Skills Every Web Developer Should Have

What are web developer skills?

Web developer skills refer to the specific abilities needed to get hired and successfully perform in a web developer role. Having these skills in abundance can help you stand out from other candidates vying for the same role and in your everyday tasks on the job. As with any job, you also can develop your skills as a web developer over time. Some web developer skills include understanding HTML, general design skills and being analytical to start their own marketing business .

How to improve web developer skills

As a web developer, there are several ways to hone in on the skills necessary for this role. Here are some tips to guide you toward improving your web developer skills:

1. Practice coding

The more you write code, the more experienced you’ll become. This will not only help your typing skills, but it’ll help you catch mistakes that you can avoid in the future. You can practice through various free online programs. As long as you’re consistent, you’ll see improvements.

2. Keeping up to date with the industry

To stay up to date with the industry, a great idea is to follow blogs like Smashing Magazine, Setpoint, Hacker News and of course our very own blog (although it looks like you’re doing alright there already). Visiting expos and conferences is also a great idea since you can network and walk away with many new ideas and insights. A good personal goal would be to visit at least one tech conference each year to keep things fresh and step out of your daily routine. If you need some help deciding which shows to visit this year, check out our post about 16 conferences in 2017 that no developer wants to miss.

3. Learn something new

If there’s a programming language you don’t have experience in, consider taking a course in it. This will help you get out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in a new skill that could work hand-in-hand with your current skill set.

4. Web Developer should Take a break

Taking the time to let your mind rest could be the boost you need when you come back to work. If you’re constantly working, this could lead to you feeling run down and burned out.

5. Practice improving your interpersonal skills

You can improve your interpersonal skills by being more mindful of your nonverbal cues, the way you respond in certain situations and being a better listener overall.

6- Being able to manage time and prioritize

Working in web development can be extremely stressful and chaotic at times. Projects keep stacking up and deadlines are always just around the corner. To stay efficient (and sane), it’s vital to manage your time as best as possible. This is something that many developers struggle with, simply because they never took a step back to improve their time management skills. Here are some quick actionable tips on how you can become more organized and avoid deadlines creeping up on you:

• Make a to-do list and prioritize to put the most urgent and important tasks on top. Sometimes, the other stuff will just have to wait.
• Check your list first thing every morning and make a quick plan for the day. Even though things won’t always go according to that plan, you will become much more efficient by having it in the first place.
• Set reminders for important tasks and project steps that you want to get finished at certain times during the day or week. Ignore everything else if needed to make sure you meet your own mini deadlines.
• Use the 80/20 rule and try to find daily activities that eat away too much of your time without producing enough results. You might be surprised at how much time you’re spending every day doing things that take way too long for what you get out in return.
• Communicate with your boss or clients as soon as possible if you feel like you won’t make a deadline. It’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world either. The sooner you let them know about it, the sooner they can prepare.