Did you know that web developers are one of the highest-paid creative? Well, they are! They can earn thousands of dollars each year thanks to their great skills.
If you’re among the individuals with just a high school diploma and no college degree but still looking to become a web developer, you’ll probably be interested in knowing how to become a web developer with no degree.
Well, it’s very possible because web development is a very versatile and flexible career with various ways to get started.
So, you’ll want to read right to the end of this article as we’re going to discuss all you need to know regarding how to become a web developer with no degree.
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Steps On How to Become a Web Developer With No Degree in 2022
1. Choose A Web Development Career Path
The first thing you should do is to decide which category of web developer you want to specialise in, the options you have are front-end, back-end, or full-stack developer. ( Don’t worry these will be properly discussed later in this article).
As you begin to understand the duties of the various roles more, you can always modify your choice.
Nevertheless, it’s helpful to set specific goals and have them in mind from the beginning, and then decide on a certain professional path in web development that helps you reach your goals and ambitions.
The only upper hand that those with degrees have against those without one is that the individuals who go spend four years or more trying to get a degree in computer science or any other related course have enough time to decide what path in web development they want to take.
Also, while in school, they have the opportunity to learn a few things about the front end, back end and full stack web development.
However, this doesn’t necessarily increase their chances of being more successful as web developers than those without a degree.
What is most important in web development is time spent honing your skills and the experience you’ve gathered which anybody including someone without a degree can get.
2. Enroll For A Web Development Course or Bootcamp
There are many top-notch online web development courses, boot camps, and certification programs available today that you can enrol for.
They don’t require as many years to complete as normal degrees, and they are also free so you won’t have to accrue student loan debt as a result of trying to pay learning fees.
Even though the content in these courses is frequently available for free online, they are nevertheless useful for becoming a web developer as quickly as reasonably possible.
Lastly, In contrast to most free online resources, they frequently include code challenges, the classes are organized properly, and you’ll enjoy additional benefits like technical mentorship that can seriously speed up your development as a web developer without a formal education.
3. Constantly Practice Building Websites On Your Own
I’m sure that you’re well aware that web development is all about creating websites and webpages, you cannot possibly escape it as a web developer.
And if you want to get really good at it and become a successful web developer, you have to practice all the time!
Your employers or clients do not want to know whether you learnt it yourself, at a college, or through an online course. What they’re interested in is your skills; how good you are at what you do.
Accordingly, you should learn about website design techniques, front-end programming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), back-end programming languages (PHP, Ruby), website frameworks (Node.js, Django), SQL databases, and much more, depending on the career path you decide to choose.
4. Create a Public Portfolio of All Your Web Development Projects
If you’ve never written code before, this task could seem overwhelming, but getting started is actually rather simple.
As a method of becoming acquainted with the fundamentals of web programming, start with relatively straightforward projects.
Learn how to use HTML and CSS to create basic static pages, choose a JavaScript library, and play around with prewritten lines of code.
Don’t worry, as you practice, your coding skills will too and eventually, you’ll start getting web development projects.
With time, your portfolio will start to open up professional chances as you continue to construct projects of escalating complexity, and before you realize it, you’ll land your very first job interview.
5. Practice Coding Assessments To Help You Prepare For Job Interviews
It’s time to get ready for job interviews once you’ve gained some coding experience.
Web developer job interviews frequently proceed somewhat differently compared to those for other professions.
How? You’ll frequently be required to finish a code test in a specific amount of time. Although it is an outdated practice, many employers still insist on this kind of test.
The excellent news is that there are a ton of tools available that will help you become adept at passing these kinds of assessments.
So long as you regularly study and regularly practice these typical web developer job interview tasks, you should be OK.
Also, don’t be discouraged if you don’t get every job you apply for, see it as training and little steps to achieve bigger goals.
6. Optimize Your LinkedIn and GitHub profiles
Ensure your social profiles and Résumé are in order before you start to apply for web development jobs.
Considering that recruiters spend less than 10 secs on average reading resumes, it is imperative that you present résumés and profiles that are competent, precise, and brief.
Nowadays, a tech recruiter will frequently review your GitHub and LinkedIn profiles as soon as they receive your resume.
