Do you only know them through a few clichés?

Don’t know what they really do?

Don’t you understand the lines of code they can write?

Does this seem incomprehensible to you?

That’s why we’ve decided to explain their roles in a little more detail, so you can get a clearer idea of who web developers are. Because they are indispensable!

According to Wikipedia :

“A web developer is a computer scientist specializing in programming or expressly involved in the development of World Wide Web applications, or applications that are run from a web server on a web browser and use the HTTP protocol as the information transmission vector.”

Don’t you get it?

Annie (front-end developer at MG2) tried to explain it to you in other words:

“We reproduce the designers’ mock-ups in real life, placing the elements (text, colors, images). We also program the button actions and develop the site’s various functionalities according to the customer’s requirements for his website.”

But there isn’t just one “type” of web developer… everyone has their own speciality:

• Front-end developer: develops the front-end languages used by customers (HTML, CSS, JavaScript). We also call them web integrators, because they take care of the elements of a site that can be seen on the screen and interacted with: forms, buttons, drop-down menus, etc…
• Back-end developer: takes care of all the invisible mechanics behind a site, and is the person who makes the functionalities work. To do this, he develops in server (backend) languages such as PHP, Java, Python… It also performs SQL queries to the database. In other words, it handles information stored in a database, which in turn is stored on a server.
• Full stack developer: generally someone who can work on both frontend and backend. As technologies evolve rapidly, it’s difficult to be an expert in everything, and full-stack developers need to master the main technologies and programming languages.

Mathilde (MG2 back-end developer) has prepared an example to illustrate the above definitions. Here, let’s take a contact form:

> The Front End will create the form, make it beautiful, ensure that the user can enter his data and that it’s properly formatted. Also, that the error message is displayed when information is missing.

> The back end takes care of everything that happens when you click on the button to submit the form, i.e. retrieving the information, formatting it, and finally sending it.

As a result, versatility, autonomy, rigor (meeting deadlines) and curiosity (learning new concepts and ongoing training) are qualities that are sought-after, if not indispensable, in web developers.

What about clichés?

1 – No, web developers don’t have to be men.

2 – No, a web developer doesn’t have to be a geek.

3 – No, web developers don ‘t repair computers and printers.

4 – No, web developers don ‘t code day and night.

5 – No, the web developer isn’t necessarily an absolute Starwars fan.

And FYI!

If you’re wondering, “Is this area of the web just for men?”

FALSE, it’s a common misconception!

For example, MG2 has 3 female developers and 4 male web developers. In fact, Technovation Montréal has a number of exciting projects aimed at putting the spotlight on “girls in tech”. This short video illustrates it well: