Like most of the other aspects of the internet, web development is a dynamic industry that is frequently being updated to match the ever increasing demand for sophistication. Designers and developers will tell you that the only way you can make it in the web development industry is by being up to date with the current technology and the technology being developed for the future. It therefore goes without saying that to improve your job prospects in the web development industry; you need to up your skills. Below are some of the skills that are imperative in enhancing your marketability as a developer.
C# or VB.Net are general purpose programming languages developed by Microsoft in their .Net initiative. They are used in projects with a lot of coding that cannot be handled by other simpler languages. In terms of usage, C# resembles Java and VB.Net Visual Basic. Conversancy in these languages will open for you doors to heavy back-end development and web developing software houses.
Java is another programming language used for client and server side scripting. It is very versatile and can be used in many development contexts for example; creating server side applications and producing dynamic server side content just like PHP and ASP. Learning Java does not tie you down to a single programming career and you can easily change in future.
There are other programming languages that are very vital in the marketability of a developer for example JavaScript together with Ajax, Perl, Python, SQL, PHP and Ruby on Rails. JavaScript is popular for client side scripting while AJAX combines Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. JavaScript is vital due to its popularity, wide browser support and compatibility with methodologies like DHTML and AJAX. Perl is a versatile scripting language with multiple functions but mostly used for server side scripting. PHP is the most popular and most frequently updated language hence its knowledge is imperative for any designer with their eyes on success. Python and Ruby on Rails are ideal for rapid web development, whereas SQL is vital for websites that use databases.
There are other skills that are necessary for the modern day designer whose target is success. Flash and ActionScript fall in this category and they allow you to create dynamic visual presentations and interactivity for a website. When combined with other design skills, these skills can upgrade your marketability a great deal. Agile web development technique is also an important skill for any developer who wishes to remain relevant and marketable in the current web development industry. This technique has taken the web development industry by storm and its focus on customer satisfaction makes it one of the most sought after development technique.
The other important skill that the modern day developer needs is knowledge of mobile development. Access to the internet has become more diversified with many people now using mobile phones to access the web. This means that the developed website needs to be compatible with mobile devices in order to benefit from the increasing number of people accessing the web through mobile devices.