Last updated - June 20, 2023
WordPress is a growing community having websites with over 70 million new posts each month. It is a content management system (CMS) that enables users to build and host websites for businesses, online courses, forums, blogs, and more, and the demand for the software has continued to grow since the peak of Covid-19, which brought several individuals and organizations to shift to a virtual setup because of the restrictions.
WordPress powers 37% of the top million websites for 2021, which accounts for the 455,000 sites across the internet during the same year. Because of how robust the WordPress community is, it has become a platform to earn profit for most of its users. With the overwhelming statistics it has gained over the years, the demand for WordPress developers has also grown.
If you are passionate about information technology or software management, you can use that passion to take advantage of the current demand for WordPress developers to make money. However, there are things that you need to take into account before you start your journey as a developer, as it will not be an easy feat. Due to the high demand, the competition might be tough to penetrate. It will be hard to develop a career as a WordPress developer, but don’t worry because we got you!
WordPress Developer
A WordPress developer designs, manages, and creates websites for companies that use the WordPress creation tool. They are responsible for the infrastructure of a WordPress platform.
As a skilled WordPress developer, you can find remote jobs allowing you to work from the comfort of your home.
If you are adamant and motivated in becoming a WordPress developer, start your career by following these five amazing tips:
Do Extensive Research On The Required Skills
A WordPress developer takes many technical skills to perform what their job description entails. Even if you have sufficient knowledge to create a website, you still need to research the required technical skills to become a WordPress developer. Once you have a list of the skills you need to have, you can take crash courses to learn the skills and get certified for them to be more eligible.
To help you kickstart your knowledge boosting, here are the top must-have technical skills you will need:
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
- JavaScript
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
- PHP, Java, ASP, or Perl
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Bootstrap
- Basic Photoshop
Learn More About WordPress
Becoming a WordPress developer is not as easy as 123. If you want it, you have to learn about it. Basic knowledge about WordPress might be helpful, but it is only the beginning. To better understand how WordPress development occurs, you must know the platform. The more you know about it, the higher chance you can get to become a developer.
Many WordPress online courses will help you get started, and you can even find some tailored for those who want to become a WordPress developer. Invest in these online courses, as they will be a great advantage. You do not necessarily have to take all classes, but find the ones you know will help you learn everything you need to learn about WordPress.
Choose An Area Of Development
In becoming a WordPress developer, you can focus on one of the three following choices: plug-ins, software, or themes. You can work with all three areas, but you need to have only one focus area where you can specialize on.
Themes
Themes display the data and content stored on WordPress on a website. By creating WordPress themes, you design how content will appear on a website from a user’s point of view.
Plugins
A plugin is a small software application. It adds new functionality to software or extends its existing functionality, and it plays a crucial role in building websites in WordPress.
Here are some examples of plugins:
W3 Total Cache
The W3 Total Cache helps manage the loading speed of your website with its speed optimization feature. It is an excellent plugin for blog sites as it helps improve the blog’s ranking on Google alongside enhancing the user’s experience. It also minimizes codes on your websites, such as HTML and CSS.
AdSanity
AdSanity is for people who create business blogs on WordPress. It is a plugin used to create online advertisements, and it is straightforward to use as it allows you to make and post ads like how you do with a regular blog post.
Jetpack
Another crowd favorite when it comes to WordPress plugins is the Jetpack. It enhances your website’s security which is a crucial feature for any website to have, and it improves the overall performance of your website. One noticeable security feature of this plugin is it minimizes spam comments and draws out junk social sharing and unnecessary emails.
Now that you know what themes and plugins are, an idea might be starting to form in your mind on what focus area you will pick. Of course, it’s safer to research first before you decide so you will know how to go about each focus area.
Ready Yourself For Setbacks
Being a WordPress developer is not easy, and working with online applications and software can be one of the most challenging jobs. In terms of the technical aspect of your job, you may encounter several problems with the platform that may cause severe issues with the web pages, especially if you are a first-timer. If you want to move forward with this kind of career, you must condition your mind and prepare yourself for these possible setbacks so you will know how to respond.
Remember, because millions of people use WordPress, there might also be a lot of developers out there, which will make it difficult for you to stand out. It will be challenging initially, but you’ll get over that phase. If you want it, work harder and smarter.
Practice Your Acquired Skills
When you think you are well-equipped enough to start your career as a developer, practice by doing. You can start by creating a plug-in development to test what you’ve learned so far and troubleshoot problems that may arise while you are doing so.
Conclusion
It is good to start a career as a WordPress developer while the demand for it is high. There are so many accessible and affordable online courses circulating today that you can make use of, so if you have a lot of free time, then go for it.
Nothing is impossible if you put effort and invest in things that can help you become what you want to be. Being a WordPress developer may not be as simple as making an account on a social media site, but there’s nothing you can’t learn with the internet nowadays.
