Why Students Need to Learn Web App Development
BY DAVID GUTIERREZ
It might look that the topic is too narrow for the readers of this blog, but it concerns all of us. Shortly, such skill as programming will be equal to the reading skill and also considered as ‘basic,’ ‘required’ in our CVs. The importance of coding and other IT-related disciplines for modern graduates can hardly be overestimated, and saying that you should learn them these days means stating the obvious. Of course, you should – we live in the information age, and with every passing year programming permeates, even more, areas of our life. Now, knowing at least one programming language opens up a host of new career possibilities and broadens the already existing ones. However, another question arises: what exactly should a modern student study not to waste time? I believe that your primary choice would be web app development – and here is why.
1. It Has a Universal Application
Learning a particular programming language is a very localized endeavor – you get a very narrow set of skills. Knowing it, of course, will make it easier to study other coding disciplines in the future, but unless you are going to be a full-time programmer, studying more than one during your college years is not a very viable proposition. If you want to dabble in IT as a side venture, you want something more general and universal, and web app fits the bill perfectly. In native apps, code should be written specifically for every platform the application is designed for. Web development doesn’t have this problem – which means that it has much wider application.
2. It is Useful if You Decide to Start Your Business
No modern business can exist with considerable online presence – and knowing at least the basics of web app development will considerably ease the burden of creating it if ever you decide to try your hand at entrepreneurship. Not only you can save money by designing your own web app, but it is also possible to communicate on a much higher level with professional development teams when you know what you are talking about, what you need, how much it should realistically cost and so on.
3. It Pays Well
Whether you plan a career as an independent contractor or as a part of a larger development firm, web developers are in extremely high demand these days, and the situation isn’t going to change anytime soon. Experienced developers can charge $100 and more per hour without anybody raising an eyebrow – and the beauty of this job is that there is no particular limit. The longer you work in the industry and the more impressive your portfolio, the more you can charge, and if you work hard, you can grow indefinitely. Which means that it pays to start early – preferably even before you’ve graduated.
4. Remote Work
As many millennials will testify, telecommuting is the way of the future, and there is hardly any other job that is better suited for this arrangement than web development. It doesn’t matter whether you freelance or work for a company – a) there is no need to be present in the office and b) it is easier to prove that you don’t have to be present in the office to your superiors or clients, as the industry, in general, tends to be more lenient in this respect.
5. You Can Easily Take Up Side Projects
The previous point adds to this one. As web development doesn’t need you to be present at your workplace, it means that you can work on as many parallel projects as you want simultaneously. Which is very useful when you have enough time or want to earn a little bit extra while studying at college.
To sum up
Web development is certainly a useful skill to pick up, especially at the beginning of your career. Right after graduation, you are going to need every additional skill to put on your resume to find employment, and this one certainly looks well on it.
David Gutierrez has worked in the field of web design since 2005. Right now he started learning Java in order to get second occupation. His professional interests defined major topics of his articles. David writes about new web design software, recently discovered professional tricks and also monitors the latest updates of the web development.
