The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Web Development as a Skill(A bankable skill for 2021?)

Anything considered a "hustle" and not necessarily a CENTS-based Fastlane

KushShah9492

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
123%
Jan 2, 2021
309
381
31
India
So, I've been meaning to learn coding and web design for a long time now, and I'm still perplexed. While there a number of services(wordpress, pixieset, wix,etc) I still wonder "Why would Someone go through the process of coding for long hours if he could just customise his site from any of the above services?" I wanted your opinion on the same, should I start learning code? I certainly won't know a lot about coding from just a course, but I suppose that'd be the best place to start. What do you guys think?
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Fox

Legendary Contributor
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
Forum Sponsor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
690%
Aug 19, 2015
3,881
26,764
Europe
Depends on your long term goals.

If you want the skill of coding to build bigger things later (your own app or solution) then it can be time well spent.

If you just want to sell some websites it is not really needed. Just some basic html and css will cover you.

I'd suggest starting with the end in mind - what do you want to do and then what skills would you need to make that happen.
 

KushShah9492

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
123%
Jan 2, 2021
309
381
31
India
Depends on your long term goals.

If you want the skill of coding to build bigger things later (your own app or solution) then it can be time well spent.

If you just want to sell some websites it is not really needed. Just some basic html and css will cover you.

I'd suggest starting with the end in mind - what do you want to do and then what skills would you need to make that happen.
I need to build my own website for my business within 2 -3 years. That's the long term goal, do you think it's viable to learn coding for that? I also might be moving to another country so it wouldn't hurt to learn a new skill for freelancing right?
 

alexkuzmov

Gold Contributor
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
130%
Sep 20, 2019
1,014
1,318
Bulgaria
So, I've been meaning to learn coding and web design for a long time now, and I'm still perplexed. While there a number of services(wordpress, pixieset, wix,etc) I still wonder "Why would Someone go through the process of coding for long hours if he could just customise his site from any of the above services?" I wanted your opinion on the same, should I start learning code? I certainly won't know a lot about coding from just a course, but I suppose that'd be the best place to start. What do you guys think?
Looks like you are jumping from one venture to the next.
What happened to the SEO thing?
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Speed112

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
284%
Dec 5, 2013
190
540
29
Over here, over there.
I need to build my own website for my business within 2 -3 years. That's the long term goal, do you think it's viable to learn coding for that? I also might be moving to another country so it wouldn't hurt to learn a new skill for freelancing right?
You don't have to go all-in into coding. If you use Wordpress or some other platform to build your website (for yourself or others) you can ease into it by learning html/css to help with customizing and building your mind for problem-solving, and then move on to php and js for more complex tweaks. Learning through doing is very effective.

So why 2-3 years?

You seem to have aligned goals and desires: learn coding + build your website, so just get started with both and figure it out along the way. Get yourself a domain and hosting if you haven't, jump on stack overflow and build your website. It's gonna suck at first, but that's fine. Good thing you don't have to do it for a client as your only source of income and with a strict deadline. The pressure you'll have is under your complete control, as is the progress you'll be making.

And to answer your initial question... web development is still viable. Businesses still need sales and clients, and websites are a great way to augment the sales process. The end result and the RoI is what matters most, moreso than what language you program the website in or whether you take shortcuts through WP. The opportunity cost for them to do it on their own is poor, so ofc they're going to hire an expert to do it for them.

Someone mentioned an SEO venture. Web development and SEO go hand in hand, if the purpose of your service is to help people create more value, and not just have a pretty business card through a virtual real estate property.

@Andy Black has a lot of good content on here about how you should do these things. Some are years old, but still very relevant today.

Good luck and don't waver

P.S.: You can build your own website in like 2 weeks with 0 experience or know-how. Don't be discouraged.
 

mdot

Always Improve.
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
190%
Dec 24, 2020
245
465
Ontario, Canada
The barrier to entry for creating Wordpress sites is extremely low. As a result, there is SO MUCH competition in the space. I would wager that you would need to be exceptional to escape the noise in the freelance world, short of being constantly hustling for your next client.

