Sanders !

1
Gil Sanders
Mikage Kuroki
English 1A
25 Feb. 2015
Web Development
I was introduced to the internet at the age of ten, and ever since then I have been fascinated with its beauty, global connectivity, and functionality. I sought to uncover how it worked and
became sure that web development was something that I wanted to do. A web developer's primary task is coding for the navigation, function, design, and content of a site. By becoming a web
developer I can create anything from simple webpages to social networks or online games. My
imagination is the limit! Most developers work together in teams in order to produce functional
websites but doing this requires regular verbal and electronic communication. Web development
is one of the best careers to pursue today because its creative, logical, profitable, and required
for the internet to function.
Web development is a profitable career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(2012), the average web developer receives a median salary of $62,500 but this can increase to
$105,200 if their skills and experience are great enough. It is also reported that there are currently 141,400 web development jobs in the market, and this is increasing at a faster than average
rate of 20% per year. As the modern world continues to enlarge its dependence on the internet
for business, information, and social connectivity, the need for web developers continues to enlarge in proportion. New opportunities for developers constantly arise. Mobile devices, for ex-

Sanders !2
ample, opened up a whole new market for developers to code for. The potential for growth is almost endless.
The education requirements for becoming a web developer varies from a high school
diploma to a bachelors degree depending on the company and the kind of work being done
(Career Information). Whatever their degree, developers are normally expected to know HTML,
CSS, Javascript, and SQL. The most important requirement is work experience. You cannot get a
job without a portfolio of some kind. A degree, on the other hand, has been cautioned against because most courses tend to be "antiquated before it even hits the printer, let alone the
classroom (Tennant). The costs of a degree and the time it takes to get one can do more harm
than good because you could be acquiring experience during those fours years that would be far
more beneficial to your career than a degree.
Web developers can choose between working for a company or themselves. What you
choose is largely up to what youre comfortable with. If getting up early, follow regimented
schedules, and being forced to do projects that dont interest doesnt bother you then a company
would work fine. But if youre the kind of person who prefers to work on your own projects then
freelancing would be a fitting alternative . As Mr Tennant recommends, If you're the kind of
person who can [freelance], you should; and you will never look back. And if you're not the kind
of person who is naturally attracted to freelancing, try it anyway. While freelancers do have a
difficult time with finances initially, their hard work can pay off.
Web development is logical and creative so its perfect for those who love both parts of
their mental faculties. Its logical because coding is rigid and structured, but creative because it is
innovative and artistic. While a web developer may emphasize the logical over the creative as-

Sanders !3
pect of coding, a great web developer would emphasize both. As Steve Jobs said, [Design] is
not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. Theres a seamless unity between coding and its design. You cant code a website without designing it. HTML, for example,
is a language that codes for the layout and content of a website. CSS, on the other hand, focuses
on the aesthetics, colors, and position of certain functions on the site. Javascript makes a website
interactive as opposed to static links although you can preform some of these interactive functions in CSS.
The goal of every web developer is to create a site that is optimized for the user. Even
developers that primarily code for servers/databases (called web programmers) are coding in order to serve some kind of function for a user. For example, Amazon requires databases in order
to contain all the information about their products that the user will eventually purchase. Web
designers, on the other hand, focus on making a site aesthetically pleasing and intuitive for the
user. A site that takes less clicks and has less information packed together is better designed than
one that isnt. Webmasters differ from the others in that they maintain a site to ensure that it remains fully operational to the user by repairing any coding errors or broken links, and preforming regular site updates.
These different type of developers come together to formulate a team that needs to be in
constant communication with each other to preform their goals effectively. This is known as a
discourse community, which as Swales defines, are groups that have goals or purposes, and use
communication to achieve these goals. The purpose of communication for web developers is to
share ideas, pose problems, and pass on coding jobs to the person with that respective skill. As
you would expect, their genre of discourse is filled with coding jargon. Wireframes, for example,

Sanders !4
is a word often used to refer to a rough illustration or diagram that determines how the site will
look (Lopuck). Other terms include attributes, values, properties, and declarations. Developers
need to write emails or texts to their respective team members and regularly engage in verbal
communication to get their points across.
Not only is web development one of the best careers for reasons we just read, but the
most important reason is that it is required for the internet to function. Without HTML there
wouldnt be anything for a browser to display. The internet has become an essential part of our
daily lives. We depend on it for school, shopping, working, gaming, and just about everything
else that you can imagine. Its worldwide availability and continuous potential for growth makes
web development a global career. A developer can create a site at any location for any person in
the world which provides endless job opportunities. Most careers depend on the internet in
some manner today. Scientists, for example, need it to do their research. Thus web developers are
as essential to the work field as the internet is in our daily lives.
I chose to become a web developer because its something that I love to do and through it
I can make a positive difference to the world. Web development isnt just a job opportunity, it
can be more much more than that. Its a field that encourages us to be artists, innovators,
thinkers, and world changers. I have freelanced for nonprofit organizations these past few years
and I hope to further develop my skills to make a greater difference. While a college degree isnt
necessary for everyone, I plan to at least get an associates degree in Computer Information Systems to increase my chances of getting hired into a company. Once Ive gained greater experience, I hope to bring that experience into my freelance projects to make peoples dreams and
ideas a reality.

Sanders !5

Works Cited
Web Developer: Occupational Outlook Handbook Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2014. Web. 19
Feb. 2015.
"Web Developers." Career Information Center. Ed. Kristin B. Mallegg and Joseph Palmisano.
10th ed. 83-85. Gale Virtual Reference Library. n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Lopuck, Lisa. Web Design For Dummies. 3rd ed. Wiley. 2012. Print.
Swales, John. ''The Concept of Discourse Community." Genre Analysis: English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print.
Tennant, Bnonn. <>Interview</> 19 Feb. 2015. E-mail.