Job Profile of a Web Developer

Web developers are basically responsible for creating the look and feel of a client’s website. Given the ever-changing nature of the online world, they have numerous responsibilities towards their clients and hence, must have knowledge in a variety of areas, as well as a strong understanding of how to combine new technology with creative innovations.
Career Opportunities for Web Developers and Internet Professionals

With the growth, actually explosion, of the internet, the world has changed completely. Never before could you sit in the comfort of your home and order shoes without trying them first. Or even order food for your pet whilst comparing 6-7 products, without even touching the market shelf. Thanks to the web developer job description, there are people in this world who enable such comfort to be found with the click of a mouse-button.

The question is how to become a web developer? Understandably, because of the size of the internet, the web developer salary range can vary from a monthly salary to a million dollars, depending on how honed your web developer skills are and how much traffic your website generates, leading to ad revenues.

Plus, because of the size of internet and various technologies springing forth, a lot of specializations have taken over the web develop career, eg. the senior web developer job description, or the PHP web developer job description, or even the techy ColdFusion web developer job description. Let’s explore the core of the web developer job description.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities of a Web Developer
Professional Skills

The core of the web developer job description lies in utilizing creativity and innovation. The web developer essentially translates client vision into reality, and how good the execution on that front is, depends on how imaginative and creative the developer can get.

The individual should be self-motivated and detail-oriented, so that he can present the client with a plethora of web creations to select from. Further, one must possess excellent communication skills, verbal and written. Quite a few times, the web developer can lose on a contract or become less favored in a corporate environment, if he can’t present the project in the right light.
Technical Skills

Because of the evolutionary nature of the internet, new technologies are springing forth left and right. After a mere 2-3 months, technology starts entering the “ancient” category, because companies are always in the quarterly race to develop new frameworks for web developers.

Hence, it is central to the web developer resume that the web developer skills be constantly polished. That might entail increasing one’s web developer certification to newer levels every now and then.

These days, instead of the basic HTML, developers are required to be proficient in latest technologies such as SQL, ColdFusion, Silverlight etc. Additionally, being proficient in e-commerce environments can reap in a handsome web developer salary, since most jobs for web developers are from clients that are looking to do online business. Further, experience in environments like ticketing systems, merchandise, Point-of-Sale etc. can be a huge plus.
Duties and Responsibilities of a Web Developer

Whether in a corporate or a free-lance environment, the web developer job description entails some key duties and responsibilities. Firstly, the individual must be able to develop new web applications as directed by the client or the organization. Further, in corporate environments, web developers are required to create a company-wide Intranet, allowing data manipulation for each internal staff member. Because the focus today has become having “everything on one table”, web developers are required to integrate all online systems or components of a website.

Technically, a web developer needs to be able to perform testing of the system he has designed, engaging users as deemed necessary. He also needs to provide successful test reports to management or client. Further, he must have the acumen to develop database-driven online interfaces, that allow users to share information in real time. Also, with the trend for “web-portals” picking up, the modern web application developer job description entails developing online systems that allow users to input and retrieve information.
Education and Experience Requirements

Bachelors degree in computer science or MIS
Superior skills in ColdFusion 7+ and SQL
Experience in structured environment with increasing levels of responsibility and complexity
The ability to communicate and teach non-technical users a must
Excellent written and oral communications skills
Strong attention to detail
Ability to work additional hours as needed. Summer weekends required
Respond proactively to training, technical support and customer service needs in line with provided guidelines
Flash video/animation experience a plus

Evolution of the Profession

As corporations focus on integrating everything for better strategic insight, the cloud computing evolution has kicked off. Cloud computing is basically when all applications are hosted on a server, instead of being installed on machines, and everyone can access them from anywhere. Being hosted online gives users the advantage of integrating all necessary applications and data into a birds-eye format. Hence, web developers need to pay attention to such changes in the industry, allowing them to create more market-value for themselves.

Author's Bio: 

Omar.S has written this article. Log on to www.writeawriting.com to learn about the job description of a web developer.