The internet is one of the most critical networks humans have invented until now. You do not need to be in an exact location to be able to write, read, listen to, and see information or digital products that come from different parts of the world, which is fascinating. That’s why women in web development are game-changers.
There is a mistaken idea that you must have excelled in college to have a career developing products or platforms on the internet. Many women, including myself in the past, do not even consider this industry for this reason. My friend, I want to let you know that developing the web can be easier than you think.
Maybe these 5 reasons will help women consider a career in web development:
- Learning web development is getting more accessible and less expensive
- There is always a problem to solve
- You can work remotely
- Women can feel empowered while learning web development
- Women in web development can help with the advancement of society if you consider society
1) Learning web development is getting more accessible and less expensive
Per Internet World Stats, until June 30, 2019, there are 4,536,248,808 internet users while there are around 7,716,223,209 earthlings.
These numbers mean that 58.8% of the world population has access to the internet and these numbers continue to increase. That’s why creating and maintaining the structure and content of the internet is increasingly vital to human life.
If we see it from the business perspective and the opportunity to make money, you have a distribution channel that almost 50% of the planet could access.
There is more demand for programmers than the market can supply. The number of students that graduate in Computer Science, or something along those lines, is not enough to cover the thousands of existing digital businesses in the country.
Furthermore, most web developer job postings do not require a college diploma on the topic.
That is why, right now, there are a decent amount of coding boot camps that have emerged online and in person. Within months, you are ready to venture out as a web developer and start your programming career.
The average costs of coding boot camps are lower than college tuition. Coding boot camps offer courses to help you find your first job, and you pay after being employed as a web developer.
There are coding boot camps and multiple free online platforms that aim to help you learn to code the web. Besides, there are videos, blogs, and social media profiles to find the resources needed to learn on your own and for free. I went ahead on this route 😆. I even wrote an article with all the free resources for newbie coders I have used to learn some aspects of the web.
Right now, there are lots of opportunities to learn to code the web. So if you are on the web, the difficulty in obtaining resources to learn how to code should not be an excuse!
2) There is always a problem to solve
Web development is not only for creating marketing, or landing pages, so your business has an online presence. Neither online platforms that already have website templates are diminishing the need for web developers.
The web is developing so that applications do not require a computer download. Applications now are cloud-based. That adds another layer of complexity that amounts to even more problems to solve hence more job opportunities.
Also, you can solve problems by creating online products. Platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, DropBox, and AirBnB solved a problem using web technologies.
For example, Facebook created personal profiles and connected humans unprecedentedly. On the other hand, Pinterest helps to organize your ideas visually instead of words. You can store and access documents or files from any part of the world by using DropBox. You can experience local people living while traveling by scheduling your lodging arrangement via AirBnB. These companies’ founders developed each platform with a problem in mind, and these products were the proposed solutions.
How often have you worked on something and questioned: ‘Is there an app for this?’ Imagine saying: ‘Is there an app for this?’ sit down and write it yourself.
Before getting hands-on with code, you can read How to Practice Problem Solving Without Writing Code to start developing your problem-solving mindset.
You can check out a series of articles about HTML (HyperMarkup Language), one of the web development languages that people usually start their journey with. HTML for beginners, HTML Tag Attributes, and Nesting HTML Tags are articles for those ready to start writing computer instructions. It also intends to help the readers to create their first web component to get excited about programming.
Trust me. It will be the closest thing to magic you are going to get.
3) You can work remotely
Remote work is the synonym for location freedom. Choosing the place or environment you want to work in daily gives you more control of your life.
If you want to work far from home, so far that you must take an airplane, you can. Staying home so somebody receives the kids when they arrive home from school it’s also a possibility. You do not want to use the car not to pollute the environment or avoid road rage; you can.
Sure, remote work is not for every person. Some people feel they benefit more by having that structure of having a place to go. That is great too!
But those who prefer to have the liberty of location know that web design or development are options that can provide you with that lifestyle.
An article about my home office setup is a bit off-topic but on-topic. If you want ideas for your office space, you might want to check that out.
4) Women can feel empowered while learning web development
Programming is satisfying. Even when you struggle the most, the amount of excitement when a set of instructions runs as needed is incomparable.
You can feel empowered with programming the web specifically. Not only do you use the web as a resource for information or to connect with people, but also it becomes a tool for simplifying your job or daily life.
Furthermore, some say that blockchain has enabled a new level of empowerment, the financial one. Why? Because now with blockchain, you can own unique assets that are gaining outstanding value: cryptocurrencies and NFTs (non-fungible tokens). You can read more about these topics in Incorporating Digital Assets into Your Finances.
5) Women in web development can help with the advancement of society if they consider society
For me, the reason why humans have developed technology is to evolve as species.
We can solve many big problems humans have with technology and good governance. Technology would assist the means to produce on a big scale, while good management would implement and maintain technology so that the problem does not arise again.
If the technology that helps us solve our problems is excellently developed, and its primary driving purpose is not for profit, the new issues will not arise from necessities.
Imagine a society where humans stop having unnatural needs because they commit to improving. So each country, joint government with the private sector, decided to plan and provide without prioritizing their egos, creating balance.
We could become a different society. My hope is a species more emotionally and spiritually elevated. Well, our focus would not be on survival instincts. It would be on our most unknown muscle, our brain.
I know, I know, I went on a tangent over there, huh? But if you kept reading up here, you also stirred off with me, so thanks for reading me 😊.
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Related articles
The following CTRL-Y articles are related somewhat to this post. You may want to check them out!:
- API Testing with Mocha
- Incorporating Digital Assets into Your Finances
- Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain, and Puerto Rico
- HTML for Beginners
- HTML Tag Attributes
- Nesting HTML Tags
- Night Owl Home Office
- Resources for Newbie Web Coders
- Learn to Code: Lowering the Programming Pedestal
By the way – A playlist for you
As a side note for this article, I wanted to include a playlist – Jevas – created to highlight the Puerto Rican women in the indie scene.