The role of web developers has never been more important. The folks responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining websites and web services are the unseen pillars holding up the internet. But regardless of working behind the scenes, they play an important role in completing the process, making the career as a web developer one of the most lucrative careers nowadays.
With that said, much of the art and some of the science of web development involves on-the-job learning and seat-of-your-pants troubleshooting. Don’t believe it? Just ask any web developer and they’ll most likely agree with that assessment.
The reality of web development is that much of it comes down to the utilization of what many people refer to as “life hacks.” The following are the life hacks most commonly utilized by web developers:
Google it
The ability to find answers to difficult questions and solutions to complicated problems by using Google has become a standard aspect of modern life. Most of us have stopped appreciating this resource and take it for granted. The power of Google for acquiring knowledge and information is a fundamental asset of web development. Many web developers make a daily habit of using Google to learn how to perform a certain task or solve a nagging problem. It’s one of the ways they’re able to encounter the many idiosyncratic challenges they face without going crazy.
Capture it
One of the downsides of depending on Google for finding information on the web is the potential for web content to be altered or removed. To safeguard against this possibility, many developers choose to save webpages off line for future reference. This way they have a reliable means of preserving the information that may otherwise be inaccessible in the future. It’s an all-important life hack that many developers learn the hard way by opening a bookmarked page only to discover it’s no longer available.
Share it
So far it probably sounds like web developers make a living by just typing into Google and taking screenshots. However, every web developer inevitably encounters a problem that cannot be solved by finding the answer online. They have to figure it out on their own. When this occurs, web developers have an opportunity to pay it forward. They’ve benefited from the information provided by other web developers, so by contributing their own discoveries, they’re giving something back. While it does not directly tie into making their job easier, it supports a system that they will inevitably rely upon in the future.
Keep it simple
A website or web service which is difficult to navigate or utilize is almost always too complicated from the user perspective. One of the most important lessons web developers must learn is to keep things as simple as possible. The quicker they appreciate the value of simplicity and incorporate it into the web products they build, the sooner they start to make it easier on themselves. With this in mind, a preference for minimally designed website templates and other hallmarks of simple web sites and services is the most important life hack for web developers to use. It saves them countless hours they’d otherwise spend adding unnecessary fluff to the sites and services they’re tasked with developing.
With so much of modern life revolving around internet content, it’s no surprise that web developers play a key role. While the work they do seems wizardly – and sometimes it really is – much of what makes a good web developer comes down to the utilization of life hacks for finding answers and solving problems.