I can actually provide a perspective of a client. The company I work for is trying to overhaul their website. Apart from a standard set of about 30 pages, we also wanted to implement a parametric search function of our products. This is something you can't accomplish with just a plug-in or a theme. It requires knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP and SQL to implement. Also, when we give a sketch to a designer, we don't want to hand-hold. The theme should be responsive, the animations should feel right, the pages should balanced, consistent and clean. An eye for design and usability is a key asset in this regard.

So to summarize, we would need:
  • Ability to build a maintainable Wordpress site (basic requirement)
  • Deeper knowledge to customize beyond the theme
  • An eye for design - someone that doesn't just build a website, but architects one
So far, most developers we've contacted through common freelancing sites have been unable to fit these requirements.

I qualify the following from experience in web design from about a dozen scratch-built static and dynamic websites. The second and third point will take upfront effort to learn. You'll need to learn HTML/CSS at the minimum, and the basics of Javascript/PHP/SQL (syntax, basic concepts etc). You'll need to study modern site design - learn what looks good, what looks bad, what's easy to use, what could be improved. Take cues from current design and UX principles like those used in iOS and Android.

When you are proficient in these points, you'll find that the extra effort to implement them is actually quite small, because they are built-into your workflow. Despite this, you'll set yourself apart from the majority of "theme-only" wordpress developers.

My company will probably end up paying someone 3-5 times more than a theme-only developer. In my estimates the project would only take about 1.5-2 times as much work (plus the upfront learning) compared to a theme-only project.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:

KushShah9492

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
123%
Jan 2, 2021
309
381
31
India
Looks like you are jumping from one venture to the next.
What happened to the SEO thing?
I am into SEO still, and won’t waver from that. However, I thought I could provide more value if I knew web design and SEO as well.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

KushShah9492

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
123%
Jan 2, 2021
309
381
31
India
The barrier to entry for creating Wordpress sites is extremely low. As a result, there is SO MUCH competition in the space. I would wager that you would need to be exceptional to escape the noise in the freelance world, short of being constantly hustling for your next client.

I can actually provide a perspective of a client. The company I work for is trying to overhaul their website. Apart from a standard set of about 30 pages, we also wanted to implement a parametric search function of our products. This is something you can't accomplish with just a plug-in or a theme. It requires knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP and SQL to implement. Also, when we give a sketch to a designer, we don't want to hand-hold. The theme should be responsive, the animations should feel right, the pages should balanced, consistent and clean. An eye for design and usability is a key asset in this regard.

So to summarize, we would need:
  • Ability to build a maintainable Wordpress site (basic requirement)
  • Deeper knowledge to customize beyond the theme
  • An eye for design - someone that doesn't just build a website, but architects one
So far, most developers we've contacted through common freelancing sites have been unable to fit these requirements.

I qualify the following from experience in web design from about a dozen scratch-built static and dynamic websites. The second and third point will take upfront effort to learn. You'll need to learn HTML/CSS at the minimum, and the basics of Javascript/PHP/SQL (syntax, basic concepts etc). You'll need to study modern site design - learn what looks good, what looks bad, what's easy to use, what could be improved. Take cues from current design and UX principles like those used in iOS and Android.

When you are proficient in these points, you'll find that the extra effort to implement them is actually quite small, because they are built-into your workflow. Despite this, you'll set yourself apart from the majority of "theme-only" wordpress developers.

My company will probably end up paying someone 3-5 times more than a theme-only developer. In my estimates the project would only take about 1.5-2 times as much work (plus the upfront learning) compared to a theme-only project.

Good luck!
So, to cut your point short, I need to have more than just basic knowledge to find an out of the box solution to any problem, and then learn by doing stuff along the way?
 

KushShah9492

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
123%
Jan 2, 2021
309
381
31
India
Andy
You don't have to go all-in into coding. If you use Wordpress or some other platform to build your website (for yourself or others) you can ease into it by learning html/css to help with customizing and building your mind for problem-solving, and then move on to php and js for more complex tweaks. Learning through doing is very effective.

