21 Steps to Becoming a Successful Web Developer

Want to be a successful web developer? Don’t just ask “how to become a web developer”, but ask “how to become a successful web developer”. There are many web developers around the world, but how many are truly successful? This article aims to help you develop the mindset of a successful web developer, master the necessary knowledge and skills, so that you can stand out from the competition and achieve a brilliant career - whether it is working in a company or starting an independent business.

This article is aimed at web developers who are interested in becoming web developers and those who are difficult to break through bottlenecks. The following 21 steps will help you succeed.

Key Points

The key to successful web development is real enthusiasm and strong internal driving force - your goals.

• Developing an action plan is crucial, including learning the necessary skills, building portfolios and accumulating practical experience.
• The success of web development requires not only technical skills, but also self-discipline, network expansion, and the willingness to constantly learn and adapt to new technologies.
• Rational pricing, maintaining high efficiency, and contributing to open source projects can all enhance your reputation and chances of success.
• Persistence and determination are key traits that make you stand out in your web development career when facing challenges and failures.

Are you really passionate about this?
The word "passion" has been abused and its true meaning has been distorted. "Enthusiasm" actually means "strong and difficult to control emotions".

Passion is not passive: it is the pursuit of action. Most people hate working from 9 to 5, but few do jobs that they love and are passionate about.

You need to ask yourself these three questions:

Did the idea of ​​creating websites and web applications excite me?

1. Will this become my exciting career?
2. Is it appropriate to be a web developer to be the way I want to live (and my family)?
If your answer to the above question is yes, then you are heading to the right path to becoming a web developer.

What is your "why"?
This is one of the most important questions you need to ask yourself. Why do you want to be a (successful) web developer?

To make a difference and change the lives of others?

• Build projects for others?
• Build your own project?
• Earn a huge income?
One of my “why” is empowering others to help them create positive impacts in their lives so that they can help others too.

Why do you drive you to act when you feel tired, distracted, frustrated or lack of motivation, provided you really want to achieve it.

What are you interested in?
Do you prefer logic and problem solving, or design and visual effects?

If you prefer logic and problem solving, you will like backend web development.

If you prefer design and visual effects, you will like front-end web development.

Backend programming is anything you can't see on a website. Think of a server (a large hard drive with all the information of a website) that is located somewhere in the world, processes all the website data, and then sends it to the browser.

Front-end programming is anything you can see, click, and interact on a website.

Maybe you like both?

4. Develop an action plan

Once you figure out what you are interested in and what you will be happy to do, it’s time to start planning.

How much time do you have to study? How much study costs are you willing to invest in?

Make a plan that suits you. It might look like this:

I only have 2 hours of study every day. My budget is under $500 and I am interested in front-end web development.

After some research on learning content and learning pathways, the outline may be as follows:

• Month 1: Learn HTML and CSS
• Month 2: Learn Bootstrap and Design Basics
• Month 3: Create a website using HTML, CSS and Bootstrap
• Month 4: Learn JavaScript
• Month 5: Learn more advanced JavaScript
• Month 6: Create a website using HTML, CSS and JavaScript
• Month 7: Focus on creating personal portfolio websites and building personal brands
• Month 8: Contact businesses and organizations to create websites for them (get free experience)
• Month 9: Focus on improving your knowledge and see what you need to improve
• Month 10: The portfolio must have at least five client websites
• Month 11: Learn basic knowledge of freelancing and business points
• Month 12: Contact potential clients, promote your work, get paid clients or apply for a job.

Please note that this is only a general guide for illustrative purposes, not a final plan of action.

5. Action

If you want to do something great, you need to compromise and sacrifice.

If you want to be a successful web developer or freelancer and you complain that you don't have time, just look at your daily/weekly/monthly daily activities to see what you can delete Make more time so you can learn more, develop your skills and apply your knowledge.

One of the biggest distractions I eliminate in my life is watching TV: I have been “quitting TV” for more than two years and it feels great!

I'm not the only one to do this. Seth Godin, one of the greatest marketers and thought leaders of our time, is also a strong advocate of not wasting time watching TV.

How eager are you to achieve your "why"? Don't procrastinate or make excuses. ActionGet up!

