9781422273357

CAREERS WITH EARNING POTENTIAL

WEB DEVELOPER

CAREERS WITH EARNING POTENTIAL

BECOME INVALUABLE IN THE WORKPLACE: SET YOURSELF APART MACHINERY MAINTENANCE & REPAIR PHARMACY TECHNICIAN POLICE OFFICER & DETECTIVE WEB DEVELOPER WELDER

THE ARTS CAR MECHANIC CHEF COSMETOLOGIST DOG GROOMER FARMER MASSAGE THERAPIST PRESENTING YOURSELF

CAREERS WITH EARNING POTENTIAL

WEB DEVELOPER

Carlie Lawson

mason crest PHILADELPHIA MIAMI

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Copyright © 2022 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN (hardback) 978-1-4222-4476-0 ISBN (series) 978-1-4222-4479-1 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-7335-7

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Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Editor: Regency House Publishing Ltd. Cover Design: Creatively Tara.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR: Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field. CHAPTER 1: The Life of a Web Developer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 CHAPTER 2: What Do Web Developers Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 CHAPTER 3: Terms of the Trade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 CHAPTER 4: Preparing for the Field and Making a Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 CHAPTER 5: Key Skills and Methods of Exploration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 CHAPTER 6: Looking to the Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Series Glossary of Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Further Reading & Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Educational Video Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Author Biography & Photo Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

In the digital age of today, a career in web development is highly sought-after.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

computer programming: the process of developing and implementing a set of instructions for a computer in a language it can understand, such as C++, Python, or HTML5 content writing: the process of researching, outlining, and authoring various types of web-based text content, including ads, articles, blogs, and white papers graphic design: the creation and design—by hand drawing or computer-assisted drawing—of a piece of artwork such as a sketch, logo, or line art; this also includes the editing and manipulation of digital or digitized photographs TCP/IP: a set of communication protocols used to network or interconnect devices on an intranet, extranet, or the internet

6 CAREERS WITH EARNING POTENTIAL: WEB DEVELOPER

CHAPTER 1 THE LIFE OF A WEB DEVELOPER

Working as a web developer, you will undertake similar types of projects wherever you work, but your work location can vary vastly. Some web developers work independently as freelancers, while others work for advertising or marketing agencies or for computer programming agencies. Regardless of their place of employment, these creative computer programmers typically work an eight- to ten-hour workday. Their career choice requires both graphic design and computer design skills as well as strong written communication skills. Individuals in web development today earn at least a bachelor’s degree and code inmultiple computer languages. Regardless of their specialty, they learn the basics of all three development areas: computer programming, graphic design, and content writing .

THE LIFE OF A WEB DEVELOPER 7

THE BIRTH OF THE INTERNET AND WEB DEVELOPMENT

As an industry, web development has existed since about 1962, although at that time only the government used web developers. The public internet, or World Wide Web (WWW), did not yet exist. The internet came about as part of a project involving the Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Conceptualized in 1962 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientist J.C.R. Licklider, it was originally dubbed the ARPANET by the government. This network of computers was intended to provide a backup communication format so that if the Soviet Union attacked the US telephone system, it would be protected. Licklider conceived of a “galactic network” of computers throughout the world that could communicate one-to-one, computer to computer, with access only to chosen allies. Each computer user would be able to set the parameters by which one could access a computer. Three years later, one of Licklider’s coworkers at MIT developed packet switching, enabling the actual data transmission from computer to computer.

