Web developers enjoy a rewarding career maintaining and progressing the digital world. But are they in demand in 2023?
Web developers are in demand in 2023. They are key to maintaining the Internet and everything powered by it, and employment in the field is projected to grow by 13% in 10 years. This number is compared to an average employment growth rate of 0.7% expected for all occupations in the United States.
Read on to learn more about why web developers are in demand in 2023 and how you can become one.
Web Developer Employment Rates Are Increasing in 2023
Employment of web developers is growing faster than average, with a 13% increase projected between 2020 and 2030. The number of web developers employed in the U.S. between 2020 and 2030 will increase by 25,500.
There are at least 26.2 million web developers globally, with most being based in the United States. However, this is expected to change soon. By 2023, India will likely have the largest number of web developers in the world.
More Web Developers Are Needed in Today’s Digital Age
In the United States, employment is expected to grow from 153.5 million to 165.4 million between 2020 and 2030, reflecting an annual growth rate of 0.7%. It’s a much lower rate of increase than the growth rate for employment within the web development field.
Perhaps this is because of the increasing digitization of the world. As more goods and services are built to depend on the Internet, old ways of conducting business are going by the wayside in favor of digital techniques. That means some kinds of employment are becoming obsolete while others, like web development, thrive.
Other areas of employment that are growing faster than the national average include digital marketing, e-commerce, digital content creation, and engineering. User experience professionals and data scientists are also in demand, as are artificial intelligence practitioners.
How Much Do Web Developers Make?
Web developers make more than $50,000 a year. In the United States, a web developer’s median annual wage is $77,200. By web comparison, the median annual wage of all occupations in the United States is $41,950. As for the median annual wage for computer occupations, it is $91,250.
Web developers who work in the publishing industry make the most money. Other web developers may earn about the same wages in computer systems design, advertising, public relations, or technical consulting.
I have a whole in-depth article on how much can you expect to earn at different levels of your career. There are quite big differences between junior, intermediate, and senior web developers.
How To Become a Web Developer
There are several ways to become a web developer, but the most important first step for new web developers is usually college. Prospective web developers may study computer science, programming, or something else related to the field.
Even if you don’t study something related to computer science in college, you can still be a web developer. Many web developers learned their skills through boot camps geared at teaching you the necessary skills for the industry. These skills may include coding with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and using database management languages such as SQL or Python.
Most web developers start by building a portfolio that they can use to show off the best of their work. A portfolio should include a diversity of projects highlighting your strengths and exemplifying your skills.
In addition to knowing coding languages and understanding computer science concepts, web developers need to have various soft skills. These include communication skills, creativity, working well with clients, and attention to detail. Problem-solving and logical thinking are also key.
Best Colleges for Web Development
The best colleges for studying web development include robust computer science, software engineering, and web development programs. Some of these even have degrees that you can complete entirely online, like the program at Fort Hays State University.
Fort Hays State University is a public university in Kansas that offers an online degree in information and networking, with a concentration in web and mobile application development. Graduates of the program are experts in human-computer interaction, front and back-end development, database design, and mobile web development.
Another high-quality program in web development is the one offered by Arizona State University in Skysong. This program is in Internet and web development, including courses in information design, usability, and e-commerce and website strategies. Like the program at Fort Hays State University, this degree can be completed entirely online.
Should You Enroll in a Bootcamp in Web Development?
You should enroll in a bootcamp in web development if you want to get practical web development skills and start a career as a web developer. Bootcamps like this one from MIT are built for career changers or students looking for a career unrelated to their degree.
You can complete this particular program in 32 weeks at 15 to 20 hours per week, and it costs about $7,000.
Bootcamps teach you the practical skills you need to make it in the industry. However, they’re shorter and less comprehensive than a degree in computer science. Computer science degrees teach more theory, including more conceptual learning, whereas boot camps tend to be more practical.
Bootcamps are also more inexpensive than college degrees, making them a better choice for someone who already has a degree or doesn’t have the money to spend on a college education for whatever reason.
Sometimes boot camps will even offer tuition deferral programs where you don’t pay tuition until you’ve earned the certificate and been hired. Income share agreements are common, where the graduate will pay a specified percentage of their income for a certain number of years to settle the debt.
Remember that boot camps are not accredited educational institutions, so traditional loans, and grants cannot apply. You’re dependent on finding a boot camp with a fair program for covering costs.
Conclusion
Web developers are in demand in 2023 due to the increasing digitization of our world. We can expect to see growth in the field much faster than most occupations in the United States.
Becoming a web developer is as simple as completing a bachelor’s degree and possibly a boot camp for certification. Whether or not you need the boot camp depends on whether you studied something related to computer science and web development in college.
