Web Development Jobs basics

Web development jobs (like jobs in any other field) have alot of variety and possibilities. Deciding on where to work is sometimes not as easy as you might think. Several factors such as who you will be working for, location, and type of office need to be considered.

This tutorial focuses on:

Working independently/in a team
Working on one site/many sites
Office types
Workplace interaction

Working independently/in a team

As a web developer, you will usually get a chance to work independently or in a team. The exception to this is when you are the only one in the company who does what you do - a situatioan that's not recommended since there is much more pressure on you and no one to immediately advise with on technical matters.

Working independently

Working independently is nice. You are sitting in front of that computer, focusing on your work, making stuff happen and you are doing it all, yes YOU! When you get done with it or at least get through a part of it, you can feel satisfied knowing that you have built something on your own.

Proper balance between work and work realization

Work - You are given the privilege to work independently, you work hard, you do what you need to do, focus on your work, stay on top of your game.
Work realization - You are dealing with a highly technical subject which no one can possibly know 100%, and everyone is bound to need references/consult someone else/make mistakes.

Don't get too egotistical and don't feel invincible with what you do, but at the same time don't depend to much on references and other peoples advice, and don't be afraid to make a few mistakes here and there. Mistakes are what will make you better at what you do.

Working in a team

Working in a team is good. You are part of a group that together contributes to a whole. Each one a small part to create something of substance. You will get assigned some task(s), make sure you complete them by your deadline, but if you don't in some cases it's ok.

When working in a team, remember that you are dealing with a group of people, it's not just you on your own now. People can sometimes become lazy and/or unappreciative of what you do. If this happens, just keep doing what it is you do. Try to keep a positive attitude and influence others with it.

Working on one site/many sites

Web development jobs vary - you may become employed by a small company working just on the company's website or you may become employed by a huge web design firm working on several different websites. Some people like the first option more, some people prefer the second.

From a professional perspective, the second option is better since with each website come it's own unique challenges and with all those challenges you will gain much more experience than you would if you were to work on just one website.

As your first web development job, which option will you take? It's up to you, but we think it's better to go for a job working on many different websites as opposed to just one.

Office types

Web development jobs vary, and so do the offices where you will do this kind of work - ranging from a small business in a small town to a huge building in the middle of a big city. Office type does not necessarily correlate to experience. Meaning, just because someone works for a small business in a small town it does not automatically mean that they have less experience than someone who works for a huge company in a big city.

For some employers, unfortunately, it does mean something and can make a difference in their decision to hire you or not. If you are interviewed by such an employer and they reject you, it's ok, move on to the next one. The important thing is to be on top of your game and be confident that you are good at what you do and can prove it if given a technical interview where you are asked to demonstrate your skills.

Workplace interaction

You should treat your co-workers with respect (as they should treat you the same way) and it's important to not have tension in the workplace. This is obvious, but there is another aspect of workplace interaction that's not so obvious.

The interaction between you and your co-workers that have the same technical skills that you do and the interaction between you and your co-workers that DO NOT have the same technical skills as you do will sometimes be different.

Rules for interacting with non-technical co-workers

Don't use overly technical language - If someone from the marketing department asks you "Hey, what are you up to?" don't respond with "Just debugging some Javascript, this loop doesn't run like it's supposed to" If you do something like this, they will look at you as if you're trying to explain quantum physics. Instead, just say "Oh, I am trying to fix an error on a webpage, almost there!" Non-technical people are confused by technology as it is, no need to confuse them even more.
Don't discuss 'geek' sites - There are certain websites on the web like www.reddit.com, www.digg.com, and www.slashdot.com that are used by mostly technology savvy people (many of whom are web developers and programmers). Non-technical people (for the most part) do not know about such sites and would probably not be interested. If you think they might actually be interested, go for it, but this will most likely not be the case.
Don't put them down for what they do - Yes, web development is highly technical, and yes it can get difficult. Sometimes you may feel that the other departments where you work just 'push papers' and have it easy. This may or may not be the case, but don't say things to your non-technical co-workers like "Oh, your job is easy, try doing for one minute what I do every day!" Even if it's true, saying something like this is not nice and can actually get you in trouble or maybe even fired!