Is Web Development a Good Career? What You Should Know

Is Web Development a Good Career? What You Should Know

The internet is such a massive part of society today that it’s nearly impossible to ignore. All those websites and functions—there’s more to do online every day. As a result, many people are wondering about careers connected to the web. Are these jobs lucrative? In demand? In short, is web development a good career?

“Development, whether in web, software, apps, games, etc... is a brilliant place to be in right now,” says Michael Pardon, director and front-end developer at E2E Studios. Pardon says there’s always work in development fields, especially for people who want to build something truly unique.

There are many factors to weigh when you’re choosing a career. And only you can know if those choices add up to a decision that will be right for you. Sometimes, all you need is a little more information. We gathered research and asked web developers what they’ve enjoyed about their careers to help you decide if becoming a web developer is a good move.

Is web development a good career in terms of salary and opportunity?

One way to measure a potential career is in its earning potential and job opportunity. On the earning potential front, web development careers appear strong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the 2020 median annual salary for web developers and digital designers was $77,200—substantially more than the nationwide average of $41,950 for all occupations.1

The BLS also projects employment for web developers to grow at a rate of 13 percent through 2030—a rate faster than the occupational average.1 This is due in part to the explosive growth of e-commerce and the rising demand for mobile-friendly design.

As it stands, there’s little to no indication that the world will become less internet-focused. Technologies and platforms may shift, but the future appears bright for skilled web developers.

What do web developers think about working in web development?

Another way to evaluate a career option is to hear from professionals in the field right now. Is working in web development fun? Difficult? Exciting? We asked web developers to share some of the quirks of this role.

1. Web development can be fast paced

“I had this idea of what a web developer’s day at work looks like—long and boring,” says Sylv Zarzycki, junior web developer at designdough. “I couldn’t have been more mistaken.” Zarzycki explains that workdays are busy and full of collaborations with designers, content creators and clients.

“It’s way more chaotic and unpredictable than I ever thought it was going to be, but in the best and most exciting way.”

2. The creative work is engaging

Web development often involves a ton of creativity. Zarzycki says his favorite part of the job is when a new, awesome web design lands on his desk and he gets to play around with it. “There are a million ways to build a website, so it’s like an interactive jigsaw puzzle.”

3. The web development community is very supportive

“For me, the best part of the job is the community,” Pardon says. No matter what aspect of web development you like best, there’s probably a thriving community online full of other developers who will support you and collaborate.

Stuck on how to accomplish something? Odds are someone out there has worked on a problem or project similar to yours and is willing to offer tips or suggestions to help you get it sorted out. 

“It’s a refreshing change where it’s not about competing all the time,” Pardon says. “There are so many avenues in development that people can work together on.”

4. You never stop developing your skills

For many web developers, leveling up their abilities and learning new things are definite highlights. Pardon enjoys the wide array of new things he learns to do on the job—building search engines and cryptocurrency trading websites, collaborating with Twitch® streamers and more. “I enjoy trying to create something others feel isn’t possible. It’s a brilliant role to get into if you like learning and adapting your skills.”

5. You create valuable solutions

Web developers often need to problem solve at a high level. “Part of the fun of being a web developer is coming up with simple, elegant solutions to problems that people face in their day-to-day lives,” says Patrick Rigor, UX engineer at Anura. He explains that it’s both exciting and rewarding to create valuable solutions that better people’s lives.

6. There are more resources to help web developers than ever before

“Getting into web development was daunting at first,” Rigor says. There’s so much to learn when you are starting out, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Pardon says it takes time and practice to learn web development. Professionals must first learn the fundamentals, then work at getting up to speed with current versions and methodologies.

But it’s a different learning landscape these days. Rigor says resources like W3Schools, StackOverflow, CodePen and pre-made libraries helped him feel less anxious about the learning curve. “At this point in time, the groundwork has been set for developers to explore and create innovative things.”

Is web development a good career for you?

As you can see, working in web development can be exciting, rewarding and stimulating all at once. Becoming a developer is time-intensive, Pardon says. “But in the end, it is a fulfilling endeavor that results in great rewards.”

When a website you’ve worked on for weeks or months goes live, Zarzycki says there’s a huge sense of satisfaction. “You see it and get to say ‘look at that awesome website! I built that.’”

If you think web development sounds like the kind of career you’ve been looking for, check out our article “Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Web Developer.”

1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [accessed December 2021] www.bls.gov/ooh/. Information represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary.

Twitch is a registered trademark of Twitch Interactive, Inc.

About the author

Brianna Flavin

Brianna is a senior content manager who writes student-focused articles for Rasmussen University. She holds an MFA in poetry and worked as an English Professor before diving into the world of online content. 

