Is career in web development still viable?

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Is career in web development still viable?

pknite

For some time, I've been considering getting into web development, read a couple of textbooks, tried some software. So I've got the feeling that dedicated web developer, specifically the technical person who knows programming languages is kinda obsolete now because 95% percent of sites are made on Wordpress, and that's the thing that any web designer can do by himself, get a free theme, put in some plugins and deploy it on a hosting service.

I would like to know what actual people who work in the industry think about it. Is it possible to earn a living in web development without being in 5 top percent of the ladder?

NogDog

If you're talking about just creating a presence on the web and perhaps some simple shopping cart stuff (e.g. as a lone-wolf freelancer), then yes, a lot of that can be done with existing CMS's and such. If you're looking at actually doing anything new, interesting, complex, different, etc., then you need "real" developers to develop it.

I'm working full time as a developer at a dot.com, mainly doing server-side PHP and SQL (PostgreSQL in my case); and I very seldom touch any HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. (We have people who specialize in client-side stuff using those -- not to mention separate graphic designers -- but that's not me.) We might use WordPress for our company blog (which mainly exists for SEO purposes and to bring users into our main sites), but all the real development work is done outside of any such platform, involving lots of database interaction and plenty of custom code. Based on how difficult it has been to find new developers to hire, I'd say there's definitely a market for web developers (at least in the greater NYC area).

pknite

Well, thanks for the answer.

eliza189

Yes, career in web development is still in demand. There are lots of technologies...... to choose for career.

KateWatson

I guess that with the presence of so many CMS programs available at the moment, the value of web developers has been decreased a little but if you are a good developer then there would be still a lot of demand for you in the market.

dana_franklin

I think this kind of career still stands out, if you believe this is your passion, then go for it.

tejas

Yes, pknite Absolutely, there are more opportunity in web development now than there has ever been.
And it really is that simple. do it and you will be enjoy.
They are quite different, but don't worry I do encourage you to switch to Photoshop if you have the option. It's the industry standard and you'll work better with others if you know Ps really well. But if it's just for you then use whatever tools get the job done.
All sites need a front-end, whether the content comes from a database doesn't change what is output.
You'll find though that most sites require a CMS so you want to know how to use them if you're going to get into web design/development.

Good luck, do what you enjoy, be happy.