development and design industry is a growing profession that is attractive to many developers, but if you are looking to a pursue a career in this field, it is important to first consider whether you have the necessary web developer qualifications. These skills, both personal and technical, ensure that you are not only able to write code but also effectively communicate with others and have the ability to manage yourself within the workplace, according to The Balance.
1. Empathy
Empathy is not just about being nice to people; it’s about the ability to understand and appreciate how others feel. This is a critical skill to have when you’re working with clients on a team. Not thinking ahead or alienating someone on your team because of a personality fault isn’t worth it. If a web developer takes the time to get to know the people with whom he or she is working, he or she will eventually peel back layers of the personality of the workplace. Knowing someone else’s life outside the office as well as his or her goals, frustrations, and hobbies can be handy when you’re in the midst of a heated argument or when you need to come to a timely and reasonable compromise.
2. HTML
Since the very start of the profession, hypertext markup language (HTML) skills have been a crucial component of a web designer’s toolbox. For many, HTML is their proverbial foot in the door into the world of web design. HTML is, at its core, the foundation of how websites are built. Therefore, it is one of the most important things a web developer or designer can learn and will likely be one of the first things you learn as you enter this field.
3. Time and Stress Management
Every app, site, and product someone thinks up needs to be built, and anyone who has worked with clients knows that most of them all think their idea is new, special, and amazing, and they want it built two days ago. Instead of stressing about your work, take a breath. Studies show that a calm developer is a better developer. Knowing how to take breaks when you need them, prioritize tasks, and effectively manage your time will allow some leeway in your work. When you create reasonable expectations and deadlines, you can better to communicate to clients and managers about your working method as well as what you need to build the best possible product you can build.
4. CSS
Whereas HTML dictates how a site is built, CSS is responsible for how the site looks. Knowing CSS is an imperative skill for front-end developers and web designers, the ones who take a mock up of a site and code it with CSS and HTML to appear on the screen. Many web professionals learn both HTML and CSS since the two languages are the key combination for building the style basis and structure for any website.
See also: What is SEO?
5. Perspective
Building apps or websites is not a noble profession. Web developers aren’t saving lives like nurses or doctors; they’re solving complex and interesting problems by building or maintaining products that didn’t exist five or 10 years ago. Having some perspective about your career might make a difference in how you handle your daily jobs. You’ll begin to feel relaxed and grateful, and you might even work harder knowing that what you do on a day-to-day basis is pretty cool. Instead of becoming anxious or frustrated when things aren’t going your way, remember that you can put down your task, go home, and tell yourself that it will be there tomorrow. For some developers, having perspective has helped them grow their career faster than learning any framework or library ever could.
The above list of skills, both personal and technical, represent some of the key knowledge areas that you should focus on as you start down the path of becoming a website designer. Whether you are just starting out as a web developer or web designer or you are looking to completely change careers and become a web professional, there are some key web developer qualifications that you need to have if you hope to be successful in this field.
