12 Great Advice for Aspiring Web Developers

Q: Many of our readers are just getting into web development, do you have any specific advice for those hoping to succeed in this field? What can one do to ensure their skill level is sufficient for the current job market?

The best advice I can give is this: put down the book, open your text editor, and code. Code, code, code. Experiment, experiment, experiment. Tinker, tinker, tinker. There’s no better learning experience than sitting down, failing, fixing, failing, fixing, etc. Never stop failing and never stop fixing. I also recommend reading quality web development websites like my blog, Nettuts+, Dev-Tips, and CSS-Tricks; there’s a lot to be learned from the people that have a wealth of experience.

Source: An Interview with David Walsh

Chris Coyier

Q: What advice would you give to a newbie starting out in web design or development?

Build websites. A lot of them. It’s just like any other skill. If you want to be good at rock climbing you got to climb a lot of rock walls. If you want to be a good violinist you’d better be in front of sheet music for a lot of hours a day. If you want to be good at web design or development, you need to build websites.

Source: An Interview With Chris Coyier

Karl Swedberg

Q: What tips or advice can you offer those that are relatively new to Javascript? Should they learn Javascript before they move onto jQuery to better understand the subject matter?

I’m afraid these are going to sound like platitudes, but here goes: Don’t be afraid to learn as you go. You don’t have to have everything figured out ahead of time. Be willing to make mistakes. Keep learning new things about the language, and try to make connections between what you already know and what you’re currently learning.

Source: jQuerified With Karl Swedberg

Jacob Gube

Q: What advice would you give to a person just starting out in your field, whether it is blogging, design, or development?

I’m not going to try and say something smart and enigmatic to make myself sound intelligent and cool, that’s just not my style: if you know me, you’d know that I’m a practical and straight-to-the-point person.

For designers and developers: learn your craft well and be sure to keep up with what’s new, even if you don’t plan on using it; that way you’re always well-informed. For example, I know about Flex 3 even though I’ve never applied that knowledge; I’m dangerous enough with it to be conversant about it. Start a blog, that’s the best way to learn and to force yourself to keep up with what’s going on around you.

Bloggers: write about a topic you know well, not about a topic you think will generate the most site traffic.

Source: Interview with Jacob Gube of SixRevisions.com, a Web Design and Development Blog

Dion Almaer

Q: Best advice for new developers?

Have fun! Explore what the browsers are letting you accomplish these days. Don’t live in the world of 1997 with Ajax 1.0, but build for the future. (And OK OK, make sure it works for your users).

We tend to get obsessed with the technology and the libraries and frameworks. It makes more sense to focus on the user experience and use the tech to make it possible.

Source: An Interview with Dion Almaer

Soh Tanaka

Q: The last thing. Could you greet us leaving a suggestion for beginners in web design world?

My suggestion and advice would be to be passionate, stay hungry, and to learn as much as you can. Don’t wait to be spoon-fed, but take initiative, stay focused, and make the most out of your time and situation!

Source: Interview with Soh Tanaka, Highly-Skilled Web Designer and Front-End Developer

James Padolsey

Q: As you know, many of our readers are young and are just getting started in this jQuery field. What advice would you have for them?

Never give up, and never underestimate yourself! You’re probably better than you think you are!

Source: Moving On Up With James Padolsey

Rob Hawkes

Q: Finally, do you have any tips for people starting in the web design industry?

I’ll keep this one brief as I could talk about it forever but here are my 3 main tips for starting out:

• Perseverance – accept that you’ll make mistakes
• Focus – aim for something while learning new things
• Motivation – you need to have drive to get anywhere

To put it bluntly I wouldn’t bother trying to get into the web industry if you don’t have any of those qualities, it wouldn’t be fair on you. The web, and media as a whole, is a tough industry to crack and you’ll need motivation to push yourself through the slow times. On the bright side it’s an amazing industry to be part of and the rewards for the hard work make it well worth while.

Source: Interview with Web Developer Rob Hawkes

Jeff Croft

Q: Best Advice for New Developers?

For developers: get with the latest technologies, and don’t fall behind. Get with modern, dynamic languages like Ruby and Python. Get out of your God-forsaken PHP rut, already.

For designers: learn about *design*. Remember that design is all about storytelling and communication, and not at all about writing good CSS or making cool gradients. Learn about layout, color, and typography. Get over the idea that you’re an artist. You’re not. We do commercial work so that people can make money. It’s not art, and you’ll do better work once you realize it.

Source: Quick Fire with Jeff Croft

Orman Clark

Q: What advice do you have for other aspiring theme developers and bloggers?

My main advice would be to “just do it”, get yourself out there and make something happen. I myself have been guilty of paralysis-by-analysis with previous projects (which never saw the light of day – surprise!) when I would have been better off releasing and adapting. You can never really get a true sense of what will happen until you actually put the wheels in motion.

Source: Q & A with Orman Clark, creator of Premium Pixels and WordPress awesomeness

Eric Meyer

Q: If you could offer only one bit of advice to an up and comer, what would it be?

Learn the craft, by which I mean the languages that underlie the whole shootin’ match; and practice ’til your fingers are ready to fall off. There’s no substitute for experience.

Source: Checking In With Eric Meyer

Mark Perkins

Q: Finally, do you have any tips for people starting in the industry?

Don’t cut corners. Write code by hand, take the time to learn not just how things work but also why, and make sure you pay attention to all the little details as it’s these that separate good developers (and websites!) from the really great ones.

Source: Interview with Freelance Web Developer Mark Perkins

by Arfa Mirza
There are some very important things that any aspiring web designer should keep in mind when you’re building your professional repertoire. We’ll also provide a useful “reading list” for where you can get more in-depth information.

How to Become a Freelance Web Developer

by Glen Stansberry
Have you ever wanted to be a freelance web developer? Whether you’re working for the man or developing as a hobby, there are some tried and tested tips you can use to ease yourself into the life of a freelance web developer – even if you only do it part-time.
So today we’re going to go over how to actually become a freelance web developer, and all that goes with it.

The Roadmap To Becoming A Professional Freelance Web Designer

by Kayla Knight
Becoming a freelance web designer is a common dream among many designers, although it takes quite a bit of talent, business savvy, committment, and time. This post is meant to act as not only a step-by-step guide, but also as a checklist for those who have already started their career.

Web Design 101: The College Student’s Guide

by Kayleigh Williams
This article isn’t going to delve into that argument, but instead focuses on pursuing web design at a college level.
My goal is to provide those exploring a career in web design a generalized overview of college-level courses and how to get the most out of them.

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