Ask HN: Is web development still a viable career choice?

Here are a few observations, in no particular order:

1. No one here can really tell you. They would be guessing. I would go on to indeed.com and type in the skill set you consider to be "web dev" and make note of the number of jobs and (where available) salary offering. This is the current state of the market.

2. You are asking an even more complicated question about the future state. The answer is even more prone to speculation. Your guess is as good as anyone's.

3. Although web-dev in its current form will almost certainly not be in demand, the future form will evolve out of the current form so the time you spend learning, debugging, networking will likely not be wasted. (unless we crack General AI).

This is a very interesting talk on the matter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rkTn98h1aI

> In fact, I'd highly recommend against it. You'll get the most out of working with other developers and improving your skills before you go out on your own (if you ever go out on your own).

I often wonder at the whole "gotta be a contractor" mentality. I understand there's more money there, but I think that there's a huge value in learning to be a team player where you're building something you are actually invested in, if even for only a 1-2 year period. As a contractor, the skills you build and lessons you learn are important, but they aren't as concrete as living and dying with a particular team and a particular solution for an extended period. In addition, I feel like you are more likely to get vital mentorship at the critical early part of your career as a member of the team instead of a replaceable contractor cog.

It depends on what you mean by web developer. That used to mean taking mockups done in Photoshop and turning them into HTML. Today that narrow role on the team is often outsourced or does not pay very well.

If by web developer you are referring to what many now call a "front end" developer then yes, that field is very busy and can pay quite well. Front end developers are expected to know a popular JavaScript framework (such as React) as well as CSS and HTML. Front end development is a dynamic and exciting field. I've been in and around "web development" for roughly 20 years and it is quite fun and has quite the future ahead.

Just last week the top trending article on HN was about how you should start with a web app instead of a mobile app. Today there are really powerful and much easier to use frameworks than what we had compared to just a few years ago. I say, if the web truly interests you then dive in head first and pour your heart into your work and most of all SHOW YOUR WORK publicly so people can find you and know you. That's how you find great teams.

Hell yes! Just don't try and be the guy making 3 page info sites for your local gardener/bakery/whatever. There's simply no money in that, as they can do that themselves for free with an online website builder, so the value add from a good dev is minimal.

Once you've honed your skills, focus on the more complex, bespoke projects. Become good at delivering on time and try to find clients that wish to invest in tech to improve their business further. They will generally appreciate your work more and will not hesitate to pay you good money if you're genuinely adding to their bottom line.