6. Self-discipline is better than motivation

The power is always good, but it may be temporary. Self-discipline will motivate you to act when you don’t want to do anything or you don’t want to continue.

7. Social Media

Building your online presence is imperative, and social media is a way to develop it.

Make sure you have profiles on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

8. Create portfolio website

Your portfolio is your online resume.

I keep saying that showing what you do is more important than telling people what you can do.

Three excellent portfolio examples are:

Robby Leonardi

Adam Dannaway

Denise Chandler

Check out the above three websites. They used to be beginners, but see how they showcase their work and expertise today.

If your portfolio is good enough, clients and/or potential employers will take the initiative to look for you. Accumulate a lot of projects/websites – even if you have to work for free for a while.

9. Contribute to open source projects

Contributing to open source projects can show many things, such as:

• Your enthusiasm for the work you do
• Teamwork Competency
• Your skills

The best thing is that if you do really well, you can get recognition in the community – which will also boost your overall credibility.

John Resig, founder of jQuery, said something interesting:

When it comes to recruiting, I always choose GitHub submission logs instead of resumes.

The following five places can contribute to open source projects:

1. GitHub (read this article about GitHub beginners)

2. freeCodeCamp

3. Automattic

4. Angular

5. Go

6. Are you stubborn enough?

Why is stubborn?

Web developers often encounter various challenges. If there is an error in your code, or the result does not match what you plan, if you can't find a solution, don't give up easily and don't take shortcuts. You must find out the problem stubbornly. While this may take you more time to solve the problem, what you learn through this stubborn attitude will be with you for a lifetime, and because of this, you will be more efficient and effective in future projects.

Work smartly

Give me six hours to cut down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours to sharpen my axe.

This famous saying by Abraham Lincoln deeply influenced me. It is easy for people to focus only on the technical aspects of coding or running a freelance business, and often overlook better, faster methods.

Successful developers work smartly and achieve better results.

12. It's not just about how much you know

I know more programming languages ​​than you, so I'm more successful.

It's not just about how much you know, it's about how you use what you know.

If you want to have an interview, the person with the most knowledge will always get the job, right? If you live in the "real world", we all know that this is far from the truth.

It's not just a skill set that guarantees you get a job (or get a freelance client), there are many other factors.

Growth

13. Experts in any industry are constantly learning to improve their knowledge and skills. For web development, continuous learning is more important.

If you learned C 20 years ago and didn't keep up with the new version update, then your knowledge today is almost irrelevant.

No matter your level of experience, keep relevant and keep learning.

Experience

14. Who do you prefer to hire?

A 35-year-old business coach who just obtained a master's degree in business administration, or

A 30-year-old business coach who dropped out of high school, has no certificate but has experience in running three multimillion-dollar businesses and has made a profit to sell two of them?
• Experience is better than theory. Don't just say "I can build [insert content here]": every average web developer will say that. Show what you do.

Price

15. Once you start to become more confident and gain more experience, you need to better price your services.

This may make or break you. Do you prefer an annual salary of $50,000 or $90,000? Is it $500 or $5,000 to create a website?

If I sell you a bottle of wine and tell you that I have two bottles, one for $5 and the other for $55, you might think there is something wrong with that bottle of wine for $5, don't you? ?

The same pricing principles apply to your service.

While this applies primarily to freelancing, the principle also applies to negotiating your salary.

Efficiency

16. Concentrating on 1.5 hours without distraction is much better than being distracted by 4 hours of information, YouTube or interesting GIFs, and interspersing some work in between.

Eliminate all interferences as much as possible and improve efficiency over a highly concentrated time frame.

For this, please check the Pomodoro working method.

Skills

17. It is not the right thing to do just learning the "X" programming language.

To improve your chances of success, it is also important to learn other skills, such as basic marketing, negotiation, communication and social skills.

Look at the most successful developers: they are all well-developed, talented individuals who aren’t just focused on coding.

18. Interact with others online

Join coding communities, Facebook groups, Twitter chats and other platforms and don't be afraid to ask (stupid) questions.

As well asked questions and answered questions in places like Stack Overflow, Reddit, Quora and blogs.

