< Back to all blogs

Is Learning Web Development Worth It?

June 20, 2022

is learning web development worth it

Is learning web development worth it? It can take a lot of time to master all of the coding skills that web developers use, so before you take the plunge it’s a good idea to figure out first if it will actually be worth your while in the long run.

With any new career you want to be sure that the pay is good, the working conditions suit you, and that you’ll actually be able to find a job. That last one is maybe the most crucial and the one most are concerned about. Plenty of college graduates are shocked when they earn their degree and then can’t find a job in their field.

You don’t need a college degree to be a web developer, although you will need some kind of official certification to demonstrate that you’ve learned the necessary skills. Whether that comes from a college or from one of the many “code camps” out there, you’ll have to invest some time and money into learning web development.

There are things you can do to make certain your investment pays off, of course. But as long as you’re willing to put in the work, learning to be a web developer is very much worth it.

Is Learning Web Development Worth It? Will I Find A Job?

Any person getting ready to switch careers is worried about the unknowns, and one of the biggest is whether or not you’ll even be able to find a job. If you already have a job it can feel irresponsible and stupid to risk being unemployed.

There’s always a chance that you won’t succeed, and that you’ll end up unable to find work as a web developer. But if that happens, it would be pretty unusual. There’s a shortage of web developers right now, and demand for their services is only increasing.

In other words, learning web development means you’re learning a skill set that’s in high demand and low supply. And that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. People will always need websites. Every new business needs a website and every existing business will eventually need updated websites.

Web development is one of the most future-proof careers there is, and there aren’t enough web developers to meet demand. There aren’t many other job fields that can say the same. So while there’s technically no guarantee that you’ll find work, your odds of finding a job as a web developer are very, very good.

freelance web development can be worth it

Freelance Web Development

The shortage of web developers applies to freelance work, as well. If you’re interested in freelancing this might actually be the best time for it. It can be a challenge to make a name for yourself as a freelancer, and when the market is saturated with them it’s difficult to get your career started.

You probably won’t have much of an issue with that as a freelance web developer right now. Since there’s not enough web developers to go around, you should be able to find a few simple beginner jobs quickly. Those will help you build your portfolio and add more clients pretty quickly.

web developer who can learn web development

Is Learning Web Development Worth It? Do People Enjoy It?

Loving your work is important. Job satisfaction has been declining in many fields in recent years. Whether it’s the work environment or the pay, it’s becoming more and more common for even white collar workers to dislike their jobs. One of the most common reasons to switch careers is that people simply don’t like the work they’re doing.

So, naturally, you want to know if web development is something you’d enjoy before you decide to switch. Of course, we can’t be completely sure that you would like it- everybody is different. But we can tell you that web developers do tend to really like what they do.

In a recent survey 72.8 percent of web developers said they like their jobs- less than 20 percent were unhappy working as web developers and the rest were neutral. To put that in perspective, the nationwide average across all career fields for job satisfaction is about 50%, with half of American workers reporting being completely disengaged with their work.

Is learning web development worth it? The odds are good that you’ll enjoy working as a web developer. There are several reasons why web developers are so happy with their jobs.

Balance

A lot of people who work as web developers end up working as freelancers. Even if they don’t, web developers often enjoy much greater work-life balance than other workers. That’s partly because web developers can work from anywhere, and it’s common for their employers to allow them to work remotely.

That means that they can determine their own work schedule and travel while they work, if they want. Freelancers, or course, have the most freedom since they are their own boss. As long as you have access to good WiFi, you can work from anywhere.

You Can Be Picky

No doubt one of the reasons for the incredible rate of job satisfaction among web developers has to do with the shortage of web developers. Since their skills are in high demand, they can afford to be picky about which projects to take on.

Most web developers don’t have to accept a project that doesn’t appeal to them. When they’re looking for work they don’t have to settle for a job that doesn’t check all the boxes on their wishlist. That’s a luxury most people wish for.

As a result, web developers are simply less likely to end up doing work they don’t enjoy. And, if they do find themselves in a job they hate, they don’t have to stick around. There are plenty of other options out there.

learning web development is worth it

Is Learning Web Development Worth It? How Much Can I Earn?

Once you know that you’ll be able to find a job and that you’ll probably be able to find one you like, the next question is will it pay enough? The cost of living goes up every year, and you need to know that your job will bring in enough income to keep you comfortable.

Income for web developers can vary a lot. That’s especially true for freelancers, as their income is largely dependent on how much they want to work and how much they decide to charge. In general, web developers get paid well.

That’s even more true with the shortage of developers. When your job skills are in high demand, you can demand higher pay. $78-$88,000 per year is the average pay for web developers. Obviously, it can vary quite a bit as a result of things like your experience, education, and skill level. Some developers are routinely earning six figures, and others are earning far less than that.

The demand for good web developers isn’t going to slow down. It’s only going to increase as the internet becomes more and more important in global commerce. That means that the average pay for web developers is going to keep increasing for a while.

Teaching coworker how to handle undergrad

Is Learning Web Development Worth It? How Long Will It Take?

By now you’re probably wondering why everybody isn’t rushing to become a web developer if the pay and working conditions are so great. The answer is that learning web development isn’t easy. Some of the basics can be mastered quickly, but learning web development isn’t as simple as learning to code.

You can learn HTML in just a few days, but that won’t be enough. HTML on it’s own is very limited, and you’ll need to at least learn CSS as well. That takes more time. But, still, it’s not enough.

