17. Beyond WD at Kode With Klossy

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Learning Goals

Explore new opportunities in the field of web development.

Understand the diverse array of career pathways in web development.

Identify next steps in the learning journey for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Introduction

Welcome to the next step in your web development journey! Over the course of this camp, you’ve explored the exciting world of building for the web, crafting pages with HTML, styling them with CSS, and adding interactivity with JavaScript. So, what’s next? In this lesson, we’ll introduce you to career pathways, additional resources, and communities where you can continue learning, collaborate with others, and build on your newfound knowledge. Let’s dive in and discover how to make your passion for technology a lifelong adventure!

What’s Next in Web Development?

The landscape of web development is incredibly dynamic and constantly evolving. Today, the web is pushing boundaries with faster performance, richer interactions, and smarter capabilities. Technologies like Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are enhancing websites with app-like features such as offline access and push notifications. WebAssembly (Wasm) is enabling developers to run code nearly as fast as native applications directly in the browser, opening up possibilities for complex applications like advanced games and creative tools. 🚀

Simultaneously, there's a significant focus on web accessibility, ensuring that digital experiences are inclusive and usable by people of all abilities. We're also seeing increased AI integration, powering features from intelligent chatbots to personalized user experiences and developer assistance tools. Furthermore, approaches like serverless computing are changing how backend infrastructure is managed, often leading to greater scalability and efficiency. Overall, the field is moving towards creating web experiences that are more seamless, powerful, and human-centric.

Career Pathways

No matter which career path you choose, having a strong understanding of web development is like having a secret superpower. In today’s world, the web is everywhere—from the apps on your phone to the websites businesses rely on. Whether you're drawn to technology, design, business, or even the arts, learning how websites are built will empower you to be part of the future, no matter what field you decide to pursue. But if you’re especially excited about specializing in web development, there’s a world of opportunity even within this one domain!

You could become a Frontend Developer, focusing on what users see and interact with. You’d use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (often with frameworks like React or Vue.js) to craft beautiful and intuitive user experiences (UX).

If you're fascinated by the logic and data behind the scenes, consider a role as a Backend Developer. Here, you’ll work with server-side languages (like Node.js, Python, or Ruby), databases, and APIs to manage data, ensure security, and keep everything running smoothly.

Want to bridge both worlds? A Full-Stack Developer understands and works with both frontend and backend technologies, building complete web applications from the ground up.

For those with a passion for design and empathy for users, positions like UI/UX Designer let you shape how people experience a website or application. You'd research user needs, create wireframes and prototypes, and design interfaces that are both functional and delightful to use.

Passionate about making the web inclusive? A Web Accessibility Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring that websites and applications are usable by people with disabilities, advocating for best practices and implementing solutions.

Not to mention, there are also exciting opportunities in areas like DevOps, focusing on streamlining the development and deployment pipeline, or Web Security, protecting sites and users from online threats.

In short, a career in web development isn’t just about coding—it’s about creativity, problem-solving, and building the digital experiences that shape how we connect and interact. Whether you’re a visual thinker, a logical problem solver, or someone passionate about user needs, there’s a place for you in this exciting field!

Industry Icons

There are so many women advancing the field of web development, but we’ll highlight a few to see the many different ways you could have an impact in this field.

Kimberly Bryant

With a background as an electrical engineer, Kimberly Bryant saw firsthand the need for more inclusive spaces in tech. When her own daughter got interested in coding, Kimberly noticed the lack of programs designed for girls of color. So, in 2011, she founded Black Girls Code! This amazing organization focuses on teaching computer programming to Black girls, aiming to empower a new generation of tech innovators and leaders. Her work is a powerful example of identifying a need and building a community to address it, helping to change the face of technology.

Brenda Jin

Brenda Jin is a software engineer recognized for her contributions to frontend development and her significant advocacy work in web accessibility. She has been instrumental in promoting inclusive design practices and making web technologies usable for everyone. Her efforts highlight the importance of building technology that serves all users and her work in diversity initiatives makes her an inspiring figure in the industry.