That being the case, it’s crucial that you keep yours current and complete because they are among the top employment websites for developers.
Also include online courses you have done, credentials you have earned, as well as a profile picture that looks professional.
After completing that, you are now prepared to begin submitting applications for all available web developer job positions.
7. Begin Applying To Entry-level Web Developer Position
As a web developer, you are already at an advantage when looking for jobs because you are among the most sought-after experts in the entire labor market.
Since you’re new to the profession, finding a full-time job may not be a walk in the park, so for starters try taking part-time or freelancing jobs Instead.
You might give freelance markets like Fiverr or Upwork a shot.
They don’t require degrees from their freelancers, but you should be aware that these sites face a lot of cheap, subpar competition.
So you have to be good at what you do if you want to secure a job on any of these platforms.
Although these platforms are helpful for beginners to obtain some early job experience while receiving some extra money on the side, nevertheless they are not advised for full-time jobs.
Given that, let’s discuss getting regular work as a web developer. After all, earning a full-time salary as an in-house web developer still provides you with some great privileges from your workplace, like paid time off, healthcare insurance, stock grants, and more.
Personally, I recommend using Boolean to find a full-time position as a web developer without a degree.
You can use boolean search to acquire the most precise search results and eliminate job offers that require a degree.
For the best search results, boolean searching enables you to utilize a combination of terms and specific symbols.
Without Boolean searching, you would need to manually go through thousands of job postings to find the ones that don’t require a higher school diploma.
The job search process is already challenging enough but you can make it much simpler and faster by using boolean search.
8. Start Gaining Work Experience as a Web Developer
The hardest parts of becoming a web developer without a degree are over once you find any form of work in the field, whether it is an internship, a job, or a freelance client.
So after this, the next things you should do are:
- Continue to develop new technical and soft skills.
- Develop your understanding of programming languages over time.
- Take advice from other experienced developers.
- Do not give long breaks when practising, more practice and experience raise your chances of getting more great jobs.
Pro Tip:
Many employers dislike seeing significant gaps in employment on a programmer’s CV.
So, whether you’re a front-end, back-end, or full-stack developer, try to find consistent work, even if it’s on small, poorly paid, and seemingly pointless web projects as they will help sharpen your skills.
9. Emphasize Your Skills Rather Than a Degree
For someone that doesn’t have a degree in computer science or software engineering, you have to start building those priceless “years of experience” as soon as you can as a web developer.
The job market has always been such that your prospects improve as you accumulate more months and years of web development experience.
Never forget: experience always beats education. Employers will be less concerned about your lack of a degree as you gain more practical experience.
There you have it! We’ve considered 9 great steps that you can take to become a web developer even without a degree.
Now, let’s have a look at some necessary information you need to have about web development.
If you’ve noticed, we’ve mentioned choosing what category of web development you want to get into or the type of web developer you want to be a couple of times.
So now, let’s see what that is about as we discuss the different categories of web development.
Read also:
Types Of Web Developers
Since I’ve not yet properly defined who a web developer is, I’ll do so now.
A web developer is a software engineer who builds apps and websites.
These developers pay attention to how the software looks and ensure that it functions well.
By designing web development that satisfies their needs and desires, web developers help their clients’ visions come to life.
Web developers can be classified into three categories:
Front-end Developer
The portion of a web app or software that is visible is developed by front-end developers.
They ensure that individuals can view and engage with the final result as intended, paying attention to things like performance, responsive design, and accessibility, among other things.
Front-end web development is where many novice web developers start their careers because it requires fewer programming abilities and offers more job prospects than back-end development.
Required Skills: Some examples of coding languages for front-end programming are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Additionally, some positions may call for knowledge of JavaScript frameworks like Vue or Angular as well as libraries like React or JQuery.
Sometimes basic design proficiency is also expected from front-end developers.
Average salary: A front-end developer living in the United States makes, on average, $100,781 a year ($43.16 an hour) in base pay.
Job Accessibility: Out of a total of 14,578 positions available globally, 11,685 of them require no degree and are for front-end developers.
As a result, a degree is required for 19.8% of front-end developer employment globally.
Out of a total of 4,590 positions, there are 3,019 front-end developer jobs without the need for a degree available in the US.
