Do I Have To Go To University To Work In The Web Development Industry?

Answering this question becomes harder and harder every day, as the number of successful individuals who have and have not received a formal education continues to rise. Whilst many people are strict advocates of going to university in order to learn the ins and outs of web development, others value self-taught skills and techniques as a higher level of learning. So, which of these avenues is the best route for you?

Why do people go to school?
Many young people will head off to university before attempting to find a job in the web development industry because they feel that that is what is expected of them. Others decide to go to school because they wish to study another course alongside development (such as business or arts). And others still will apply to university because they have been led to believe that this is the only way they will get the sort of job they want. There are a number of benefits associated with studying at university, however, as you will receive a very detailed knowledge of many relevant programs and languages, including: coding, HTML, CSS, PHP, and RSS feeds.

Why don’t people go to school?
After finishing high school, many other young people will also decide not to attend university to study web development because they’ve already studied something and do not wish to go back. Others decide that university is not for them because they were never any good at school. And others still will avoid university because they simply cannot afford the exorbitant fees. These people take more a self-taught route, which involves a lot of practice with the different programs used in development and the viewing of hundreds of online tutorials when they come across something they do not understand.

Which one is better?
At the end of the day, each of these different routes into the web development industry has their advantages and disadvantages. Which one is best for you will depend entirely on your situation. Many people struggle to find a job without a formal qualification in the form of a degree or a doctorate, whereas others have no problem in getting out-sourced work from larger companies that gives them the experience they need to get full time work. You may even begin a degree in web development then decide that it’s not the route for you – this is fine, and your future as a developer is certainly not over.