Tim Berners-Lee

J.C.R. Licklider

8 CAREERS WITH EARNING POTENTIAL: WEB DEVELOPER

FREELANCE LIFE

During the 1960s and 1970s, educational and military networks were developed, such as Norway’s Royal Radar Establishment, ALOHAnet, and University College London net. At this point, scientists transmitted files from computer to computer, but within the small networks. At the close of the 1970s, computer scientist Vinton Cerf developed the two methods we continue to use today to communicate between the smaller networks—Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP). Once TCP/IP came about, so did the first websites. The government created these originally as a method of one-way communication with the public, but feedback mechanisms were soon added so that the public could communicate with the web developers. File transmission remained complex, and most computer users relied on an array of helper applications, including a telnet client, a File Transfer Once you have amassed the essential skill set and practiced with it by designing your own website and a few projects for others, you might want to earn a bit of money freelancing. This lets you gain experience while you attend college or vocational school. Freelancers have their own skill set, though, that goes beyond that of a designer, developer, or content developer. To freelance, you must be extremely disciplined, organized, creative, and conscientious. You act as your own boss when you freelance, and you must have the skills to create all the website needs on your own. Once you complete your training and create your portfolio, you can find work on sites like Freelancer, Upwork, Textbroker, and WriterAccess, as well as Indeed and LinkedIn. Most of these sites let you post a portfolio to showcase your skills and provide a resume area to let you show your credentials.

THE LIFE OF A WEB DEVELOPER 9

Protocol (FTP) client, and a web browser. Rather than today’s website-integrated chat, early web developers and many other early internet users turned to discussion groups on university servers, such as those at the University of Iowa, which hosted some of the most widely used discussion groups online. These early websites used black text on a white page and presented text only. The early web browsers used included Lynx (pronounced “links”), which read text only. In 1991, a British computer programmer named Tim Berners-Lee conceptualized the World Wide Web: a publicly accessible, easy-to-navigate version of the government’s internet. While both the government pages and the public WWW used the same computer language, hypertext markup language (HTML), and a browser connection with TCP/IP, the similarities ended there. The WWW provided the easy-to-navigate version of the internet, linking together smaller networks, including commercial networks. Friendlier browsers, including Netscape and Mosaic, allowed the general public to connect to many information nodes. The WWW also kept the military and scientists’ private networks out of reach.

Scan here and watch this video to learn five misconceptions people have about web developers.

10 CAREERS WITH EARNING POTENTIAL: WEB DEVELOPER

FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT Web developers today hardly have the easy time of it that early developers did. What once required a single language to create—HTML— now requires numerous computer languages. The internet has not been text only since the early 1990s. Today’s web developer must integrate elements of graphic design, content development, and computer coding into a multimedia design that may integrate with an application or function as an application. What a single person typically designed in the 1990s now requires a team of individuals.

Hypertext markup language (HTML) is a set of codes inserted into a file intended for display on the internet.

The graphical elements of a website include photos, line art, videos, GIFs, and other small animations. Developers must use helper applications such as Microsoft Silverlight to host integrated video. Websites now frequently integrate audio elements, including MP3 downloads and livestreamed performances. These items also require helper applications or a built-in application programming interface (API). Creative content too has evolved. Text remains one of the most important elements. The internet that began as a means of encyclopedic and scientific information transmission quickly spawned such things as the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Such developments required web developers to also acquire database creation and integration skills. The textual content of websites transformed from mere information dissemination to a major channel for marketing and advertising. Web developers must write pithy web copy using active verbs and keywords to create and enhance

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each site’s search engine optimization (SEO). They often work with an advertising agency team that develops web video ads. Some web developers specialize in creating web apps, also known as cloud apps . These include apps like Google Apps or MapQuest, or small games coded in Java, JavaScript, or Flash. They integrate these apps into the website itself to launch in-browser. Web developers now also use applets like website-integrated chat and chat bots to communicate with site visitors. Other examples of applets include an integrated PayPal payment interface. To enable two-way communication between the site visitors and the site administrators or an organization’s personnel, web developers build forms as a part of a web page. These forms use a higher-level computer language than HTML to send the form responses to the website’s organization. Examples of these include email forms and surveys.

An app (application) is a computer program that is designed for a particular purpose.

12 CAREERS WITH EARNING POTENTIAL: WEB DEVELOPER