As more and more of our lives run on the internet, so do our businesses. Every business, organization, and individual needs a website. This makes web development a very hot career path. Web Developers can work as freelancers or in-house at a company.
Web development is more than just webpages. A competitive candidate in web development will also have skills developing web applications. Web applications are software programs that run over the internet. If you’ve ever written something on Google Docs or sent a message via Slack, then you’ve used a web application.
Training to become a Web Developer requires a mix of hard skills and tech skills. You’ll need to understand design principles, code in several programming languages, and incorporate principles of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. You’ll also need a set of soft-skills such as communication (for speaking with clients about what you’re building), logical thinking (to learn coding languages), and an eye for beauty (websites and web applications must be pleasing to the eye).
The three most important programming languages in web development are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML is used to mark up or build the site. CSS is used to style the site and structure its layout. And, JavaScript is used to add interactivity to the site. Knowing JavaScript is a skill with uses far beyond web development since it is one of the world’s most popular programming languages.
There are several main types of Web Developers: Front-End Web Developers, Back-End Developers, and Full-Stack Developers. Front-End Web Developers create the “front-end, ” the part of the website or application that you see and interact with. Back-End Web Developers maintain the “back-end” of the website or application, the infrastructure that makes it work. Full-Stack Web Developers combine both by working on the “full-stack, ” or the front-end and the back-end.
If you’re thinking of training in web development to launch a new career, then you’ll want to consider earning a certificate. Certificates are typically given to demonstrate that you completed a certain training program in web development. Some of these are private certificates, but some coding schools such as Noble Desktop, offer state-licensed certificates to graduates of their programs.
New Jersey is a great place to launch a new career as a Web Developer: it’s ranked as a top 25 job in the state by Tech Elevator. New Jersey isn’t known as a tech hub, but technology is its second largest industry, with a $56 billion dollar economy. The largest subsectors of New Jersey’s tech sector include cybersecurity, big data, telecom, and AI. Some of the big tech companies that call New Jersey home include Caesars Digital, Audible, iGATE, and Verisk Analytics.
Training in web development doesn’t limit you to working for a tech company: every company in every industry needs Web Developers on their team. New Jersey companies that recently made job postings for people with web development skills include Colgate-Palmolive, Ascent Digital Media, New Jersey Court System, Fidelity, and Rutgers University.
The stable need for Web Developers makes it a lucrative career. The average annual salary for a Web Developer in New Jersey is around $80,000 per year. This is slightly lower than the national average. Entry-level Web Developers in New Jersey earn around $70,000 per year. This is the kind of salary you would expect to start at in New Jersey after getting certified in web development.
Web development skills can also be used in other careers, many which offer higher average salaries than a Web Developer. A Software Engineer has a lot of the same skills as a Web Developer, but earns around $100,000 a year in New Jersey. Whereas a Product Manager earns around $95,000 per year in New Jersey.
Noble Desktop: Full-Stack Web Development Certificate
Key Information: Noble Desktop is a top NYC coding, business, and design school with more than three decades of experience training people for new careers. Their Full-Stack Web Development Certificate program is designed to provide comprehensive training to launch a new career as a Web Developer. Graduates earn a New York State-Licensed Certificate in Full-Stack Web Development.
Full-Stack Developers work on both the “front-end” and the “back-end” of a website or web application. They also earn a lucrative salary in New Jersey of around $105,000 a year. That’s around 5% more than the national average. Noble Desktop’s Full-Stack Web Development Certificate program provides all the training and skills you need to launch this new career.
You can enroll in this certificate program either live online or at Noble Desktop’s state-of-the-art campus in Midtown Manhattan. Students who enroll in Noble Desktop’s in-person classes gain access to cutting edge labs and equipment, opportunities to socialize in their spacious common room, free high-speed wifi, and coffee.
All of Noble Desktop’s classes, live online or in-person, are taught by expert instructors using Noble Desktop’s unique, projects-based approach to job training. Your instructor will teach a short “micro-lecture, ” and then immediately guide students through applying what they learned using hands-on, real-world projects. Graduates can also “retake” any class for free to continue developing their skills. This ensures that you learn the skills you need to launch a new career in web development.
In their Full-Stack Web Development Certificate, graduates learn both the front-end and back-end of websites and web applications. Some of the skills covered in this certificate program include learning to hand code with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, client-side JavaScript programming, client-side JavaScript libraries, Node.js for developing web apps, working with databases using MongoDB, and tracking changes in Git. People who enroll in this certificate program are also given two bonus bootcamps with Noble Desktop: SQL Bootcamp and WordPress Bootcamp.
This certificate program can be taken part-time in the evenings or full-time during weekdays if you would like to launch your new career more quickly. In addition to the instruction in the certificate program, you’ll receive job training, including 1-on-1 career mentoring, resume and LinkedIn assistance, and mock job interviews.
New Jersey CIty University: Full Stack Web Development Boot Camp
Key Information: New Jersey City University offers open-enrollment bootcamps in tech topics such as web development. These six-month bootcamps are self-paced and include weekly live interaction with an instructor.
This bootcamp is entirely online. It’s self-paced and completed through interactive video lessons, labs, discussion boards with peers, and coaching sessions with an instructor. Some of the topics covered in this bootcamp include programming concepts, working with HTML and CSS for web development, creating websites with JavaScript and jQuery, working with Bootstrap, integrating database programming with MySWL, and working with Git. Graduates earn a certificate of completion.
