How to become a web developer in Nigeria

How to become a web developer in Nigeria

Web design and development has been around for over five decades, but it seems Nigerians are just getting to know about it considering the rate at which people are learning it these days. Having the skills of web designing is an added advantage for you whether as a business or just for yourself. Learning web design and development can benefit you in many ways, it doesn’t take much to learn as you become better through continuous practice. Web development is the work involved in developing a website for the internet (WWW) or an intranet (a private network). The process involves web design, web content development, network security configuration, among others.

A web developer is someone who takes a web design that has been created by a design team, and writes lines of complicated codes using a variety of web-oriented languages. Web developers are not the same as web designers, as most people think. They both work to build a website but there are differences in their job descriptions. A web designer is the one who develops and styles objects for the website, while a web developer is the one that develops the applications and makes the website work. He is responsible for beautifying the website, and putting all features in place for it to work.

It is not just enough to be a web developer in Nigeria, but you need to be a successful one, especially if you’re in it as a business.

Below are steps to becoming a successful web developer in Nigeria:

• Be passionate

Passion means to have a strong and controllable emotion; it is a desire to act on something. Before you can truly succeed in any business, you have to be passionate about it, as this is what will fuel your commitment to it. Is web developing something you’re happy while doing? Does it align with the kind of life you intend to live? Does the thoughts of creating and developing websites excites you? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself before making a decision to be a web developer. When you’re passionate about a thing, you will be able to overcome whatever obstacle comes your way along the line.

• Why do you want to be a web developer?

The popular saying, “if the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable” is more true than anything. No matter what you’re doing, you need to know the why behind it, as this will enable you to know what you’re working towards. Do you want to make a difference in the lives of people? Or you want to build your own projects? Or you do you just want another stream of income? If your reason is not strong enough, you’ll back out of it when a slight issues comes up in the business. When you’re frustrated and feel like giving up, it is your “why” that will keep you going and get you back up on your feet.

• Create your web development plan

You should have a web development plan training that you wish to stick to. You can use this as a guideline:

1^st month: Learn HTML and CSS

2^nd month: Learn Bootstrap and design basics

3^rd month: Create websites using HTML, CSS and Bootstrap

4^th month: Learn JavaScript

5^th month: Learn advanced JavaScript

6^th month: Create websites using HTML, CSS and Bootstrap

7^th month: Focus on creating a personal portfolio website and creating a personal brand

8^th month: Reach out to companies and businesses to create websites for them, for free (to gain more experience)

9^th month: Focus on improving and see areas you need to work on

10^th month: you should have at least five clients’ websites that you have done and completed

11^th month: Learn the basics of freelancing and business

12^th month: Reach out to your prospective clients, promote what you do and get paid for it.

 

• Have social media presence

Most of your jobs will be gotten online, and so you should be visible online for people to contact you. You should have a profile on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Web development without social media presence in Nigeria won’t take you far. Ensure to have your page up and running, post your work samples, and tell people what you do. Let your brand name be registered on the heart of people, such that when they need a web developer, you’ll be the first to come up in their minds. If your portfolio is good enough, clients will contact you.

• Contribute to open source projects

Contributing to open source projects shows that you’re passionate about what you do, and you’re confident about your skills. If you do this open source projects well, you can become recognized in your community and this will boost your credibility.

 

 

Read Also: Top 5 Richest Web Developers in Nigeria

 

• Gain experience

Experience always supersedes theory anywhere. You cannot just tell people that you have the skills to do something, you have to show them what you have done, and that will make you establish a successful web development business in Nigeria. Endeavor to gain more experience before you launch out. Web development is a practical job, and no one cares if you have a certificate for it or not, all they want to see is samples of the jobs you’ve done before and how you can build their websites also.

• Work smart

Working smart helps you achieve better results. Web development in Nigeria is not all about hard work, you need to know how to work smart, what to prioritize and what to focus on per time. It is very easy to focus only on coding aspect or running a freelance business while neglecting other better and faster way to achieve things. You don’t have to do any and everything as a web developer, know your job description and stick to it. Working hard does not equal working smart, and they both get different results for you. Work smart!

• Pricing

Many web developers do a good job, but when it comes to pricing, they do not know how to price effectively. There are times you’ll work free for people, or charge a low price, but when you start becoming more confident about your work, you should be able to price better. Whether you’re working as a freelancer or in a company, you need to know how to price appropriately according to what you offer.

• Skills

Web development is a skill that leans on other skills to succeed. You cannot just limit yourself to knowing how to code and build websites, you should learn other skills like marketing, negotiation, communication, social skills, among others. You should be all-rounded, not just settling for coding alone. That is how to become a successful web developer in Nigeria. Enhance your skills in all areas.

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