Web Development is one of the most interesting career paths for computer science majors because it combines technical elements like coding and programming with creative elements like user experience and design. Learn how this unique field works, and explore a virtual work experience to see if it’s the right fit for you.

HTML

Whether you’re a professional software developer or just looking to explore the field, learning HTML can open many doors for you. Web development is a unique technical field that can give you the opportunity to flex your programming, coding, and design skills.

HTML is the foundational language for a website, providing structure and organization for content. It’s often used alongside cascading style sheets (CSS) and JavaScript to add functionality to a page.

While HTML is the backbone of a site, CSS is the muscle. Together, these languages allow developers to create functional, visually engaging websites that work across a variety of browsers and devices. HTML and CSS are crucial for a range of reasons, from providing semantic structure that search engines and assistive technologies rely on to improving accessibility and SEO.

HTML is a beginner-friendly markup language that uses tags to delineate structural semantics for text and other elements. It’s a flexible and user-friendly language that allows you to add and organize content on a webpage. For example,!DOCTYPE> tells a web browser that the document is an HTML file, and the head> tag contains meta-information like a title and links to stylesheets. The body> tag is where the actual content of a webpage goes, including text, paragraphs, images, and other assets. For more details, check out the official HTML tutorial by Google.

CSS

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a language that allows web designers to make their pages look more visually appealing. It can also help improve the user experience by making it easier to navigate and read content on a website.

Before CSS, all styling was done directly within HTML. This led to repetitive and cumbersome code. CSS separates content from presentation, making it more efficient and enabling web developers to create responsive websites that work on a variety of devices.

There are several ways to learn how to use CSS, including bootcamps and free coding courses, like a 5-day introductory web development course. These courses offer hands-on, guided practice and can provide opportunities to ask questions and get corrections from instructors. Using a mentor can also help learn how to properly use the code for each project.

CSS has a complex syntax that uses selectors and declaration blocks to apply formatting to HTML elements. The selectors identify which element the style should apply to, and the declaration block includes a list of properties (like color, font size, and text alignment) that specify how the selector should appear on the page. The style information can be applied inline with the HTML, as an internal style sheet within the HTML document, or externally in a separate CSS file.

JavaScript

The most widely used programming language in the world, JavaScript empowers interactivity and enhances web functionality. It is the foundation of front-end web development, but it also plays a role in back-end web development (for server-side functionality), mobile application development, and game development through frameworks.

When it comes to front-end web development, JavaScript is used in conjunction with HTML and CSS to make websites interactive. Whereas HTML and CSS determine the basic content and structure of a webpage, JavaScript adds functionality such as drop-down menus, modal windows, and contact forms.

Using the document object model (DOM) as its base, JavaScript can create scripts that manipulate and respond to user input. It also supports asynchronous programming, allowing for code to be executed without blocking the main thread and leading to a faster, more efficient website.

As the most popular coding language for the web, developers must know how to use JavaScript well in order to ensure their websites perform well. By leveraging visual testing tools, they can easily detect layout shifts and other design inconsistencies across devices and screen sizes. Plus, by utilizing performance testing tools, they can optimize the performance of their JS applications in real-world conditions. This helps to create a seamless, scalable, and user-friendly online experience for their customers.

Ruby

Ruby is a programming language with an object-oriented approach. This means that everything in the program is an object and each has its built-in abilities. It also has a rich set of libraries. This makes it easy to work with complex data structures, such as databases. Ruby also supports the “Don’t Repeat Yourself” principle, which is useful for maintaining code.

Ruby has become one of the most popular backend languages for web development. This is mainly due to the popularity of the Rails framework, which simplifies and accelerates the process of building web applications. Rails has a vast library of pre-written code that can help developers quickly build scalable websites. This saves time and improves productivity.

In addition, Rails offers excellent security features that protect against hackers and data breaches. This is especially important for businesses that deal with customer data. In addition, Rails provides solutions for encrypting database data, making it more secure than other web frameworks.

Ruby is a powerful and flexible language that can be used for many types of projects. It has a syntax that is similar to spoken language, which makes it easier for beginners to learn. In addition, it has a large community of developers that is supportive and helpful to newcomers. The language also has a built-in test suite that helps developers debug their code.