Thus, a degree is required for 34.2% of front-end developer positions in the US.
Back-end Developer
One of the highest paid subsets of web developers are the back-end developers and they work alongside front-end developers to produce the final output of each web design.
These software engineers are in charge of managing JavaScript libraries, web security, data access, and the server side of web development.
Coding languages like Ruby, PHP, Java, Python, and C# are among those that must be mastered.
Additionally, many back-end engineers require knowledge of databases like MySQL and SQL.
Pay: In the US, a back-end developer makes an average base income of $116,635 per year ($49.95 per hour).
Job Availability:
From a total of 7,883 jobs accessible globally, there are 5,959 back-end developer jobs that don’t require a degree.
As a result, a degree is required for 24.4% of back-end developer employment globally.
Out of 1,813 open positions, 1,089 require no degree and are accessible in the United States. This means that in the United States, 39.9% of employment for back-end developers specify a degree as a necessity.
Full-stack Developer
Full-stack developers are among the most demanded developers, and employers demand that they possess a wide range of technical and soft skills.
They must be knowledgeable about web structures including the front-end, back-end, and both.
They are in charge of the complete web application, from the user interface to the servers that store the data, and they must be able to change between various roles as needed.
Required Skills: The coding languages that a full-stack developer must be proficient in depending on the role they are applying for, although they typically include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Java, Ruby, Python, and C#.
Income: In the United States, a full-stack developer makes an average base salary of $104,195 a year ($44.63 per hour).
Job Accessibility:
Out of the 31,902 open full-stack developer positions globally, 23,909 require no degree. Thus, a degree is required for 25% of full-stack developer employment globally.
Out of a total of 13,401 opportunities, there are 8,499 full-stack developer jobs without a degree accessible in the US. As a result, a degree is required for 36.5% of full-stack developer employment in the United States.
So, You can master web development in a variety of methods on your own, so you don’t need a degree to work in any of these fields.
As it has been emphasized throughout this article, a lot of web designers are self-taught.
There is presently no official degree for web development, nor is there a set academic path for students to follow.
Employers looking for web developers typically care more about your professional history than your school background.
Employers looking for web developers prefer to look at your coding skills and website development experience over your schooling part on your resume.
Now we’ve seen the different categories of web developers, let’s now look at some skills each web developer needs and should possess.
What Skills do Web Developers need?
The tools and technical skills you should master will differ based on the type of career you are interested in.
Successful web developers possess a variety of technical and soft skills, including:
HTML/CSS Skills
You need to be familiar with HTML and CSS if you want to work as a web developer.
Web developers utilize HTML, the most used markup language on the Internet, to construct web pages.
On the other hand, the website is designed using CSS. It determines the layout, color scheme, and fonts used on a website.
While CSS colors a webpage, HTML establishes its structure.
Analytical skills
To build a range of effective websites, you’ll require strong analytical skills as a web developer.
Making sure the website is functional and the coding is proper is part of this. Understanding the requirements of your consumers or customers is also crucial.
You must assess their needs and wishes and be prepared to make any adjustments they request on the website.
Your client will benefit from your website more in the long run if you have a deeper understanding of them.
Responsive Design Skills
It’s crucial to comprehend how responsive design functions if you perform as a web developer.
The websites you design must adjust to the shifting screen sizes because many users read web pages both on desktop and mobile devices.
Your website won’t be compatible with the desktop or mobile versions if it is not responsive.
In other words, none of these platforms will allow it to work or display properly. Since most people leave a website if it isn’t displaying properly, your ability to establish a responsive design can also affect how many visitors a website receives.
JavaScript skills
As a web developer, you must also learn JavaScript. High-level programming languages like JavaScript are used to develop complicated functionality on websites.
Moving elements, search bars, videos, and interactive maps are examples of this on websites.
You’ll be able to exceed your clients’ expectations during the web development process if you are familiar with JavaScript.
Given that the vast majority of individuals tend to choose interactive web pages that capture their attention, using these skills can also enable you to attract more website readers.
These unique features play a big part in capturing visitors’ attention, and your work as a web developer is crucial to seeing them materialize on a computer screen.
Testing and debugging skills
Knowing how to regularly test your website for any potential faults is crucial for web developers.
