What Web Development Skills Can Land You a Job in 2021?

According to Mondo’s annual Tech and Digital Marketing Salary Guide, the web development industry is one of the most profitable in 2021. And, as anticipated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor, this industry will only keep expanding with an approximate growth of 15% by the year 2026. 

Today, every company or business is in need of skilled web developers since almost all business operations have gone digital. Web development skills became especially sought-after during our current times which are so stressed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, skilled web designers and developers are always in demand in the job market.  

While salaries for back-end engineers and developers may be higher, solid senior front-end engineers can make plenty of money. No matter whether they work for a company or as freelance consultants hired to resolve front-end issues. However, one needs to realize that web development requires mastering quite a wide range of skills. Also, having a strong desire for updating knowledge on a regular basis is a great boon just because everything changes so fast in web technologies. This explains the increasing popularity of all kinds of training courses and certification programs that teach web development. 

So, read this blog post, if you’ve been thinking about breaking into web development or just wondering what skills are the hottest ad in demand in this industry today. 

JavaScript experts are in demand in 2021

JavaScript remains one of the most sought-after skills in programming and web development for many years now. The Skills Report (2020) conducted by Global Technical Hiring showed some exciting facts regarding web developers hiring trends that are current for 2021 too. They analyzed over 200,000 coding tests in 143 countries. According to the collected data, almost 72% of companies worldwide are looking for JavaScript developers for hire!

Meanwhile, HackerRank’s report stated that 48% of employers are in great need of skilled JavaScript engineers. So, the global demand for JavaScript is obvious and outweighs other tech skills on the job market. 

As of now in 2021, JavaScript is used almost everywhere:

• To develop mobile applications through React-native.
• To work with the front-end part through Angular or React.
• To do the back and backend parts through Node.js and Express JS.

The year 2021 is the right time to get your hands dirty with JavaScript. If you want to learn JavaScript, search for it on the Internet since there are plenty of tutorials available online. Or take online courses on JavaScript on e-learning platforms (Udemy, Coursera, Grinfer, Skillbox) and get the most up-to-date info on JavaScript skills from one of the best pros in the field. 

One of such web development pros, Rob Percival (one of the top-selling online instructors), offers an advanced web development course on the Grinfer platform, “The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0”. This course was created for future web developers and fueled by Rob’s deep industry knowledge. Enroll in more courses on Grinfer and learn all the quirks of programming languages that are used in web development today including Javascript. This comprehensive course will help you understand what makes JavaScript different from other programming languages and be able to explain its strengths and weaknesses. 

There are a lot more cool web development courses on Grinfer, so check it out! For example, you can learn about different programming paradigms such as functional programming and object-oriented programming. Understand prototypal inheritance in JavaScript and how it makes it different from object-oriented languages. Once you become a highly skilled JavaScript expert, you can expect to be in demand. 

Front-end developers are in demand in 2021

Yes, there’s demand for front-end developers in 2021 and will be at least in the nearest future. Of course, there is one of the most common questions that come to mind to most newbies: “Is JavaScript enough to be hired for a job?” Those who are already working in the industry say that if you want to get a front-end web developer job, then you must know JavaScript to get hired. However, in addition to JavaScript skills, there are also HTML5, CSS3, Grid, and Flexbox that are necessary to learn for being more competitive. 

Assuming that most newbies are breaking into the industry by getting hired as junior-level developers, there are plenty of things you can do to stand out against the glut of other junior developers: 

Maintain an active Github profile. In addition to continual contributions on 2–3 of your large projects, contribute to open source projects. A recruiter or technical hiring manager will want to see that you can work with other developers and understand Github best practices. 

Learn React.js. Yes, React skills may become in demand a little bit slower. But React has increasingly become a necessary library to learn for front-end web developers. Once you start in the web development field, then most likely you will want to have 1–2 large React repositories on your Github profile. 

Don’t negate the importance of semantic HTML5, CSS3, and accessibility. As mentioned above, you should know CSS Grid and Flexbox if you want to be a front-end web developer. Front-end devs are also frequently called upon to ensure websites meet accessibility standards for the visually impaired or meet accessibility requirements for the hard of hearing users. 

Move beyond web development projects that you can replicate from other web developers. Go for projects of your own! While there are many wonderful courses on e-learning platforms that provide many front-end development projects for learners with already made solutions, you should prove that you can solve open-ended problems on your own without turning to already developed solutions. 

If you’ll have 1–2 large projects on your Github profile and would be able to explain every line of code, you will be in good shape for your job interviews! Also, you can move beyond junior-level web developer jobs and pass a tough technical interview by taking courses in data structures and algorithms. 

Back-end developers are in demand in 2021

While the front and back-end developers work in the same field, understand what’s the difference between the two. The thing is that front-end devs have to worry a lot about what the client/consumer will see. Whereas back-end developers have to worry about making the application work as intended. If you want to be an in-demand back-end web developer, learn the technologies (in addition to JavaScript) like Node.js or another back-end language that is in high demand where you want to work. By the way, Python is also an excellent choice.  

