Web development is a good career choice for many. Web developers are generally well-paid, have good career prospects, are in demand now and likely to be in demand in the future, and are considered to have a relatively low-stress job.
Naturally, it's far from always easy, but the point we're trying to make is that web development is a good career and one that's certainly worthwhile considering.
If you're thinking about which degree to do and are interested in web development, then it's important to think about your options.
For education, these options include whether or not you should do a degree, which degrees are best for web development, if there are any other qualifications worth pursuing, and which skills you should develop.
Luckily for you, we have the answers to these questions and more in this article!
Which Degree is Best for Web Development?
No two web development jobs are alike and there are lots of different roles out there so choosing exactly which degree to study can feel like a daunting task.
Lots of schools teach quite similar programs under different names so these are the ones you might want to consider applying to or looking at if you're interested in a career in web development.
Computer Science
Computer Science is one of the fields that aspiring web developers can study. This isn't a course specifically for web developers, but it can be very useful for getting started in several different web development careers where you'll be working with computers.
With computer science, students mainly cover skills like developing software, programming, data science, aspects of information technology, web development, and even artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Those who complete a computer science degree have quite a few options on how to specialize and what careers they can do.
In addition to web development, they could look into software development, security analysis, research, hardware engineering, database administration, and quite a few others.
Digital Media
Digital Media degrees are also an option for aspiring web developers. This field looks to cover where technology and art meet and is likely a better fit for those who see themselves as quite creative or artistic.
While not out-and-out web development, students will learn about the flashy visual side of technology and making media for it.
Keep in mind that web development isn't just the websites themselves, it's the content that goes on them.
Digital media students will likely also collaborate with students in the arts as well as those in game design, web design, and TV production.
Information Technology
Information Technology (IT) overlaps a lot with computer science, but it's not exactly the same thing. Generally speaking, computer science looks at how computers work and IT looks at how they're used.
In either case, however, a lot of the skills taught in both IT degrees and computer science degrees overlap and in some cases, computer science is just part of the IT degree.
An IT major can lead to web development, but it's always important to check that the program offers this kind of freedom to students in terms of electives and courses that would be useful for those interested in web development.
Interactive Web Management
Interactive Web Management (IWM) is a relatively new field that covers where technology, media, and business come together.
IWM students have the options to move into web design, web development, social media management, e-commerce, writing, search engine optimization (SEO), analytics, user experience (UX), or even digital marketing.
IWM draws upon IT, computer science, digital marketing, and multimedia journalism and could be an excellent fit for students with a broad range of interests. Of course, it would also be a great fit for students interested in web development or web design.
Internet and Web Development
A degree in internet and web development (IWD) is all about web development and focuses on how to use effective web design.
An IWD degree may include skills like front-end development and programming languages like CSS, HTML, and JavaScript, visual design, UX and UI design, and many other aspects of web development.
There are IWD degrees available both online and offline and as you'll see shortly, there are lots of non-degree options for students interested in web development.
Multimedia and Web Design
Multimedia and Web Design degrees focus on building and developing websites that bring an excellent user experience through graphics, animation, and multimedia content.
Similarly, the skills taught are also applicable to mobile applications and video games, and those who study multimedia and web design can work as game developers, graphic designers, network administrators, software engineers, and web developers, of course!
This is another study option for those who are quite interested in art and being creative and will include a lot of the artistic side of web development.
Software Engineering
Software engineering focuses greatly on programming, software, and network management. In addition to taking classes on web development, software engineers will also study things like PHP, MySQL, data analytics, Python, and math.
Software engineering will cover some of the more technical aspects of web development rather than the artistic side seen in the multimedia degree programs with students more likely to be working on the parts of websites that users don't get to see.
Web and User Experience
A major in web and user experience covers both front and back-end web development while focusing on how users engage with websites.
These kinds of degrees give students options to either focus on UX design or on full-stack web development, making them a good choice for students who know they want to study web development but still haven't made their minds up about the roles they'd like to play.
UX is already a huge part of web development, but expect it to become even more important as time goes on.
Web Development
The most obvious major is the one that has the same name as the thing you want to do. An out-and-out web development degree program will teach you all the skills you need to have to become a web developer. That doesn't mean you can't do something else when you graduate, but web development will be the easiest industry to get into once you do.
Fortunately, web development also teaches a lot of transferable skills and technical skills that can be used in other areas so don't think that studying web development will mean that it's the only thing you can do.
What Qualifications Should a Web Developer Have?
While a degree in web development or a similar subject will certainly be useful on your résumé to show potential employers, there are lots of qualifications that are useful for web developers.
However, it should be noted that employers are only really interested in hiring people who can do the job and aren't as interested in whether or not you have a qualification in web development.
For example, if you have an excellent portfolio of completed projects in web development, there's no reason an employer wouldn't want to hire you. Naturally, without any experience, a qualification can help a lot, but if you can prove you have the skills you say you have, then you can still find work.
Do I Need Any Degree to Work in Web Development?
As we've been alluding to, you don't technically need a degree or any qualifications to become a web developer. If you can develop the skills on your own, then you don't even really need to go to college.
However, college and structured education are good fits for a lot of students and an experience a lot of people enjoy. If you want to go to college for the experience and also get a useful qualification in web development (which can boost how much you earn as a web developer), go for it!
If you can't go to college or don't want to, then don't let that stop you from becoming a web developer if that's what you really want.
What Skills Should Every Web Developer Have?
Whether you study a degree or not, there are several skills that every web developer needs. In addition to the specific skills related to web development, which you can learn in courses or through a degree, you also need to be a good communicator, a natural-born problem solver, have an eye for detail, and be very creative.
Web development can also include a lot of work so you need to also be organized, able to prioritize tasks, and a good multitasker.
If you don't think you have these skills or you aren't sure, it can help an awful lot to study web development or similar at college because it'll help you find out and you can always transition to another area if web development isn't what you thought it would be.
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