Related Content

Related Content

This piece of ad content was created by Rasmussen University to support its educational programs. Rasmussen University may not prepare students for all positions featured within this content. Please visit www.rasmussen.edu/degrees for a list of programs offered. External links provided on rasmussen.edu are for reference only. Rasmussen University does not guarantee, approve, control, or specifically endorse the information or products available on websites linked to, and is not endorsed by website owners, authors and/or organizations referenced. Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

logo-accreditation-acen logo-accreditation-ccne chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors-masters 0 Credits 90 Credits 180 Credits 48 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE Start Here MASTER'S DEGREE PURSUERS End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE End Here MASTER'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors 0 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS 90 Credits Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE 180 Credits End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-msn chart-credential-laddering-nursing-programs chart-credential-laddering-post-grad-np chart-credential-laddering-nursing DNP MSN RN to BSN LPN to RN Bridge Accelerated BSN Professional Nursing ADN Practical Nursing Diploma Pre-Licensure Post-Licensure icon-colored-outline-bank icon-colored-outline-certificate icon-colored-outline-circle-dollar-sign icon-colored-outline-folder-search icon-colored-outline-hand-heart icon-colored-outline-head-blocks icon-colored-outline-head-cog icon-colored-outline-head-heart icon-colored-outline-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-outline-hospital icon-colored-outline-lifelong-learning icon-colored-outline-light-bulb-analytics icon-colored-outline-location-pin icon-colored-outline-magnifying-glass icon-colored-outline-monitor-healthcare icon-colored-outline-monitor-paper-search icon-colored-outline-nurse-rays icon-colored-outline-padlock-shield icon-colored-outline-person-presenter-screen icon-colored-outline-scales ras-logo-flame ras-logo-horizontal ras-logo-stacked icon-colored-advance icon-colored-arrows-cross-curve icon-colored-briefcase-star icon-colored-build icon-colored-bulb-analytics icon-colored-certificate icon-colored-continual-development icon-colored-duo-chatbox icon-colored-folder-mortarboard icon-colored-forward-ribbon icon-colored-gears-clock icon-colored-globe-pen icon-colored-growth icon-colored-hand-bubble icon-colored-hand-stars icon-colored-hands-gear icon-colored-head-blocks icon-colored-head-cog icon-colored-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-hospital-building icon-colored-laptop-cbe-skyscraper icon-colored-laptop-checkmark icon-colored-laptop-webpage icon-colored-location-map icon-colored-location-pin icon-colored-monitor-paper-scan icon-colored-mortarboard-dollar icon-colored-national icon-colored-people-chat-bubbles icon-colored-person-cheer-star icon-colored-person-laptop-checkboxes icon-colored-person-screen-instructor icon-colored-person-whiteboard icon-colored-phone-chatbox icon-colored-police-light icon-colored-prep icon-colored-presenter icon-colored-regional icon-colored-save-time icon-colored-shirt-hat icon-colored-skyscraper icon-colored-state icon-colored-student-centered icon-colored-support icon-colored-world-experience icon-triangle-arrow-up-plant icon-triangle-calendar-pencil icon-triangle-clock-rotating-arrows icon-triangle-display-gears icon-triangle-hand-right-speech-bubble icon-triangle-laptop-coding-brackets icon-triangle-mortarboard icon-triangle-paper-ribbon icon-triangle-person-cheer-star icon-triangle-person-juggle icon-triangle-triple-people-chat-bubble icon-modality-campus icon-modality-field icon-modality-online icon-modality-residential icon-arrow icon-bank icon-camera icon-filter icon-general-chart icon-general-connect icon-general-degree icon-general-discuss icon-general-email icon-general-find icon-general-hat icon-general-heart icon-general-laptop-building icon-general-laptop icon-general-leader icon-general-map icon-general-money icon-general-paperwork icon-general-people icon-general-phone icon-general-speak-out icon-head-heart icon-info-circle icon-mail-forward icon-mglass icon-play-solid icon-quote-mark-left icon-quote-mark-right icon-scales icon-share-square-o icon-simple-chat icon-simple-desktop icon-simple-find icon-simple-hamburger icon-simple-phone icon-spinner icon-tag icon-testimonial-quotes icon-util-checkbox-white icon-util-checkbox icon-util-checked-white icon-util-checked icon-util-chevron-down icon-util-chevron-left icon-util-chevron-right icon-util-chevron-up icon-util-circle-arrow-down icon-util-circle-dot icon-util-language-switch icon-util-loading icon-util-open-window-link icon-util-pdf-link icon-util-refresh icon-util-x rebrand-arrows icon-social-facebook-colored icon-social-facebook-square-colored icon-social-facebook-square icon-social-facebook icon-social-google-plus-square icon-social-google-plus icon-social-instagram-colored icon-social-instagram icon-social-linkedin-square-colored icon-social-linkedin-square icon-social-linkedin icon-social-pinterest-p-colored icon-social-pinterest-p icon-social-twitter-colored icon-social-twitter-square icon-social-twitter icon-social-youtube-play-colored icon-social-youtube-play graduate-cap-star-coin hand-coin hand-heart nurse-stethoscope-rays card-send-smile person-yoga-pose suitcase-star