19. Attend parties and social events

This is when you go out and connect with others.

I am a super introvert. Seriously. People call me hermit crab. Guess where I would be in a group environment? Yes, in the corner...

If you are an introvert (like me), you need to realize that at some point, you need to step out of your comfort zone and interact with others.

Use services such as Meetingup to view parties near you.

Note. Don't just attend developer parties and events. If you are a freelancer, also participate in business activities. After all, how often do developers hire other developers?

20. Have a split personality

You need to think like a website visitor and a website owner.

As a website visitor, you need to think: What am I thinking at every stage of the website? Did I get the answer I came here for? Does this website meet my needs? Do I trust this company? etc.

As the "owner" of the website, you need to think: Does my website answer the questions and questions that my website visitors are thinking about at the moment? What can I do to answer their questions? What can I do on my website to convince website visitors to take the actions I want them to take?

21. Never give up

Successful people often fail, but one of their undeniable traits is that they never give up and look for new and better ways.

Sometimes, the only difference between you and success or failure is the willingness to continue.

Never give up on your dreams, wishes and goals.

Conclusion

Never think that you can’t do something and succeed. If you need someone who believes in you, I am!

I hope this short article will affect you in a positive way. I'd love to hear you in the comments below.

Frequently Asked Questions about Being a Successful Web Developer (FAQ)

What basic skills are required to become a web developer?

To become a successful web developer, you need to master various skills. First, you need to have an in-depth understanding of HTML/CSS, which is the foundation of web development. JavaScript is another essential language because it allows you to add interactivity to your website. In addition, it is crucial to learn server-side languages ​​such as PHP, Ruby, Python, or .NET. You should also be familiar with databases and SQL. Finally, learning version control systems like Git can help you manage projects efficiently.

How long does it take to become a web developer?

The time it takes to become a web developer varies greatly, depending on your learning path. If you are self-taught, it can take between 6 months and several years to acquire the necessary skills. However, if you choose to pursue a degree in computer science or related major, it may take about four years. Remember, being a successful web developer is not just about learning skills, but also about gaining practical experience.

Do I need a degree to become a web developer?

While having a degree in computer science or related majors may be beneficial, this is not a strict requirement for becoming a web developer. Many successful web developers are self-taught or have completed coding bootcamps. The most important thing is your understanding of key web development concepts and your ability to apply them in real-world situations.

What is the role of web developers in the team?

In a team environment, the role of a web developer may vary depending on the specific requirements of the project. They may be responsible for building a website from scratch, maintaining and updating existing websites, or handling specific features of the website. They often work with designers, content creators, and other developers to create a cohesive and functional website.

How can we keep up with the latest web development trends?

The field of web development is constantly developing, so it is important to keep up with the latest trends. You can do this by following relevant blogs, attending web development conferences, participating in online communities and taking online courses. Additionally, practicing your skills regularly and working on personal projects can help you stay sharp.

What is the difference between front-end and back-end development?

Front-end development includes visual elements of a website that creates user interactions. This includes everything from layout and design to interactive elements. Backend development, on the other hand, involves using servers, databases, and applications to ensure that the website is functioning properly.

How important is it to learn a variety of programming languages?

While you can learn a programming language specifically, learning multiple languages ​​can make you a more general web developer. Each language has its pros and cons, and the language suitable for a project usually depends on the specific requirements of the project.

What challenges do web developers usually encounter?

Web developers often encounter challenges such as keeping up with the latest technology, handling complex project requirements, debugging code, and ensuring websites are accessible and user-friendly. However, these challenges can also provide opportunities for learning and growth.

How to build a portfolio as a web developer?

Building portfolios is essential to showcase your skills as a web developer. You can start by working on a personal project or contributing to an open source project. Additionally, taking on a freelance work or internship can provide you with practical experience and tangible results to showcase to potential employers.

What is the career prospect of web developers?

As more and more businesses recognize the importance of having a strong online presence, demand for web developers is expected to grow. Web developers can work in a variety of environments, including tech companies, digital marketing agencies and freelancing. As they accumulate experience, they can also be promoted to positions such as project manager or lead developer.

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