The Ins and Outs of an Online Web Development Degree Program

A Netcraft report in January of 2008 pegged the total number of Web sites at 156 million. That's a lot of websites and a lot of code written by Web developers over the years. It's doubtful that number has gotten any smaller with the rapid growth of computer technology, which means aspiring Web developers should have great career prospects.

Getting an Online Education Edge: A Web Development Degree Program

A Bachelor of Science in Information Technology is one degree that could put you on the road to a career as a Web developer. Bachelor's degree programs in computer science or computer engineering are other possibilities. Advancement into graduate degree programs can help to pave the way for a move into managerial roles. Some of the coursework in an undergraduate degree program may be:

• Systems analysis and design
• Programming
• Database design
• Web development technologies
• Network architecture

Because Web development is a very dynamic field, you should expect to continue learning as new computing languages are created and old ones evolve. You might want to learn and earn your certification in a Web development language or two like HTML, PHP, Java, CSS, ASP, Perl, Python, Ruby on Rails, and .NET to name a few.

A Quick Peek at the Career Outlook for Web Developers

A Web developer can annually earn between $54,750 and $81,500, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Moving up to a senior Web developer role bumps up your salary expectations to $71,000 to $102,000 per year. Even in hard economic times, all signs seem to be positive for careers in technology and related fields like Web development. Currently, the BLS is predicting a 37 percent growth in jobs in the decade ending in 2016. Maybe that number will shrink a little, but still, those are pretty good prospects with great pay opportunities.
With a Web development degree on your wall, you may be the one to create the latest Web site that captures the attention of Internet visitors around the world.
Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Computer Scientists and Database Administrators
Digital Inspiration, The Total Number of Web sites on Earth, by Amit Agarwal, February 8, 2008

James Tolles is a freelance writer with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Creative Writing and History.