Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies

Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies

by Kathleen Taylor, Bud E. Smith
Released January 2015
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781118967768

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Book description

Craving a career in web dev? Chart your path with this helpful guide

Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies provides a roadmap to one of the "hot jobs" in the booming world of tech. The web development field is large, and it encompasses many actual functions. This book helps you understand the web development career opportunities and determine the path you should take, based on your own personal needs and preferences, to launch your career. You'll learn about various career options, the skills you'll need to become an attractive candidate, how to go about learning the ropes, and proving your abilities to a potential employer or client. With so many possible goals and no one right way to get there, this book cuts through the confusion to put you on the path to a career you want.

The web development industry is expected to grow for the foreseeable future, and there is already a shortage of trained workers to fill the jobs. Whether you lean technical or aesthetic, you can find your place in the industry with right skills—both hard and soft—and with the right plan. Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies is your guide to formulating that plan and getting started right.

  • Find formal or informal ways to build the tech skills you'll need

  • Discover where you fit, whether as a freelancer or within an organization

  • Learn how to build a resume, develop a portfolio, and impress interviewers

  • Get expert tips on finding resources, building a reputation, and more

    • If your pet peeves include malfunctioning forms, flashing banners, and sites that take way too long to load, the web development world needs you. But before you begin your journey, you need a destination and a route in mind. Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies is your roadmap, so you can set out today.