Once you’ve learned coding, you still have to learn how it all works together. You’ll need to know what a development stack is and how it works. You’ll need to know all about back end development and front end development.

It’s not good enough to learn how to code. You have to learn how to use that code to create a website. That part can end up taking longer to learn than the coding did. Expect to take several months to learn coding, and maybe a bit longer than that to be ready to work as a web developer.

You Need To Be A Learner

One thing to understand if you want to succeed as a web developer: you will never master it. There will always be more to learn. Completing your code camp or your degree does not mean you’re done learning web development. It just means you’re ready to start.

Web development is a field that’s constantly changing. Coding languages are updated regularly, new ones are invented, and new ways of building websites are figured out. The whole field is in a state of constant change. You’re going to have to constantly learn new things if you want to keep up.

That alone might answer the question “is learning web development worth it.” If you want a job that’s static, that you can master quickly and then never need to learn about again, then you’re not going to succeed as a web developer.

But if you want to work a job that’s constantly asking you to learn something new, and presenting you with new challenges, you’ll love it. That’s part of the job that most people don’t know about. It’s never boring because it’s never the same.

Is Learning Web Development Worth It? Yes- If You Like Not Knowing The Answers

Some people like having all the answers. They like being considered an expert. There are plenty of careers you can pick where you will eventually learn everything there is to know about the job. You’ll have all the answers.
Web development is not one of those. Web developers have to embrace the unknown. More often than not your work will involve you dealing with new challenges that you’ve never had to solve before. For many developers that’s part of the appeal.

You get to spend a lot of your time problem-solving. You get to think. Learning web development isn’t so much about learning a set of skills you can use over and over again so much as learning how to think like a web developer so that you can create something new and deal with the challenges that pop up on the way.

Things Change- Fast

Technology is always changing, and the rate of change can be incredible. It’s only been 15 years since the first iPhone came out, and already the entire tech industry has been completely revolutionized.

That includes web development. 15 years ago nobody was worried about developing mobile sites. Now, there’s a real chance that if you build a website for someone, the mobile version will be visited more than the desktop version. And the numbers aren’t even close.

Web developers who’ve been working in the field for more than 15 years have had to learn how to handle that. And if you can remember what mobile sites were like in the early days of smartphones you’ll know that they’ve learned a LOT about how to make a good mobile website in the past decade and a half.

But it’s not just mobile websites. Websites of all kinds looked very different ten years ago. In general they’re faster, sleeker, and more user friendly than they used to be. The entire tech field is constantly changing, improving, and innovating. A web developer has to stay on top of that. Is learning web development worth it? Yes, but you have to realize you will never be completely done learning.

Even experienced developers will routinely earn new certifications and take classes on new programming languages. As the field of web development grows and changes they have to keep up. There’s a direct correlation between salary and technical proficiency.

person learning web development is worth it

You’ll Encounter Problems You Can’t Solve

Is learning web development worth it? Not if you hate being unable to solve the problems you find. That’s just part of it. You are guaranteed to bump into problems you’ve never encountered, and find yourself unable to fix them. It happens.

We all love the feeling of solving complicated problems with no help, but that’s not always possible for a web developer. There will be times when you are completely stumped. The good news is that, in all likelihood, you aren’t the first person to come across this problem.

99% of the time someone else has encountered this, and they’ve figured it out. You can find the solution in a quick google search. It might hurt your pride a little bit, but it’s all part of the neverending learning process that web developers have to embrace.

Is Learning Web Development Worth It? Can You Stick it Out During The Entry Level?

One of the toughest parts about succeeding as a web developer is lasting past the entry level stage. This is a field where experience and hands-on education really pay off. People want to see your portfolio before they hire you, and a beginner simply won’t have much of a portfolio to show them.

That’s going to limit the jobs you can get. You won’t have trouble finding jobs, but much of what will be available to you as a beginner will be simple, and the pay may not be great. You’ll be working for clients who are ok with a website that’s less than perfect, but that means they won’t be offering the best pay rates.

Be Patient, Build Your Portfolio

Is learning web development worth it? You’re going to have to be patient if you want it to pay off. Every job you get as a beginner builds your portfolio, so do your absolute best work even for the jobs that don’t seem worth the effort.

Remember that every website you build is a chance for you to show future clients how good you are. The jobs you get as a beginner may not pay much, but they can set you up for a big pay day in the future if you do them well.

It takes time to build up your portfolio enough to land high-paying clients. Be patient and work at it. Once you make it past the entry-level stage you’ll start to notice that you spend less time looking for new clients because clients are looking for you.

That’s when you’ll start to get projects that offer truly great pay. This is when learning to be a web developer starts to pay off. But a lot of people get frustrated and discouraged as beginners when things don’t happen as quickly as they’d like. They give up before they ever had a chance to experience real success.

Conclusion

Learning to be a web developer is definitely worth it. There are plenty of job opportunities and your earning potential in the long run is great. But you have to be prepared to work at it. This is not an easy career.

Learning web development takes time and dedication and you’re never really done. Because of the face pace of innovation in the tech field you’ll need to constantly learn new things to keep up. Even developers with years of experience find themselves needing new certifications from time to time.

The real key to making it work as a web developer is sticking with it and working at it even when it seems like it’s going nowhere. It can take time to build up your portfolio enough to bring in serious revenue.

You can’t learn web development overnight, and you can’t start working with high paying clients right away. But if you’re patient and you stick with it you can have a great career in a wonderful field.