Web development: the good, the bad and the ugly

Web development can be a great career, but like all jobs it comes with positives and drawbacks! Let’s look at a few here:

Positives of web development

• Creativity: You will get to use creativity and problem solving in your work, and this can be very satisfying! Lots of people find programming and creating websites fun, which can make this a great role.
• Remote working: If you want a job where you can work from home, or you want to be able to travel while you work, web design can be a great choice! Many companies will only need you to come to the office once or twice a week at most, and if you do freelance web development you may be able to do this from anywhere.
• Diverse roles: There are lots of different roles available, and as you develop more skills and experience you can also look at changing between these roles. If you find that you really enjoy the design aspect of web development, you can specialise as a designer, or if you prefer programming then you can find back-end roles!
• Continuous learning: The digital landscape is always changing, and you will change along with it, learning more technologies and developing your skills every day. Some people really enjoy being able to continually learn, and may even want to go on to study for a degree or postgraduate qualification through their work.

Drawbacks of web development

• Long hours: This is almost universal in development, but there will be times when you are under significant pressure and may need to work long days or late into the night. This is often called ‘crunch time’ and often comes just before big deadlines as last-minute problems occur and fixes need to be made.
• Learning curve: While some people appreciate the challenge of keeping up with new technologies, some people do not! It can be frustrating to need to pick up new languages or keep on top of changing technologies, and can add to workload.
• Security concerns: Web developers have to keep an eye out for security concerns, and be able to secure databases or handle attacks when they come. Developers also need to know about new risks and how to handle them, which is more learning!
• Repetitive tasks: While you will sometimes be working on and developing new sites, the day to day job of a web developer will also involve a lot of repetition and similar tasks such as updating sites, changing small details, and maintaining sites. Like all jobs, there are fun bits and there are boring bits!
• Competition: Web development is quite competitive, especially if you want to become a freelance web developer! There are lots of web developers, and competition over clients can be fierce – especially as you will potentially be competing with people from all over the world. You’ll need to be resilient and be able to deal with rejection, as well as good at getting your company name or CV out there!

The next step will introduce you to how the recruitment process works in the development industry.