Your Web Developer Career Path

Our advice is to begin your career as a contractor for a small or medium sized organization.

You should try and join an organization where you will work under senior web developers. As long as you show interest and work hard you will be able to learn a great deal at your first position.

Do not plan to stay at any job more than 2 years in your first 5 years as a web developer. You need to be exposed to different web site structures and systems to be a well-rounded web developer.

As you work at your first job you should continue researching the different aspects of web development and decide how you want to shape your career path going forward.

Here are some good questions to help you evaluate your position.

  • Do you like working as a contractor?
    • Would you rather be a full-time employee?
  • Do you like where you work physically?
    • Would you rather work from home?
    • Or work from a different environment?
  • Do you like the size and structure of your organization?
    • What would you change about it?

The beauty of the web development field is that every organization needs a website, so you have many choices about where and how you want to work.

You cannot know exactly where your career will take you, but you should have a general idea of what your ideal job is and how you can move towards that job.

Use that idea as your focus when you make career decisions.

Keep Learning about Web Development

Do not stop learning outside of work after you get your first web development job. If you do stop learning your career will stall and eventually technology will pass you by.

If you started your career without an education, keep learning by earning a certificate from a university in your time away from work.

You can take the college credits from your certificate program and apply them to an Associate degree, and then transfer the Associate degree into a Bachelor degree.

Challenge yourself and earn more money by taking on freelance work outside of your job. Freelance clients can also be a great way to network for future long-term employment.

Do Not Settle

The web development job market is too strong for you to stay in any job you are unhappy with. You should not be afraid to test the job market at any point in your career.

Because the job market is in favor of the employees, it is up to the employers to provide you with reason to stay. Just letting your employer know you are unhappy may produce some good results for you, and if your issues are not addressed you can easily move on to another web development position.

Find what you want. It is out there for you.