Misconceptions about coding and web development

#1. Learning how to code will take you a few months not years

Yes, learning to code is just a matter of months and not years according to many misconceptions. The absolute first step toward web development is to start learning two coding languages which are HTML and CSS. These two skills will allow you to start building basic websites, and they’ll even qualify you to start doing paid HTML and CSS jobs (think freelance web development gigs for friends, family, or local businesses). And here’s the thing—learning to code with HTML and CSS can take as little as weeks or even days depending on your pace and approach.

After getting experience with HTML and CSS, you can expand your development repertoire further with programming languages like JavaScript. Learning JavaScript will add a few more months to your learning process, but knowing JavaScript will open up even more development jobs.

Once you have been able to understand the basics of these front-end development skills the learning process will continue over the course of your development career, and there are always more skills to learn in order to stay professionally flexible and relevant. For instance if you’re interested in exploring back-end web development you’ll need to learn server-side languages like Ruby on Rails—but the process of becoming a professionally viable front-end developer can realistically be achieved in a matter of months.

#2. You don’t necessarily have to be a math geek

Many are with the misconception that you have to be a math geek or very good in calculus and algebra for you to become an expert web developer. While tech careers are often stereotypically associated with hardcore computation, it’s the computer you’re using that does most of the intense number crunching. According to web developer expert, critical thinking skills and an eye for design are a much bigger part of the job than advanced calculations. You can read more about the facts on math and coding (and how insecurity around math is often just a matter of perception) in our How Much Math Do I Need to Know to Code article.

#3. A computer science degree is not necessary
There is always another misconception that you need to have a computer science degree for you to to be able to write code or become a web developer. That is not true

Yes, having a CS degree can certainly be a good thing if you’re trying to work as a web professional, but since web development is largely a skills-based field, if you know how to do the work, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t get hired.

If you’re ready to start working as a web developer, the best thing to do is start upskilling your way to the languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.) you’ll need for doing the work—it might sound like a long haul, but it’s considerably shorter and less expensive than going back to school for two-to-four years.