Knowing what web development is and why it’s important is still a mystery to some of us. That’s why we asked CodeSpace co-founder, Emma Dicks, to explain web development 101. Here’s what she had to say:
Most of us are consumers of the web. We watch movies, we use online banking, we take courses online, shop online, and we even meet potential partners online. Whether you’re actively aware of it or not, we’re all experienced consumers. There is, however, another way to interact with the web, and that’s by creating it. This is where web development comes in.
A web developer creates websites and web applications that people access online.
Web development teaches you how to create all sorts of things on the internet. This content can bring joy to those who use it and enrich the lives of others. It can also make you good money. At CodeSpace, we teach you everything from simple web pages to complex web products and mobile applications.
Start simple
Start by building a simple website. It’s a rewarding process and you get to see the results immediately. Once you’ve mastered coding in one language, like JavaScript or PHP, you can easily transfer what you’ve learnt into learning another language (Python or C#).
The fundamentals are all the same, you just have to learn a new syntax each time.
So, what does it mean to code a website? Coding is all about communication. It’s about taking information, and manipulating it, so that a computer can understand the instructions we’re asking it to perform. Coding helps us process information and makes it possible for us to display this data in a meaningful way.
Coding converts our human thoughts into a string of 1s and 0s (or machine code) so that a computer can run these coded instructions.
Choose a language
When building most technical applications you need to consider the tech stack you’re working in. A tech stack is a group of languages that work well together to create the frontend (what your user sees) and the backend. A web developer can decide to specialise in Frontend Development. This means they’re familiar with languages like HTML, CSS and JavaScript and use these languages to create interactive, well-designed content for the user. Alternately, web developers can specialise in Backend Development, where you manage the server-side aspects of applications, like where the code is hosted and data is stored. These developers are experts in languages like PHP or Python and database querying languages like MySQL. If you can do all of the above, you’re considered a Full-stack Developer.
Considering training as a web developer?
CodeSpace specialises in coding and technology skills. Their 400-hour Software Development course enables students to move from having absolutely no coding knowledge to employment in as little as half a year. 91% of these graduates are successfully employed in the tech industry. Want to dip your toe in the web development world? Join the ‘Intro to Web’ module, it’s a month long and will help you decide if coding is right for you.