Before you decide to go for a back-end development career, think and decide what would you prefer: making something that’s visual and concrete. Or something more mechanical, mathematical, and logical. For example, if you were building a car or plane, would you rather build the cockpit (controls, pedals, seat, dashboard)? Or would you prefer to build an engine? 

Skills in UX/UI are in demand in 2021

Good UX designers who also understand backend requirements and SEO practices are not that easy to find. If you can deliver good UX design without compromising page speed with over-bloated libraries and backend functionality, you will be in high demand!

In addition, consider learning UI frameworks, like Angular, React, or Vue. In fact, Angular and Vue are more powerful if compare to React. The reason is that they are frameworks while React is a library. Neither one is easy to learn because js as a base is quite a specific language not similar to the majority of other famous languages. If you start now with devotion and a good work ethic, after 6 months you will be able to make your own website. And after about 2 years of practice, you will be knowledgeable enough to get a high-paid job. 

Cloud computing skills are in demand in 2021

Companies need developers who have skills in design patterns and Cloud-aware design patterns. For example, the company has a large architect group that develops pattern catalogs. All projects will most likely be implemented in the internal Cloud SDK. Moreover, a good experience in API consumption and publishing is also key.   

More important skills which one needs to know/understand for becoming a skilled Cloud engineer/developer: 

• Basic knowledge of OS (resource utilization, memory, CPU, etc.)  
• Virtualization (Xen, KVM, VMware)
• Programming languages like Python, Java, Noide.js 
• Networking concepts
• Cybersecurity like IAM, Authentication, Authorization, Access Control Models, Basics of OS Firewall, etc. 
• Scripting automation with Python, Bash, Powershell 
• Basic DBMS 
• DevOps (source control, automation, release management, software packaging, configuration management, continuous integration).

In addition, there are plenty of skills used in Cloud computing that are not quite specifically related to Cloud computing. For example, you’ll have to get some mad-server maintenance skills just to be able to deal with any flaws regardless of whether the server is sitting in front of you, in the next room, in a Cloud center block, or a continent away. So, be prepared that you’ll be changing drives, doing networking, database administration, server setup, load balancing. Anything you can do with an IT network transfers to Cloud environments.

List of jobs that hire folks with good Cloud computing skills:

• AWS Cloud Architect
• SysOps Administrator
• Cloud Developer
• Cloud Sales and Purchase Manager
• Cloud DevOps Engineer
• Cloud Key Account Manager
• AWS Networking specialist

Of course, the trickiest part is that Cloud technology changes so often that your skillset will need to keep up with it too. In this case, curiosity becomes essential and can be a more significant asset compared to experience because it means you can take the initiative to grow your skills.

Skills in Wireframing/Prototyping are in demand in 2021

Many wireframing and prototyping tools are popular among designers. However, not all of them will be suitable for your future design team. Before choosing any prototyping tool, you’ll need to consider the goals for the prototype. So, run through the following questions: 

• Is it for the internal design team to evaluate interactions? 
• Are you looking at the visual design and if the sizing of interface elements is good for touch? 
• Is it to be shared with your client? 
• Are you creating a prototype to run by the developers and communicate the design intention? 
• Or will you run light, or full-on, usability testing with it? 

If you are sharing with your client, find out what technologies your clients are using. Consider if they are PC or Mac-based businesses. How tech-savvy are they? What are their goals for the prototype? Will they present this to the leadership team? Use it to sell the project to investors? Will they want to give you feedback in context? 

A quick list of effective tools used for wireframes and prototyping: 

Omnigraffle for detailed wireframes and high-level prototyping. 

• pros: great templates with reusable elements, ability to create your own templates, export the same document as pdf, HTML, click-able pdf; 
• cons: only Mac, not compatible with PC, slight learning curve.

InVision for prototyping that can be easily shared with clients at least on IOS platforms. 

• pros: super easy sharing of designs on all platforms, just send a link to a clients phone and they can see the prototype; 
• cons: subscription model, feedback interface might be overwhelming for some clients.

Air Display for quick mirroring of your Photoshop file using my iPhone as a second (or third) display.

• pros: no need to save PNGs, send to yourself, etc., just mirror directly from your computer.
• cons: not high res, not quite full screen, not for sharing, only for the in-house design process. 

Here are more best wireframing tools that will make you highly competitive on the job market:

• Adobe XD 
• Axure RP 
• Figma   

Final Thoughts

While skills that we’ve listed might sound like a lot, it is very possible to learn all of this with some well-structured online courses. So, you can start your learning journey on Grinfer. Find courses you like, sign up, and then create a schedule for yourself. Then start breaking down the concepts and plan out what you are going to learn. If you learn the skills we listed above and enjoy using them, you can start a very satisfying career as a highly skilled web developer or senior front-end engineer. 

Remember, it gets easier, once you get a well-structured plan in your head and know exactly what to look for!