Employers are clamoring for developers in general and WordPress developers in particular. Those who invest in learning WordPress in depth have the future ahead of them.
Since WordPress will soon be behind every third website in the world, learning to code WordPress is a pretty safe career choice. The most common question I get when I meet people at conferences is whether I know any developers who need assignments/work. Even some basic knowledge is good to have when a simple campaign site is going up or if your employer is going to procure WordPress developers. It is also possible to work with WordPress without being a full-fledged developer, such as project manager, marketer, editor or designer. WordPress looks good on any resume.
One problem for clients who want to hire WordPress consultants is that there is currently no certification of WordPress developers. Clients risk hiring amateurs who have no in-depth knowledge of WordPress. Therefore, it is not wrong to ask the consultant how they learned WordPress.
Personally, I believe in formal education to get a breadth of knowledge, but when it comes to developers, interest and aptitude for focusing on details is more important than a long education. Many good developers are self-taught.
The foundation of WordPress is the PHP programming language, which is primarily used to build database-driven websites. It is also necessary to learn HTML and CSS. JavaScript is another skill that has become increasingly important for WordPress developers. Stanislav Khromov, who is a WordPress developer at Aftonbladet, has written an interesting article about the skills needed to become an advanced WordPress developer.
The first step to becoming a WordPress developer is to install your own WordPress site and customize it to your own needs. Anyone who knows how to use an FTP program can do this.
Just installing a WordPress site is actually quite easy. WordPress.org has documentation in English to help you along the way. There are tons of free manuals and courses on installing WordPress. The II Foundation released the Beginner’s Guide to Getting Started with WordPress in June 2016. The Web Star project, which is mainly aimed at mainstream schools, has simple online courses for complete beginners. Lynda.com has a large number of online courses at different levels on WordPress.
Meeting WordPress people at various Meetups and WordCamps is another way to learn more about the platform. They’re nice people, but the lectures often go over the heads of complete beginners.
If you want to take a longer course, you can find a number at the University of Applied Sciences that make you a developer in two years. There are many different private companies that organize the training on behalf of the state, so it is important to take references to be sure that the training is good.
Most universities and colleges in Sweden have three-year system developer programs for those who really want to invest in a solid education. There are also postgraduate programs for those who want to take a master’s degree. The Studera website has a good search engine to find the right program for you. All of Angry Creative’s developers have studied at university.
Ultimately, it’s curiosity and an ambition to progress in your profession that will make you a good developer. Ambition and a good seatmate are good to have along for the ride.