4 Signs that a Career in Web Development is Right for You
The following is an excerpt from our Web Development Career Guide Part 1. Special thanks to the contributors from Singapore’s web development community. You can download the full guide here.
What is so compelling about a career in web development?
Wishing for a more exciting and fulfilling career? Looking to reinvent yourself with sought-after tech and programming skills? There must be something about web development that caught your interest and made you come here. Let’s explore some of the reasons why you should consider a career in web development here in Singapore.
It’s creative
“I felt that programming is not only a science but also an art, and I could relate to the artistic part of it.” — Winston Teo, Head of Engineering Excellence
Yes, there are jobs where you neither have to be a clock-in/clock-out zombie nor a starving artist! If you’re tired of monotonous jobs where the only change is the colour of your post-it notes, then consider a job in software development. From cool apps to sleek design and addictive gaming, there is a smorgasbord of skills to learn and help you develop your own career.
“There’s a significant amount of abstract thinking. So anyone who enjoys dealing in abstract such as reading or solving puzzles will enjoy this.” — Wei-Liang Chew, Software Developer
It’s exciting
“The fact that there are always new challenges, new problems to solve. The learning never stops, there are always new technologies.” — Michael Cheng, Senior Software Developer
In this fast-paced industry you won’t even notice the colour of your post-it notes anymore. The tech space is always growing and changing, with new technologies constantly being developed. This means tech companies are almost always hiring.
[How I Made It Work: Going From Finance To Tech]
It’s a great community
“People I’ve met in the community are always very generous and willing to share” — Stefanie Seah, Software Engineer
You can join any number of interactive, useful and supportive online communities. The developer community in Singapore is huge and growing in Taiwan. Physical meetups are frequently held throughout the island. Your community will help you grow and soon you will be able to help others grow as well.
It’s not about a degree
“I actually had a job doing sales for e-commerce (when I first graduated from university), and then I worked at an advertising agency as an account executive. So nothing technical at all.” — Stefanie Seah
Although it’s no mean feat, you can teach yourself to program. Companies more often care about the result of your coding than about a piece of paper claiming you can code. They’re also looking for people outside of their normal framework, from different backgrounds who bring a new perspective to their company. Many successful developers transitioned into their careers after teaching themselves programming.
If you like what you’ve read so far, then keep reading. Otherwise, you could go back to thinking what colour your next post-it notes should be…
How do I know if web development is for me?
“It’s about trying different things and figuring out what you like.” — Michael Cheng
So you’re not sure if a career web development is for you, how can you find out? The easiest way to find out is to try!
There are many free resources online that will give you a quick taste of programming and help you answer this question. It won’t take a lot of time and you won’t land a job with it, but it will definitely give you a better idea of whether or not you want to pursue this as a career. Try one of the following sites for free:
- CS50
“Harvard University’s introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming for majors and non-majors alike, with or without prior programming experience” - W3Schools
“W3Schools is a web developers site, with tutorials and references on web development languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, W3.CSS, and Bootstrap.”
While you are trying one of these sites and especially after, you should ask yourself a few important questions to see if web development is for you. Download and read Part 1 of our Web Development Career Guide for some suggestions from industry professionals who have gone through the same journey of self discovery!
Originally published at sg.alphacamp.co on June 11, 2018.
