Enter your browser and visit any Internet page. What CMS (Content Management System) would you bet it is made with? In BETWEEN we give you a trick: answer WordPress and you will hit one in three times. This is proven by a study by W3Techs, which indicates that 35.9% of websites have WordPress development behind them. And who says a development, says a WordPress developer who has assembled blocks, themes and plugins to make everything work.
Have you ever thought about specializing in this field, but you are not sure that it is worth it at this stage of the century, as a professional option for the future? Stick with BETWEEN and discover the implications of taking the WordPress development path in 2020.
What websites are made with WordPress?
To understand WordPress penetration in the world of website development, what better than to open your mouth with a few portal names made with this technology. WordPress is the CMS chosen by a large number of blogs, some of them as prominent as those of Facebook (https://about.fb.com/es/), TED (https://blog.ted.com/) or Tripadvisor (https://www.tripadvisor.es/blog/).Also by specialized technology media such as TechCrunch (https://techcrunch.com/)and by famous musical artists who choose WordPress for the development of their official websites. Rolling Stones are an example (https://rollingstones.com/) and Joaquín Sabina (https://www.jsabina.com/).
Pssss, do you want to know a secret? The content manager of our website, that of BETWEEN Technology, is, as you can imagine ... WordPress.
Should you specialize to be a WordPress developer in 2020?
Very well, you will affirm. But does it make sense to train on WordPress in 2020 with Gutenberg on the horizon? That is, if with this plugin-editor anyone without programming or HTML knowledge is going to be able to build a website based on dragging blocks, what is the point of the professional figure of WordPress developer?
The answer is that it still makes all the sense in the world. Admittedly, with the Gutenberg editor, a little patience, and free WordPress themes and plugins, an advanced internet user can compose a blog or website more than managed to get out of trouble. But breaking the limits until being able to give a technical answer to any functional or creative demand is only available to specialized development professionals in WordPress.
International organizations, big brands, companies of a certain size ... Today and in the future, all will want to distinguish themselves within the online environment and mark distances with respect to their competition. It is here that WordPress developers have a golden opportunity before them, because they are the only people prepared to offer a unique, hyper-personalized website adapted to the needs of each client.
The key: specialization within WordPress
Of course, being an expert in WordPress is not enough. The key to differentiation within the WordPress development market is to specialize in one specific facet of this content manager. Some options are:
- Page builder: the best known are Divi, Visual Composer, WPBakery Page Builder, Thrive Architect, Elementor y SiteOrigin.
- Theme framework,from which the child theme that each website needs will be created. The most requested? Genesis Framework, Divi, Bootstrap or GeneratePress.
- Development of online stores with the WooCommerce plugin.
- Development of websites adapted to the specific needs of certain professional groups or vertical markets. For example, online training platforms, real estate, artists, etc.
Work as a WordPress developer in 2020: freelance or internal?
In the face of the WordPress developer profile, several possibilities for career guidance are opened in 2020. The most logical dichotomy is to consider whether to work as a freelance or internal WordPress developer.
The freelance model is very suitable if you are thinking of turning your career around. In this way, you will access very different projects with which to learn quickly, organize as you want and gain valuable experience before making the jump to an agency or a large company. However, it involves a series of challenges, such as having to deal in person with the search for clients, paperwork and financial procedures; and to design and package your offer.
Working as a WordPress developer within a company, on the other hand, gives you stability and allows you to dedicate yourself exclusively to development, without having to worry about marketing or bureaucracy. In exchange, you will have to give up the variety in the freelance orders.
However, if you are a restless professional and you care about growing within the company, you will probably be able to join other projects or R & D & I initiatives related to machine learning or Serverless architecture. Take a look at the selection processes we have open at BETWEEN, and lead your professional life wherever you want!
