If you’re the type of person who loves solving problems in innovative ways, then a career in Web Development might be right up your alley!
Career Overview
While tasks and responsibilities will vary depending whether you become a front-end, back-end or full-stack developer, the most common day-to-day tasks include:
- Collaborating with stakeholders, clients, and designers to build products that meet the needs of the client and end-user.
- Building and maintaining websites.
- Identifying and fixing bugs to optimise and improve a website.
Required School Subjects
You will need to have the following subjects at high school:
- English Home Language, or first Additional Language
- Mathematics – Maths Literacy does not qualify
Recommended subjects:
- IT
- Physical Science
Institution and APS
The following institutions are highly recommended:
TVET Colleges:
- CTI college
University of Technology:
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology
University:
- Wits University which needs a minimum APS of 40
- Stellenbosch which needs 700 admission points
- University of Cape Town which needs a Faculty Point Score (FPS) of 660
- Rhodes University which needs a minimum APS of 40
- University of Pretoria which needs a minimum APS of 30
Required Qualification/s
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Informations Systems or a related field.
- It is possible to become a Web Developer, if you have other certifications that have taught you the relevant Web Development skills. To gain these skills, you can look relevant courses at coding bootcamps, like Code Academy, or online courses provided by companies like Udemy.
Required Skills
You will need to show competence in the following programming components:
- JavaScript
- CSS
- HTML
The following back-end languages could also prove useful:
- Ruby
- Java
- PHP
Knowledge in the following database tools will also be beneficial:
- Oracle
- SQL Server
Some soft skills that will help you include:
- Critical thinking
- Good decision-making skills
- Problem-solving abilities
- Quality control analysis
- Operations analysis
- Systems evaluation
- Professional communication
Where you can work
While there are many industries that utilise Web Developers, you will usually specialise in one of the following areas:
- Real Estate
- Finance
- Health
- E-Learning
- Human Resources
Working Hours
Working hours are usually the normal 8 hour day, with a fair amount of flexibility. Each company will vary, but usually have core business hours, usually between 11am and 2pm, where you will have to be in the office for meetings.
However, as deadlines approach, or if bugs need to be fixed, you might need to work into the evenings or on weekends to finish on time.
Expected Salary
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What to expect
What you can expect from the career:
- A relaxed work environment, where shoes are often optional, due to the high stress of the work itself.
- A team environment where you will solve complex problems together.
- Communication between yourself and your team is crucial and will need to be a skill you are strong in.
- Perks! Due to the high demand for this skill, perks such as free lunch or team outings is considered to be a standard.
- Rapid learning and growth: The Software Development industry is rapidly growing and hence requires a lot of study to keep up-to-date with the ever-improving technologies.
- You can expect to spend a lot of time on Google, where you will be investigating the current problem you are facing.
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