    Table of contents

      1. Introduction
        1. About This Book
        2. Foolish Assumptions
        3. Icons Used in This Book
        4. Beyond the Book
        5. Where to Go from Here
      2. Part I: Getting a Job in Web Development
        1. Chapter 1: Seeing the Big Picture of Web Development Jobs
          1. Getting Why Web Development Matters
          2. Why There Are So Many Web Development Jobs
          3. Why Do Companies Care about Web Development?
            1. Basic company brochureware
            2. A database-driven site
            3. A marketing site
            4. An e-commerce site
            5. Educational institutions
        2. Chapter 2: Exploring Web Development Career Paths
          1. Distinguishing between Visual Designer and Web Developer
          2. Getting to Know Front-End Roles
            1. The maestro: The visual designer
            2. Front-of-house manager: The front-end developer
            3. Making things feel right: Usability professionals
            4. Making things work right: The web developer
          3. Contributors beyond the Front End
            1. Prepping each piece: Content professionals
            2. The marketing maven: Product manager
        3. Chapter 3: Understanding Where Web Designers Work
          1. Finding Out about Work at a Web Development Company
          2. Finding Out How Companies Use Web Developers
            1. One-man bands
            2. Startups
            3. Small and large companies
          3. Discovering How Not-for-Profits Use Web Developers
        4. Chapter 4: Seeing Yourself in a Web Development Job
          1. Understanding How the Web Has Changed the World
          2. Your Journey into a New Frontier
            1. Getting into graphic design
            2. Starting out as a front-end developer
            3. Working as a content developer
          3. Looking at the Future of Web Development as a Career
            1. What web developers do
            2. Work environment
            3. How to become a web developer
            4. The importance of mathematics in web design
            5. Web development pay
            6. Working with web developers in person
            7. Projected growth in web development
            8. How similar jobs compare
      3. Part II: Core Technologies for Web Development
        1. Chapter 5: Charting Your Path in Web Development
          1. Distinguishing between Good and Bad Web Development Careers
          2. Exploring Utah’s Take on Web Development
          3. Learning Web Development from Lynda.com
        2. Chapter 6: Discovering the Technology behind the Internet
          1. Learning Technical and Cultural Basics
            1. Why technical basics matter
            2. Why cultural basics matter
          2. Figuring Out Binary
          3. Discovering the Keys to Internet Protocol
        3. Chapter 7: Introducing Web History
          1. Discovering How the Internet Started
          2. Understanding the Domain Naming of Parts
          3. Discovering How Tim Berners-Lee Invented the Web
        4. Chapter 8: Introducing HTML
          1. Discovering How the Web Became What It Is
          2. Exploring the Creation of HTML
          3. Discovering Header Elements
          4. Making Use of Core Structural Elements
          5. Using List Elements
          6. Working with Text Formatting and Image Elements
          7. Looking at Table Elements
        5. Chapter 9: Understanding CSS and JavaScript
          1. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Together
          2. Using CSS for Text Styling
          3. Using CSS for Layout
          4. Using JavaScript in Web Pages
        6. Chapter 10: Tracing the Web Development Life Cycle
          1. Seeing How a Website Gets Started
          2. Considering the Look and Feel
            1. You got the look
            2. Getting the feel right
        7. Chapter 11: Implementing and Shipping a Site
          1. Phase 1: Grokking User Needs
          2. Phase 2: Developing the Look and Feel
          3. Phase 3: Creating Content
          4. Phase 4: Developing Functionality
          5. Phase 5: Creating the Test Site
          6. Phase 6: Launching the Site
      4. Part III: Getting Your Education
        1. Chapter 12: Getting an Education for Web Development
          1. Understanding the Value of Undergraduate Degrees
          2. Getting a Two-Year Degree First
          3. Getting a Four-Year Degree
            1. Getting a four-year degree with experience
            2. Getting a four-year degree with no experience
        2. Chapter 13: Exploring Certificate Programs and Advanced Degrees
          1. Building Your Own University Program
          2. Pursuing Continuing Education
            1. Investigating the strange case of Stanford Continuing Studies
            2. Tips for continuing education
          3. Getting an Advanced Degree
        3. Chapter 14: Knowing Web Graphics Tools
          1. Getting Experience with Web Dev Tools
            1. College and university programs
            2. Online courses and self-study
            3. On-the-job training
          2. Getting to Know Key Tools for Web Graphics
            1. Photoshop and GIMP
            2. Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw
            3. Adobe InDesign and Quark Xpress
          3. Investigating Additional Adobe Tools and Others
      5. Part IV: Charting Your Career Path
        1. Chapter 15: Using Dreamweaver and WordPress for Your Sites
          1. Discovering the Biggest Trends in Websites Today
          2. Choosing Adobe Dreamweaver
            1. Pros of Dreamweaver
            2. Cons of Dreamweaver
          3. Using WordPress Software
          4. Using WordPress.com
        2. Chapter 16: Building a Competitive Portfolio Site
          1. Introducing Sarah Rudder’s Portfolio Site
            1. Sarah’s career so far
            2. Sarah’s portfolio site, above the fold
            3. The rest of Sarah’s page — and site
          2. Introducing Matt Rudder’s Portfolio Site
          3. Creating Your Own Portfolio Site
        3. Chapter 17: Getting the Interview
          1. Networking in the Real-World
            1. Networking in your current company
            2. Networking outside your company
          2. Building Your Online Network
          3. Creating a Winning Resume
          4. Making a Print Resume Stand Out
          5. Following the Rules for LinkedIn
        4. Chapter 18: Getting and Doing the Job
          1. Getting the Interview
          2. Surviving Interviews
            1. The phone screen
            2. Before you interview
            3. Acing the interview
          3. Becoming a Star Employee
            1. Be stellar at your core skill
            2. Get more technical
            3. Communicate better and earlier
      6. Part V: The Part of Tens
        1. Chapter 19: Ten Frequently Asked Questions in Web-Developer Interviews
          1. What Is Your Greatest Strength?
          2. What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
          3. Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Company?
          4. Tell Us about an Accomplishment You’re Proud of
          5. Tell Us about a Problem and How You Handled It
          6. Why Do You Want to Work at Our Company?
          7. Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?
          8. Are You Willing to Relocate?
          9. Are You Willing to Travel?
          10. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
        2. Chapter 20: Ten Interesting Job Search Websites for Web Developers
          1. Dice.com
          2. Elance/Odesk
          3. We Work Remotely
          4. Startupers
          5. Angel List
          6. Authentic Jobs
          7. Krop
          8. Stackoverflow Careers
          9. Coroflot
        3. Chapter 21: Ten Red-Hot Roles for Web Developers
          1. Visual Designer
          2. SQL Web Developer
          3. Interaction Designer
          4. Mobile Developer
          5. Art Director
          6. Full Stack Developer
          7. Product Manager
          8. Project Manager
          9. Program Manager
          10. Webmaster
      7. About the Authors
      8. Cheat Sheet

    Product information

    • Title: Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies
    • Author(s): Kathleen Taylor, Bud E. Smith
    • Release date: January 2015
    • Publisher(s): For Dummies
    • ISBN: 9781118967768