Being a web developer is a great job. You get to write code and create websites for your employer or for clients. However, while it seems there are a lot of web developers out there, you can stand out from the crowd by becoming a better web developer. I've shared a few tips in this article.
Read and Study Other People's Code
A great way to improve your web development skills is to read and study code that other developers have written. This allows you to understand how different code is run and how it works, which can give you ideas on different ways to solve problems and get things done.The way that other people write code may be better than the way you would have solved it, which is great, because it lets you learn from them and improve your development skills.
If the code you're reading isn't as good as yours, or has a problem, you can learn from it as well. Work out what isn't so good about it, or why it isn't working. The process of you thinking about the code and trying to improve it will make you a better web developer.
Write Code That Can Be Maintained
A big part of a web development job, or any development job, is writing code. You write the code, deploy the website, and that's it. Well, the life of the website doesn't end there.
Someone needs to maintain the website. Someone needs to make improvements when they are requested, fix bugs when they appear, and make changes when needed.
This means that someone needs to understand the code. To become a better web developer (and developer in general), your code should be easy to maintain. This means it should:
- Include comments for each file and function, explaining what they do
- Use the right functions where necessary
- Use best practices for your language, such as object oriented programming and styling
This isn't a complete list. The main point here is that the easier your code is to maintain, the easier it is for everyone, including yourself, in the future.
Learn More Web Development Skills
There are many skills that a web developer can learn to improve their career. There are many languages, tools, and technologies to learn. Learning more skills can improve your career, as it gives you more opportunities for work and allows you to do better work for your existing clients or employer.
Some of the skills you can learn or improve on include:
- JavaScript
- XML
- SQL and databases (Microsoft, Oracle, MySQL)
- Other languages (Ruby, .NET, PHP)
- CSS
There are many other technologies and languages that could be listed, of course, but learning an extra skill or two can really improve your career and make you a better web developer.
Work on a Side Project
A great way to practice your skills is to work on a side project. I've done a few in my time, in various languages, and the work I do for my website means I have some side projects to do.
This means I get to practice my skills outside of my employment. It's something that I would suggest web developers do, as you can try things you can't do at work.
You can try new technologies or skills, try new ways of doing something, and just do some kind of testing to see if something would work.
I hope you've found this article valuable. If you want to see more articles I've written, read some of my other articles on my website or follow me on Twitter. Thanks!
