A Day In the Life of a Web Developer

There are over 4 million software developers currently employed in the United States. That’s a significant portion of the active workforce! That number is only expected to grow. 

High school students are turning to web developer careers, thanks to the new generation’s status as digital natives and the high salary of such careers. Web developers are in higher demand now more than ever, as our world is increasingly digitalized. 

However, many people don’t know just what goes into a day in the life of a web developer. If you’re looking to hire software developers, knowledge is power! We’ve assembled a walkthrough of just what a web developer’s job entails each day.

What Does The Job Entail?

Many people only have a vague idea of what custom software developers actually do. Depending on who they work for and what projects they’re on, their tasks vary slightly.

Overall, they build websites with coding languages such as HTML and JavaScript. They could be building websites from scratch or performing updates and bug resolution on preexisting sites.

This process of building a site from the ground up controls the layout that all other content, such as text or images, will be hung on. It also controls the site’s functionality, such as a customer’s ability to go through the checkout process.

This involves ensuring that the site is user-friendly, logically organized, and pleasing to the eye. To accomplish this, many software developers work closely with graphic designers, writers, and more.

Being a web developer involves crafting sites from the ground up, troubleshooting and performing updates, and more.
Starting The Day

Whether they’re working as a remote web developer or are coming into the office, their day begins similarly. 

Many start their day by getting organized. This involves reviewing any messages that came through Slack or Teams or catching up on emails. Then, they review any bug reports or error messages. 

This can involve customer feedback or support tickets, too. Because a web developer’s day can get hectic fast, many make a prioritized to-do list for the day. 

Most urgent issues often categorize this, have the most impact on the site, or have been marked as read by their client or supervisor. Then, it’s time for a morning meeting. 

Attending a Morning Stand-Up

Sprints often categorize developer tasks. These short sprints are organized into time periods, with a certain number of tasks to be accomplished. This short life-cycle helps risks surface quickly, keeping a project on track and keeping everyone synced. 

That’s why morning stand-ups are popular with many web developers. It allows a team to get together and sync on priorities while identifying any issues that could present a roadblock over the day. It’s also a chance for developers to identify who they might need help from or collaborate with over the course of the day.

They’re called stand-ups because they’re short, often fifteen minutes or less. It’s meant to be completed in the amount of time that someone can comfortably stand.

Getting to Work 

Now that everyone is clear on their tasks for the day, most developers buckle down and get working. This is when that prioritized to-do list really starts to come in handy!

Sometimes, addressing those urgent tasks takes up the bulk of the day. At other times, some days are slower. This is when developers tend to brainstorm in a mentorship fashion. 

Developers will often sit with each other to bounce ideas off each other and work towards a solution. This is called pair programming and is often done between peers. But it’s also a useful way to pair senior and junior developers by bringing them up to speed and showing them new ways to identify and solve problems.

Once tasks are completed, whether independently or as a pair, it’s time to submit the completed code for review. This usually means submitting it to a test server. Depending on company policy, code is often reviewed or tested by other developers before it goes live.

This helps eliminate errors and allows other team members to weigh in on the best possible solution to a task. Multiple sets of eyes on updated code also helps prevent version control issues too.

Collaborating with Others 

The role of a web developer often requires close collaboration with graphic designers, content writers, and more. The typical day of a web developer usually includes meetings to help smooth this collaboration process. 

For instance, a typical meeting might involve designers walking the developer team through their latest project. This allows the developer team to get a feel for what’s coming and start brainstorming how to translate designs into code.

After this step is completed, it’s usually time for a developer to start wrapping up their day. They might complete a few more tasks and check their email one last time to ensure no pressing issues. 

Sometimes, if there is time left at the end of the day, some developers will use this time as an opportunity for future training. There is always a new trick to learn or a new facet of a programming language. Employers might pay for this education. 

In other cases, free videos or developer forums are a great way to gather more information about a developer’s career. 

Each developer has a different approach to work-life balance. Many will sign out of the office at five or six pm depending on their company and whether they’re under the gun on a particular project. 

If it’s crunch-time, or their company culture is ‘come early, stay late,’ some developers will stay late into the night. 

Hiring A Web Developer 

That’s a typical day in the life of a web developer! As some of the hardest-working, most talented people on the planet, web developers can revolutionize your company.  

If you’d like to talk to us about finding the perfect person for your project, contact us today! We’d be happy to help.