Resources needed as a Web Developer?

Question

I recently graduated High school (early, with a 3.8 GPA) and I'm now ready to move onto doing what I love; web development.

In the summer I will be enrolled in a community college, completing my associates degree before moving onto a university for a bachelors in Computer Science. However, because I don't have a degree, I feel that it's going to be hard to get a job or internship doing web development, and I don't want to wait until I graduate to get some real experience. What I want to know is, what are some resources that are required to do web development apart from a degree? What can I do that can boost my resume/cv?

I've looked into PHP/HTML/CSS certification, and from what I've heard, they don't have any weight when it comes to getting a job. I have strong knowledge of these languages, but I don't know how to show it on a resume or in a job interview. Should I make a portfolio website, with some scripts that I've written? Should I get certification? Or should I just wait until I have a degree?

Answer 1

The degree will be important for two reasons:

1) a requirement for some companies

2) fundamentals of computer science can make you a great developer

3) a well-rounded education (learning in subjects other than web dev)



Forget about certifications--I think they're worthless. The degree wil open doors for you, and your skills will actually get you a job or clients. Certifications don't mean anything without evidence of your work. W3Schools.com is the best place to learn web development, and they do offer a cheap certification--that's the only one I would even consider recommending.



With that said, what you really need in order to get a job as a web developer:



1) Experience - volunteer for non-profit organizations; create a website for a family member with a business; create your own personal website; get an internship from a small web development firm (like mine... see my website, and contact me for a job)

2) Portfolio - Not every developer has one of these, but it will really set you apart from the crowd. Put together examples of your work with screen shots/images, code samples, etc.

3) References - If you have a few clients from freelance projects who will highly recommend you, list them on your resume, or even get letters of reference from them.

4) Connections - Build your network on LinkedIn, or ask your family and friends if anyone knows of a company looking for a web developer. Knowing someone at a company is almost always the easiest way to get an interview, and then you can impress them with your skills.



You may want to look at startup companies or small businesses--they're usually much less stringent on degree requirements, but are instead focused on what you can actually do. If you can prove you're a good web developer and can get work done efficiently, you're likely to get hired.



Feel free to contact me if you'd like an internship--I will pay for someone who does good work.

Answer 2

First, you're off to a good start... it's nice to see someone who isn't a developer wanting to be able to talk to us :) Some of the answers above me have good advice, but I'd like to add to it a bit: Watch out for buzzwords. They're great if you want to go online and find out what the new hot topics are, but they can get in the way of an explanation if they're thrown into a design conversation without a good understanding of what they mean. Try looking on Wikipedia for general definitions and commentary on buzzwords... as a wiki it isn't guaranteed to be accurate, but it is a good place to start. When in doubt, ask a question. Most developers like talking about technical challenges, and how to solve them. It goes with the job. You don't need to toss out the buzzwords, you don't need to have a deep understanding of the code... you'll be surprised how much information you can get out of a block diagram, so try to have something to write on around. Finally, give it a shot. Try downloading Java (it's free) and trying some things out... there are books and websites out there that will work you from the very beginning levels up through GUIs and applets. Or give HTML a try, there are thousands of books that can help you with it. I'm not saying you should become an expert, but you'll learn a great deal by putting up a basic web site, or writing a four function calculator. Just get a bit of experience under your belt, so that you know what people mean when they talk about variables, sockets, streams, method calls and libraries. Operating systems, and sites or systems that function across platforms are more difficult topics... you'll want to get your head around the basics first. When you're ready, try looking at your local bookstore for books on operating systems... Modern Operating Systems by Tanenbaum or Operating System Concepts (aka, the dinosaur book) would be good places to start. Good luck.

Answer 3

Make a portfolio website; learn Magento Commerce (www.magentocommerce.com).

Advertise on craigslist.



For your first few websites, do them almost for free so you can get the references and also can learn how to interact with customers.



I have an ecommerce website. One of my BIGGEST compliants is webdesigners who know what they are doing but don't keep to deadlines. I'm in the middle of a system update. The project started Feb 1 and was suppose to be finished Mar 15. It's not done and I see no completion date in sight.

Answer 4

It's vital to have a great resume, it is worth taking the time to create something that looks great and does the job properly. The site in the box below has lots of data on resumes and help with extra careers.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

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