In the past month during the lockdown, I saw many people losing their jobs along with some web developers.
It was a very daunting thing to see as a developer.
So, while I was also a junior web developer in a company I was faced with this very intriguing question “Is web development dying?” So, asked many of my friends in the field and the answer was straight “NO”.
I think you also have this question in mind and this is the thing that has taken you here. Don’t worry, I am going to give you a brief answer. Make sure to read till the end.
Yes, there is a boom for CMS software like WordPress and no-code platforms like Google Appsheet and Amazon Honeycode, but those platforms still require a programmer’s knowledge to work on and create a better user experience.
Note: These are my own views on this topic. I do not suggest you make any serious decision based on this information which can put you in a financial or another danger.
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Some Facts In Favour of Web Development and against CMS
1. Custom Websites are more SEO-Friendly
Many of the users install a WordPress theme and start blogging or content marketing. But, their websites never make it to the organic search because of too many plugins and other dependencies as the page becomes nearly impossible to load and Google always gives the preference to speed.
I am not denying the fact that the CMS websites don’t rank but there is always an advantage to custom website owners. This all happens because the search engines understand the custom codes because they are more clearer than the CMS. Besides that, the custom codes are unique and search engines especially Google loves uniqueness.
So, for every blogger or content creator, they need someone with deep knowledge of image compression, themes and plugin management, and many other things to make a page load within 1 to 3 seconds.
Hence, you can rest assured that web development isn’t dying as every website on the web requires a programmer to adjust is as per their user’s needs and themes and templates can just fulfill a general use case and are good for learning and tweaking but not for making a fully optimized website.
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2. Speed and Responsiveness of Custom Sites is Just Amazing
You can install any WordPress theme or use a template for your website but there are certain things that you are going to lack here. So, this is another thing which you should think of when you say “is web development dying?“.
As I said in the above article templates and themes are just for the general use cases, and they never provide the responsiveness and fast load time.
Even if you want to add a single button, that also requires responsiveness as per the user’s screen and size. To make a button or image responsive as per the user’s screen we need to set media queries and serve the image smaller or bigger as per the device resolution.
This all requires a programmer’s knowledge, Hence, web development is here to stay for longer than we think.
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3. The No-Code App development
Recently, we saw a surge in No-code app development in the community and also on twitter, But, the truth be told these apps still require a programmer’s knowledge for managing databases and user permissions.
The no-code apps like Google Appsheet and Amazon Honeycode still require a programmer’s knowledge to manage the simple table, text, or number fields.
Because a person from the non-coding background will never come to know when to use a table, select, text, or number filed for user input and add to that the User experience and interaction, and those guys wouldn’t know what to do.
Just a few months ago We had a client who developed a no-code app from a guy and that guy himself didn’t know how to pull the user data for insights on the specific product’s demand and supply.
So, we made custom fields with the date of order, quantity, and area to get insights on this. So, the bottom line is no-code development is only good when you have a programmer or web developer who can manage the databases, user interaction, and web security a normal person can’t.
4. The lockdown and Work from Home in 2021
When the lockdown was imposed around the globe, some companies didn’t have enough PCs or Laptops to allow their employees to work from home.
And many developers struggled to Work from Home or their Apartment due to poor internet connection and also due to not having enough space for the environment.
One of the developers cited the reason as not able to communicate with his colleagues for small coding problems. And most of the developers who left or lost their jobs were Junior developers who were not accustomed to the sudden work from home environment.
You’d be surprised to know that many developers retained their jobs and are still working from home like me. The key point here I saw is not able to explain their problem to their seniors or managers for a solution.
So, In my experience, I always used a notepad to note down my problems and would ask my seniors at the end of the day or during the conference call so that others can also give their opinions on this.
Also Read: Should you learn graphic design as a web designer?
Final Verdict on “Is Web Development Dying?“
At last, I can say you with the utmost surety that web development isn’t dying and you can continue your career with your dream programming language, technology, or company.
Web developers will be required as long as the websites are required. As a junior web developer, you can start creating good habits like taking notes on a notepad to help you remember the core concepts and refer back to your notes whenever required.
And if you are working from home then start giving some time to things as programming takes time to learn and always ask your seniors if you’re facing any hard problem and appreciate their time and feedback. And finally, I wish you a safe and secure career in your life.