You should also be able to debug any issues if they occur. Functional testing or unit testing will be used to ensure that your coding is doing as it should.
In this profession, it is crucial to be able to test and debug your webpage consistently and successfully.
Back-end Basics Skills
Additionally, you’ll need to recognize some of the basic concepts of back-end web programming.
This is due to the fact that you’ll either be collaborating with back-end developers or may be required to employ these talents on your own.
You’ll need to understand servers’ operation as well as APIs, SQL, databases, and cybersecurity in this regard.
Since they relate to the server-side of a webpage, each of them is a crucial skill to possess.
Search Engine Optimization
You must be well-versed in search engine optimization as a web developer. This is a result of how crucial website traffic is to businesses.
Interpersonal Skills
Since you’ll be interacting with a range of clients, you need to be an excellent communicator.
This encompasses a variety of social abilities like appropriate body language, attentive listening, the capacity to work with others, and a general strong work ethic and positive outlook.
The web development process will go more smoothly for both of you the better you get along and can communicate with your clients.
Time Management Skills
Web developers must fulfil several deadlines while also assisting their team in meeting its objectives on time because they work for clients.
To avoid disappointing your clients by missing deadlines, you must learn how to manage your time effectively.
FAQ
Can you get on-the-job training as a web developer?
Many firms provide junior web developers with on-the-job training. They might provide mentoring programs along with continuing career support from experienced web developers.
This enables novice web developers to pick up knowledge by watching more seasoned workers.
To assist novice web developers in learning crucial ideas and coding languages to use in their role, employers may also offer pre-paid courses.
What are the benefits of being a self-taught web developer?
The benefits of being a self-taught web developer are numerous.
These people learn how to conduct successful research since they use their resources rather than asking a lecturer when they are looking for solutions to problems.
They can use this procedure for discovering solutions in the future when they work in the web development sector, and it also helps them build a solid work ethic for their profession.
Can I teach myself to be a web developer?
There are excellent classes available online that Stanford, Harvard, and MIT all provide for free.
Although having a degree in computer science is not necessary, it’s still a good idea to be familiar with the principles of computers.
Once you have a fundamental understanding of how computers operate, choose a field and begin your education.
Can I Become a Web Developer after 40?
Do not become discouraged if you are likewise debating if it is too late to study programming or web development.
You can do it at any time, not just when you’re in your late 30s or 40s or even when you’re in your fifties. You can succeed with the correct advice, willpower, and resources.
How Long Does It Take To Code A Website?
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other programming languages are frequently used on modern websites.
An experienced programmer should estimate working on the project for four to six weeks, or around eight hours per day, to code a pretty simple website from scratch.
Which Coding Language Is The Hardest?
Malbolge. The first Malbolge program took at least two years to write, making it the hardest programming language.
Can I do Coding without a degree?
You can. You don’t exclusively need a degree in coding if you want to start working in tech right away.
Coding bootcamps can help you acquire the skills you need to begin a career in coding in a far more time- and cost-effective manner.
Can I learn web development in 3 months?
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are generally taught in 3- to 4-month-long web development boot camps.
Additionally, SQL, Python, and other back-end coding languages may be taught at full-stack boot camps.
Even though four-year degree programs often cost more than coding boot camps, there isn’t much financial aid available in the form of scholarships and grants.
How Long Does it Take to Learn HTML?
A week or two is okay.
It won’t take you long to begin learning HTML.
You should be able to fully understand HTML in one to two weeks, and it will take you around a month of practice to become proficient.
Is Coding Stressful For Web Developers?
In general, programming is a calm profession. As a programmer, you have the freedom to work from anywhere, and you usually have a set routine.
Coding might be stressful, but like any career, a lot depends on the organization you work for. Stress can be brought on by time constraints and cultural demands.
How Long Does It Take To Become a Self-taught Web Developer?
There’s no fixed time frame, but I’m confident that it can be accomplished in three months, as well as in a year, two years, or even longer. It all depends on each individual and their level of understanding.
Final Remarks
This article has extensively discussed how to become a web developer without a degree. If you follow the steps listed in this article, you’ll be sure to start a career in this field and succeed.
If you have further questions, you can share them in the comments section.