As the IT industry constantly evolves, the role of WordPress developers is hot in the labor market. So, a day in the life of a WordPress dev has many tasks.
Many challenges and opportunities encompass their working day from the moment they wake up to when they finish their tasks at night. What skills do you must have to excel in web development?
I will walk you through a typical working day in this article. So you can explore the daily duties of this job. Join me and scroll down!
Essential Skills
WordPress is a popular open-source CMS (content management system) designed to build and manage a website.
WordPress developers design and implement a website for an organization using WordPress. They also discuss and consult with their clients to understand their requirements.
As a WP developer, I will share a list of the primary I perform day by day:
- Create custom modules, plugins, or themes
- Build wireframes or sitemaps for websites
- Turn a standard site into a WordPress site
- Redesign websites and optimize their SEO ranking and performance
- Review WordPress codebase
- Communicate or consult with clients
- Support and maintain tasks
To excel in this industry, I recommend you have the skills needed below:
All WordPress developers must understand the fundamentals and master the core technical skills. From my experience, I often build custom themes for my websites. So I must master the systems and languages, as shown below:
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- PHP
- MySQL
WordPress developers must know how to develop custom plugins. Apart from the languages above, they need to learn the following:
- Write efficient code
- Use APIs
- Use the latest standards to build plugins
- Optimize and test plugins
Besides hard skills, WordPress developers must get vital soft skills, including:
- Problem-solving skills
- Communication skills
- English language
A Day in the Life of a WP Developer
I work as a full-time WordPress developer. I often spend eight hours at my office. My duties may vary day by day, but below is what happens in my typical working day. Let’s see!
Design And Develop Features
One of my primary duties is designing and developing new website features. I work with my clients to deeply understand their requirements during this stage. So I can use suitable plugins and themes to implement these features.
Besides, I may need to write custom code. This action helps me create new functionalities or change existing features. To perform this task, I must have a solid understanding of WordPress. Also, I need to work with coding languages.
Translate Client Requirements
Besides developing new website features, I usually translate my clients’ requirements into technical specifications.
First, I try my best to understand the goals of their websites. Then, I determine the best method to achieve these objectives within WordPress limitations.
For successful projects, I recommend all WordPress developers communicate complex technical concepts to clients in an easy-to-understand way. Also, they will provide advice on the best practices for website design and development.
Implement And Maintain Websites
Once I have done designing a website and ensuring it works well, my task does not finish. I often must monitor this site for errors.
Moreover, I make updates and improvements if necessary. In particular, I will fix bugs and optimize the site for better performance.
My duty additionally includes adding new features because the site grows. I must perform this action to keep up with the client’s needs.
To do these complex tasks, WordPress developers, in general, must be able to troubleshoot issues. So the website is fast and responsive.
Another crucial aspect of my job is supporting users who encounter problems with their sites. To do this, I answer their questions and guide them on using their sites effectively.
Write, Test, And Debug Code
Apart from the above duties, I must spend most of my working hours writing, testing, and debugging code.
I typically work with XDebug and PHPUnit to ensure my code is efficient. In addition, it should be free from errors for a better user experience.
The code should be updated with industry standards. So I usually research new technologies and keep up with the latest trends in web development.
I report the error to my team members and other experts when identifying any bug. We will address the issues immediately to integrate the code and deploy it to production settings.
Working Environment
The working environments for these experts are diverse. They can choose to work as office WordPress developers. Anyone wanting a flexible setting can work as a freelance specialist.
If you decide on the second option, you can seek many freelancing opportunities. For example, you can find jobs on Codeable.io or WordPress Jobs.
Don’t you want to work alone? You can apply for companies and work in office settings. This position is in high demand. Many organizations constantly employ WordPress developers to build websites.
I prefer to work at an office. Here I can make friends and collaborate with my fellows. So I can quickly identify errors and find solutions for a more productive working day.
In A Nutshell
It is exciting to become a WordPress developer. This job is full of challenges, but you can also get great opportunities for growth and creativity.
Working in this industry, I admit that this profession involves many tasks. I must develop websites and test code every day.
If you desire to dive into this job, clearly understand the role. Besides, always learn and improve the skills to excel in this career.