Sarah Drasner

Known for her expertise in CSS, SVG animations, and the Vue.js framework, Sarah Drasner is a prominent figure in the frontend development community. She has held influential roles at major tech companies and is renowned for her educational contributions through conference talks, articles, and open-source projects. Her work showcases the blend of technical skill and creativity that drives innovation in modern web development. ✨

These individuals exemplify the diverse pathways and significant impact women are making in web development, from community building and advocacy to technical innovation.

Web Development Tools

Many of the tools you used in this course – HTML, CSS, and JavaScript – are fundamental and widely used by industry professionals. But there are definitely other tools and areas you may want to explore as you continue your journey!

Continue learning JavaScript! It’s the core language of the web, and there's always more to discover, from advanced concepts like asynchronous programming to mastering interaction with the Document Object Model (DOM).

Explore Frontend Frameworks/Libraries: Tools like React, Vue.js, or Angular provide structures and components that make building complex, interactive user interfaces more efficient. Learning one of these is a common next step for frontend developers.

Dive into Backend Development: If you're interested in server-side logic, data management, and APIs, consider learning a backend language like Node.js (which uses JavaScript!), Python (with frameworks like Django or Flask), or Ruby (with Ruby on Rails).

Master Version Control with Git: Git (and platforms like GitHub) is essential for tracking changes in your code, collaborating with others, and managing projects. It's a standard tool in almost every development environment. 💻

Learn about CSS Tools: Explore CSS Preprocessors like Sass or LESS which add features like variables and functions to CSS, or Utility-First Frameworks like Tailwind CSS which offer a different approach to styling.

This is only a small sampling of the many web development tools you may encounter, but exploring any of them is a great next step in your learning journey!

Resource Roundup

If you’re looking for structured courses or detailed guides, we put together a list of suggestions for continuing to learn in web development.

MDN Web Docs: This is an invaluable resource from Mozilla. Think of it as the official documentation for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s comprehensive and reliable when you need to look something up.

freeCodeCamp: Offers a vast, interactive curriculum covering everything from the basics to advanced full-stack development, all for free. Great for hands-on learning through projects.

Codecademy: Provides interactive courses on many web technologies. They have free introductory content, which can be a good way to explore different topics.

CSS-Tricks: A fantastic site focused on frontend development, especially CSS. You can find creative solutions, tutorials, and discussions about modern web design.

Find a Community 🤗

Learning is even more rewarding when you do it with others! If your school offers computer science classes, take full advantage of them – you’re more than ready to tackle new challenges. Beyond your classes, consider exploring other opportunities:

Join a coding club: Whether at school or in your local area, clubs are great for meeting peers and working on projects together.

Attend hackathons: These events are a fun way to challenge yourself, learn quickly, and collaborate intensively on building something new.

Participate in online communities: Platforms like Dev.to, Stack Overflow, or specific Discord servers offer spaces to ask questions, share your work, and learn from experienced developers.

Find local meetups: Look for groups in your area focused on web development or specific technologies. It’s a good way to network and hear from professionals.

Team up with a study buddy: Partnering with someone else learning the same things can help keep you both motivated and accountable.

The journey of learning never stops, and surrounding yourself with a supportive community will help you continue to grow and innovate.

💭 Reflection

Take a few minutes to reflect on what you’ve learned and what interests you:

Which career pathways in web development excited you most today?

How do you plan to continue exploring web development?

What new ideas or perspectives from the lesson do you want to explore further because they resonated with you?

What part of today’s lesson inspired you the most and why?

💼 Back up your files before you go!

If you are using a Kode With Klossy loaner laptop and/or attending an in-person camp, please take a moment to back up your work so you can continue your coding journey beyond camp.

Any files you’ve saved locally (meaning they are stored only on this computer and not in the cloud) could be lost when you return your laptop or leave camp. To make sure you don’t lose anything, save your projects to GitHub, use a cloud storage service, or send any local documents to yourself via email or Slack.