How to Become a Web Developer
If you want to pursue a career in development, where do you start? This guide will take you through how to begin a lucrative career in Web development.
Sean recently graduated from our Remote Web Development Full-Time Program looking to change his career from being in Customer Service into Software Development. Learn why he decided to invest in our program and how he found the remote learning option to be especially convenient for his learning style.
What were you doing before the program?
Most recently I was working for 3Doodler where I was leading a remote Customer Service team for the last few years.
What led you to look for a program at BrainStation Online?
I was really interested in migrating into more technical work but having worked remotely for so long the opportunity to participate in a Brainstation Online program was very appealing.
What led you to enroll in the Remote Web Development Full-time Program at BrainStation?
I knew that I could thrive in a remote course having discovered through experience that I was suited to remote and I also have a younger child at home to take care of so the extra hours that might have been spent commuting that can be spent doing extra reading or with the family, all add up very quickly.
I was fortunate to receive support through the Second Career program to move ahead with starting the course at which point I felt like it was a perfect match for my interest and situation across the board.
What were your feelings going into it on day one?
I think it’s fair to say I was feeling a bit frazzled! I had a normal amount of nervousness and anticipation but I was also diagnosed with strep throat the day before so the first few days were slower while I recovered from that. It was rewarding and exciting to participate in the class discussions and course content right away though – kept my spirits up for sure.
Become a Web Developer in just 12 weeks!
BrainStation’s Web Development Diploma Program is a full-time, 12-week program that equips professionals with the skills and experience to start a new career in development.
Did you have any prior experience with the content?
Yes, that was a big draw for me when considering the course – I’ve been working alongside developers in an agile environment for most of my career and in some cases directly supporting them with auxiliary tasks, smaller component additions, quality assurance testing and templating. During that time I’ve kept up with practicing my basic javascript, HTML and CSS understanding as much as possible through sites like codeschool, codeacademy, lynda, etc. I was able to learn a lot by proximity to them and through self-directed learning. To me, this program was an opportunity to take all of those varied experiences and bind them together into a formal foundation.
What was your experience like in class, with your educators and with the content?
I had a great time throughout! My fellow students were very kind, helpful and a pleasure to learn with. All of our educators are great people – who were very focused on supporting each of us depending on our needs at the time. There were lots of laughs, challenges, coding headaches, and rewarding milestones as we all encouraged one another to keep moving forward and not be intimidated by a challenging new concept, technology or topic for the week.
How did this full-time program impact you in your current role or help you transition into another role/company/sector?
For me, the program had its biggest impact by helping my make web development and programming my full-time focus. I think one of the largest benefits of it was the regularity of the schedule and the immersive effect that had on me during the learning process. Putting everything aside to eat, sleep and breathe development for 10 weeks was profoundly different than any of the other smaller programs or side studying that I’d done prior. It kept the craft front and center by setting up an environment which helped me delve deeper into its intricacies in a way that might have been more challenging to replicate on my own.
What is your current title, place of work and what do you do day-to-day?
Fresh out of the program I’m still working on my portfolio, adding some extended feature to my capstone project and planning on the next few. I have a shortlist of technologies that I’d like to attempt to incorporate as I go and a longer list of companies I’d love to work for. My days consist of trying to strategically split time between doing research, actively coding and keeping on an eye on industry listings for a good fit.
Would you recommend this program to others? Specifically, would you recommend this remote program to others over traditional education offerings?
I would wholeheartedly recommend the program to others. I was particularly impressed with how much support there was for the remote learning experience as well – I don’t yet have a physical classroom course experience to compare it too, but I felt front and center with classmates, educators and the content every day.
Is there anything else you’d like to add about the experience?
I wish it wasn’t over! While I’m very glad to get underway with the creative process of building out the next chapter of my career I think I’ll find myself augmenting my schedule with a part-time course in the near future to stay sharp.