So why 2-3 years?

You seem to have aligned goals and desires: learn coding + build your website, so just get started with both and figure it out along the way. Get yourself a domain and hosting if you haven't, jump on stack overflow and build your website. It's gonna suck at first, but that's fine. Good thing you don't have to do it for a client as your only source of income and with a strict deadline. The pressure you'll have is under your complete control, as is the progress you'll be making.

And to answer your initial question... web development is still viable. Businesses still need sales and clients, and websites are a great way to augment the sales process. The end result and the RoI is what matters most, moreso than what language you program the website in or whether you take shortcuts through WP. The opportunity cost for them to do it on their own is poor, so ofc they're going to hire an expert to do it for them.

Someone mentioned an SEO venture. Web development and SEO go hand in hand, if the purpose of your service is to help people create more value, and not just have a pretty business card through a virtual real estate property.

@Andy Black has a lot of good content on here about how you should do these things. Some are years old, but still very relevant today.

Good luck and don't waver

P.S.: You can build your own website in like 2 weeks with 0 experience or know-how. Don't be discouraged.
@Andy Black always has something valuable to offer, whether it’s business or life. The thing is It’s going to be hard to push myself through the barriers of frustration of not being able to build a website, but once I do.. I’ll at least have a new skill For myself :)
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,563
68,689
Ireland
What about just using Carrd.com (if that’s the right domain), or Linktr.ee?

What I’ve got wouldn’t pass as a site, but I still get enquiries and sales. Why is that?

(To see my “sites” check out https://andyblack.net and Inbound Marketeer)
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

alexkuzmov

Gold Contributor
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
130%
Sep 20, 2019
1,014
1,318
Bulgaria
I am into SEO still, and won’t waver from that. However, I thought I could provide more value if I knew web design and SEO as well.
You could.
However these are 2 different skills, none of which are web development, thats a third one.
All of these take years to develop.
SEO is a main work skill
Web development is a main work skill
Web design is a main work skill

If you are looking at web development or design, you`ve already wavered away from SEO.
Not focusing will cost you way more time.
Focus on one thing and get good at it.
If you want to be good at SEO, you cant distract yourself with web design or web development.
 

sparechange

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
161%
Nov 11, 2016
2,804
4,502
Canada (Vancouver)
web dev is so funny to see talked about as a big thing now a days, maybe like 30 years ago, but now everyone and their dog is doing it, why pay the bills? How about creating a real business?

Just my 2 Canadian pennies, actually they don't exist anymore.. I meant my nickel.
 

KushShah9492

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
123%
Jan 2, 2021
309
381
31
India
web dev is so funny to see talked about as a big thing now a days, maybe like 30 years ago, but now everyone and their dog is doing it, why pay the bills? How about creating a real business?

Just my 2 Canadian pennies, actually they don't exist anymore.. I meant my nickel.
LMAO, So just focusing on one thing then. Just know the basics(or use wordpress or any other services to create small websites).
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

KushShah9492

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
123%
Jan 2, 2021
309
381
31
India
You could.
However these are 2 different skills, none of which are web development, thats a third one.
All of these take years to develop.
SEO is a main work skill
Web development is a main work skill
Web design is a main work skill

If you are looking at web development or design, you`ve already wavered away from SEO.
Not focusing will cost you way more time.
Focus on one thing and get good at it.
If you want to be good at SEO, you cant distract yourself with web design or web development.
Alright, so maybe get REALLY good at SEO and then try my hands at web dev then?
 

KushShah9492

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
123%
Jan 2, 2021
309
381
31
India
What about just using Carrd.com (if that’s the right domain), or Linktr.ee?

What I’ve got wouldn’t pass as a site, but I still get enquiries and sales. Why is that?

(To see my “sites” check out https://andyblack.net and Inbound Marketeer)
If the main aim is to get sales and enquiries, then maybe these would work.
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top