Rutgers Bootcamps: Coding Bootcamp
Key Information: Rutgers University Coding Bootcamp trains students for a career as a Web Developer in either 12 weeks (full-time) or 24 weeks (part-time).
You don’t have to be enrolled at Rutgers to attend this web development bootcamp. You’ll gain skills in several programming languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Express.js, React.js, Node.js, and MongoDB. The bootcamp also includes training on computer science theories and foundations such as database theory, Agile methodology, and object-oriented programming.
Enrolled students also gain access to continuation courses in hot tech career topics such as Python (the most popular programming language in the world), Java, C#, and Amazon Web Services. Graduates receive extensive career planning assistance, including portfolio reviews, resume and social media support, interview prep, soft skills training, and access to recruiting events.
NextGen Bootcamp: Full-Stack Developer Summer Program
Key Information: NextGen Bootcamp offers cutting-edge career training for high school students over the summer. Partnered with Noble Desktop, high school students can take NextGen’s summer tech classes either live online or at Noble Desktop’s state-of-the-art campus in Midtown Manhattan.
Ambitious high school students who’d like to get a head start on a career in web development can sign up for this summer program. The program starts with learning to code in HTML and CSS. Then, it moves on to learning how to work with variables, arrays, objects, loops, and functions in JavaScript. Students will have a live website by the end of the program.
Students learn with their peers who have the same career interests. Graduates earn a certificate of completion in Full-Stack Development.
Brookdale Community College: Front-end Software Development Bootcamp
Key Information: Brookdale Community College offers multiple coding bootcamps as a part of its Continuing Education program. Boot Camps offered by Brookdale Community College include Software Development Bootcamp, Front-end Software Development Bootcamp, Back-end Software Development Bootcamp, Digital Marketing Bootcamp, and Big Data Engineering Bootcamp.
Students in Brookdale’s Front-end Software Development Bootcamp learn how to build websites and applications that are functional and user-friendly. This bootcamp meets in-person once a week and students meet once a week for a remote session with a mentor.
Topics covered in this bootcamp include coding in HTML, using CSS to style websites, algorithms, object-oriented programming, design patterns, jQuery, AJAX, Bootstrap, React, Amazon Web Services, and unit testing.
Coding Dojo: Jersey City Coding Bootcamp
Key Information: Coding Dojo offers a part-time coding bootcamp in software development both live online and at their Jersey City location. This 34-week bootcamp program provides comprehensive training from the basics of computer literacy to developing two capstone programs: one as a solo student and one as a group project.
Weeks 1 and 2 cover programming basics, including study habits, computer basics, fundamental programming concepts, and algorithmic foundations. During weeks 3-6, students begin learning to code websites using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Weeks 7-14 is a deep dive into programming with Python, an open-source, object-oriented language that is the most popular programming language in the world. Weeks 15-22 cover JavaScript, Node.js, Express, js, React, and MongoDB. Weeks 23-30 will cover Java and Java web development. In the final four weeks of the program, students work on their capstone projects: one solo project and another with a group.
In addition to classroom instruction, students receive generous office hours with instructors. All students are also provided access to their cohort and course materials.
Tech Elevator: Jersey City Coding Bootcamp
Key Information: Tech Elevator offers comprehensive training in coding with local job placement in New Jersey. Students are taught full-stack development in this full-time coding bootcamp. All students gain access to Tech Elevator’s local co-working campus for events, networking, paired programming, or game nights.
Tech Elevator has more than 3.500 graduates and an 88% job placement rate. Tech Elevator reports that they are partnered with local Jersey City companies as hiring partners, including Finacity, CGI, JP Morgan Chase, PNC, accenture, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
FAQ for Web Development Certificates
What is the Difference Between a Certificate and a Certification?
Typically, the difference is that a certificate is awarded to students who complete a training course while a certification is given to students who pass an exam. There are no currently established professional certificates for Web Developers. Instead, it is recommended that you attend a certificate program and earn a certificate to prove your skills.
Should I Pursue a Certificate or a Certification?
There are no extremely established professional certifications in web development. It is generally recommended that you pursue a certificate instead of a certification.
Do I Need to Become Certified to Find a Job?
Yes, earning a certificate is the fastest way to launch a new career as a Web Developer. Certificates are especially recommended for people who have never worked in tech or web development before.
You’ll have a certificate from a reputable source demonstrating that you have the skills needed to work professionally in web development.
What Certificate Program is Right for Me?
Which is Better: In-Person or Online Classes
In-person classes are the most traditional way of training for a new career such as in web development. Online classes have been gaining a lot of popularity because they offer some advantages over in-person classes. However, whichever you choose will ultimately depend on your goals.
In-person classes offer face-to-face interaction in the same space as your instructor and classmates. That’s hard to replicate online. Many coding schools also offer amenities to in-person students such as access to state-of-the-art labs, common rooms, and super fast wifi.
Online classes have the advantage of being available from anywhere. It doesn’t matter where you live: you can receive expert instruction from your own home or from anywhere.
Which is Better: Live Online or Asynchronous Classes?
Live online classes work exactly like in-person classes. Because the class is happening live, you’ll be interacting with your instructor and classmates in real-time. You can ask questions. You can even get direct feedback on your work or collaborate with classmates using screen-sharing software.
Asynchronous courses are typically delivered via pre-recorded video lectures. Many asynchronous courses also offer live interactions with the instructor or video coaching sessions. These types of courses can be great for someone who has a very busy schedule or lots of distractions around their house.