How to Learn to Create and Develop Modern Websites

Now that we have Hatch covered how to build a website from scratch, a crucial question remains: Where (and how) can you get started?

Creating a website from scratch is relatively straightforward in theory, but it helps to have an established repertoire of applicable skills. Fortunately, there are several paths to learning the skills needed for modern website creation and development. These include bootcamp programs, traditional college degrees in an applicable field and independent learning options. Each of these options offers a unique take on learning website creation skills, and your choice will likely depend on your desired learning pace and curriculum structure.

Bootcamps
Bootcamp programs are perhaps the strongest path for learning website creation skills — especially those rooted in web development and coding. These programs tailor their curricula to a variety of experience levels, offering a comprehensive overview of web development and coding fundamentals including a series of modules featuring hands-on, project-based learning opportunities.

Bootcamps are fast-paced and intensive, but they are also thorough and relatively flexible. New website developers are usually able to learn on their own schedule, gaining future-proof skills quickly and efficiently. Berkeley Coding Boot Camp, for instance, offers the chance to learn full stack web development skills in as little as 12 to 24 weeks (depending on each student’s availability and commitment).

What’s more, bootcamp graduates are being held in increasingly high regard within web development hiring, with nearly one in three hiring managers bringing on bootcamp graduates for developer roles in 2020, according to HackerRank’s 2020 Developer Skills Report. Around 72 percent of these managers felt that their hires were “ equally or better equipped for the job than other hires.”

Traditional degrees
Alternatively, aspiring website developers can learn applicable skills through a traditional college degree program. These options, while typically longer than most bootcamp programs, allow students to hone their website creation abilities while learning about the broader industries that encapsulate such skills. They also offer the chance to learn in a more gradual, communal setting that may take place on- or off-campus. Many leading institutions also offer individual courses in web development and coding online.

Relevant major programs for website development may include computer science, engineering or digital arts.

Independent learning options
For those interested in learning autonomously, there is also a variety of independent learning options teaching website creation skills. These options can take many forms, including free online courses, comprehensive instructional videos and educational apps. While less structured than the previous two pathways, independent learning provides the unique chance to learn on your schedule, at your own pace and through your desired medium — all while honing key soft skills like time management, personal accountability and project compartmentalization.