The profession of web developer The profession is booming, attracting a growing number of enthusiasts. And for good reason: companies are actively looking for these profiles to meet the increasing demands of the digital world.
However, landing the ideal position requires specific technical skills and continuous adaptation to rapidly changing technologies.
Why become a web developer?
In a world where many jobs are evolving, why choose the web developer path? The main reason lies in the employment prospects: this profession is extremely sought after, whether in web companies, SMEs, or large groups undergoing digital transformation.
There is a shortage of between 10,000 and 40,000 developers in France.
Career progression is also attractive. After a bachelor's degree (Bac+3), most developers start as juniors in the gaming or mobile sectors, with a gross annual salary that can reach €31K. With experience, it is possible to move into roles such as project manager, growth hacker, or lead developer, with an average gross annual salary of €49K after eight years of experience.
Beyond salary, the job offers a pleasant quality of life: 81% of web developers say they feel fulfilled. Flexible hours, remote work, job security, and recognition of their work are common satisfaction factors.
Since computing is a universal language, it is relatively easy for a developer to find work abroad, provided they master English.
What skills are needed to become a web developer?
It is important to distinguish the different types of web developers:
- Front-end Developer : it creates the elements visible to users on their screens.
- Back-end Developer : they develop the components invisible to users, such as servers, databases, or payment methods on an e-commerce site.
Some are full-stack developers and master both front-end and back-end. However, it is recommended to specialize in one of these areas at the start of your career.
Front-end developer skills
To become a front-end developer, mastery of these three languages is essential:
- HTML : used to structure the content of web pages.
- CSS : used to style web pages and manage their appearance.
- JavaScript : for adding dynamism and interactive features to websites.
To facilitate development, JavaScript libraries like React or Vue are commonly used. They allow code snippets to be reused for a variety of dynamic actions.
To stand out from the competition, it may be useful to master newer languages or the most popular frameworks:
- TailwindCSS
- Bulma
Back-end developer skills
Back-end developer skills are often more technical and varied in terms of languages. Here are the main ones:
- PHP : used to create dynamic pages and manage data access and security.
- Java : commonly used for online games and applications.
- Python : a versatile language for application development, software, and managing servers and databases.
- C++ : ideal for video games, desktop and mobile applications.
- C# : suited for cross-platform applications.
- SQL : essential for creating and managing databases.
These languages offer varied possibilities, but their choice depends on specific projects. Additionally, to optimize costs and productivity, back-end developers often use frameworks such as Ruby on Rails.
Development tools to master
Besides languages, a web developer uses several tools to code, test and deploy their applications. Here are some examples:
- IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) such as Visual Studio Code or IntelliJ IDEA.
- Versioning tools such as Git to track source code changes.
- Testing frameworks like Jest for JavaScript or PHPUnit for PHP, to ensure code reliability.
- Deployment environments such as Docker or Kubernetes for managing applications in production.
These tools help improve developers' efficiency and work quality, and make collaboration easier within project teams.
