How to Get Started in Web Development



Finding your first job in a new field can be scary. In this talk we’ll talk about common questions people have when getting started in a career in Web Development — everything from creating a portfolio of work to different types of jobs and team environments, finding a first job, and staying up to date in a field that is always changing.

Susan Simkins is a Senior Web Designer at Oracle NetSuite. She is also a Pluralsight author with over 20 courses related to web design and development. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with her boyfriend and their small herd of cats. Follow her at http://www.susan-simkins.com/ or https://twitter.com/SusanMSimkins

Recorded at the Free Code Camp OKC meetup. Thanks to Techlohoma and Susan Simkins for giving us permission to post.

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This Post Has 11 Comments

  1. Eliot Sanford

    I've been in the legal field as a paralegal simply because I wanted to see what being a lawyer would be like and I struggled through the LSAT. I didn't really know what I wanted to do after getting my journalism and French degrees. I've been a paralegal for about 5 years but at each of my firms they have recognized my tech skills and promoted me to positions like Excel expert working with VBA and data analyst working with SQL and database in Access. Part of me would still want to be a lawyer, but even still I would want to be a legal technologist creating software or applications useful in those businesses. I wouldn't really want to be a practicing lawyer. In the past couple of years, I've been working towards Landing my first web development job. This presentation was really helpful, and thanks for presenting many of the basics that I've overlooked or just haven't been putting into practice. I've already sent this video to my local Meetup in Jackson Mississippi, and hopefully we can present on something like this topic soon. Kudos to the presenter for sharing your story.

  2. Filip

    Awesome video and great info 👍🏼 , tho her public speaking could improve..it seems like she doesn’t put emphasis on anything.

  3. Elena

    I am a little confused – isn't web dev a back-end thing? Isn't front-end web dev an oxymoron? I new at this, go easy on me

  4. Christian Gentry

    I think the series of books that's kinda fun is called the "Head First" series, such as "Head First Java". They're good books.

  5. John Madsen

    Go to school
    Take a cheap college 101 class
    If you are serious, do it the right way
    Degrees are only useless if they are liberal arts bs. Stem is always valuable
    However, if you are not capable, spend all of your time what you can actually do. It may be answering phones.

  6. Crelloc

    Best possible route is to take courses that help you develop a portfolio that is relevant and aligns with industry. The two options for web development are teamtreehouse and codingphase. Codingphase is overall better and teaches 40+ courses for $20. Sign up with the following link for a 3 day $1 dollar trial: @t

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