Thanks to the incredible popularity of WordPress, opportunities for development abound. Whether you want to create useful plugins, weave gorgeous themes, or improve the core mechanics of WordPress, you can break into the field with a little time and effort. Of course, simply Googling “how to become a WordPress developer” will present a bewildering array of paths to choose from. To simplify your journey towards becoming a WordPress developer, you’ll want to approach it methodically. This involves narrowing down your focus, identifying your skills, finding a niche, and learning as much as you can about the platform beforehand. Fortunately, there’s a large community out there willing and ready to support you on your quest.
In this article, we’ll explain exactly what a WordPress developer does. Then we’ll explore six essential steps you’ll need to take in order to become both a WordPress expert and a competent developer for the platform. Let’s jump in!
What a WordPress Developer Actually Does
A WordPress developer is a professional who works with the basic coding and infrastructure of the WordPress platform, to improve WordPress itself, or to create entirely new products. Typically, WordPress developers perform some or all of the following tasks:
Creating and customizing plugins and themes.
Developing code and troubleshooting for WordPress core (that is, the actual software of WordPress).
Working closely with clients to help design and build their WordPress websites.
Ensuing that client websites are maintained efficiently.
Improving the accessibility of the WordPress platform.
In order to do these things efficiently, the competent developer also has to be a WordPress expert. That is, they should have a thorough understanding of each part of the platform, as well as the various programming languages used to run it (which we will discuss in greater detail further on). Before we approach the question of how to become a WordPress developer, let’s first talk about exactly why you might want to do so.
How to Become a WordPress Developer (In 4 Steps)
The process of becoming a WordPress developer first involves determining what knowledge you already have, and what you’ll need to learn. Then you’ll want to pick an area or niche that best suits your goals and skill set, and adopt the best practices to break into that field. Let’s jump right in!
1. Understand the Primary Skill Sets Required
The acclaimed philanthropist Charlie Munger once said: “Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant”. This maxim applies perfectly to WordPress development. It’s vital to identify the preexisting knowledge you may have that can boost your development journey, as well as the areas where your knowledge is lacking.
The most vital thing any WordPress developer needs to understand is the languages the platform uses. Let’s look at each, one by one:
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): This foundational language is powerful and fairly easy to master. It’s comprised of markup codes (elements) that dictate how different aspects of a page will be displayed. These elements may include page titles, headings, paragraph text, data tables, and so on. As a very basic example, use of the HTML code <title>Learning HTML</title> would set “Learning HTML” as the title of a page.
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): Whereas HTML comprises the building blocks of web pages, CSS is used to dictate the way elements look. CSS controls aspects like font types and colors, page layouts, click effects, and other stylistic facets. For example, the HTML element for some body text might also include the CSS code to specify what color the text should display in (such as: {background-color: darkgreen;}).
- PHP (Personal Home Page): PHP is a somewhat misleading acronym. Over the years, it’s come to more aptly stand for Hypertext Preprocessor (since it’s applicable to all areas of a site, not just your home page). It can be used for many functions, including auto-generating files, accessing databases, encrypting data, and much more. Fortunately, there are plenty of online guides for mastering PHP, which will come in handy when learning how to become a WordPress developer.
- MySQL (My Sequel): Finally, MySQL is an open source relational database management system. In a nutshell, WordPress uses PHP to retrieve and store data from MySQL databases. Important site administrative features, such as user roles, are made possible on WordPress using MySQL. For that reason, a developer should at least have a rudimentary knowledge of its capabilities.
2. Learn All You Can About WordPress
Before you tackle the question of how to become a WordPress developer, you’ll need to learn as much as possible about the platform itself. After all, the more you know, the more you can do. The good news is that there are plenty of resources available to take you from being a complete novice to a WordPress expert. The first step you should take is to set up a WordPress sandbox. This will enable you to rapidly get a feel for the dashboard, and to play around with the functions of the platform in a secure environment. By using a sandbox, you’ll also be able to follow along with the tutorials provided in many online WordPress courses.
Although it will likely require a financial investment, completing a WordPress course will help you fast-track your learning progress. Most WordPress courses present information in a well-structured and beginner-friendly format, and can be easily referenced at later points. Popular examples include WordPress 101 (which also contains tutorials for essential plugins), WP Apprentice, and the WordPress for Beginners course on Udemy. Of course, no overview of WordPress learning resources would be complete without reference to the WordPress Codex – the official WordPress wiki. This is an invaluable resource for searching terms and finding officially-approved explanations and tutorials. It can also be a useful reference when coding or contributing to the platform.
3.Choose the Area of Development You’ll Focus On
WordPress is renowned for being a broad, versatile, and constantly-evolving CMS. This is good news for prospective developers, as it means there are entry points that cater to a broad array of interests and skill sets. Although a strong technical knowledge is crucial, niches such as theme and plugin development also present opportunities to be creative. Once you’ve made the decision to learn how to become a WordPress developer, you’ll want to start by focusing on one of the platform’s three main components.
WordPress Core
WordPress development for the core (the default files that make up the back-end functionality for the platform) involves a number of tasks. These include identifying and resolving bugs, addressing user inquiry tickets, improving translations, and submitting improvement suggestions to WordPress trac.
Despite being largely a voluntary area (since WordPress is open-source), core development is an excellent way to develop knowledge that can be applied to other areas. If you’re a complete beginner to development, or don’t know much about the key WordPress languages yet, this is an opportunity to learn. The Core Contributor Handbook is an excellent place to find out more.
Themes
Focusing on developing themes is a good way to attract clients (providing that you adhere to best practices). Since themes serve as the graphical front-end styling for a WordPress site, prospective developers with a background or interest in graphic design may find this area appealing.
An understanding of HTML and CSS is crucial for theme development, as these languages are used to dictate the appearance of a theme’s elements. If you’re interested in this area, the Theme Developer Handbook can tell you most of what you’ll need to know.
Plugins
Without plugins (software extending the functionality of the CMS without affecting core files), WordPress would not have attained its current prominence. If you have a strong interest in modifying WordPress to achieve a particular goal, and some grounding in PHP and HTML, this is the area for you.
Although plugin development isn’t typically as lucrative as theme development, the market also isn’t as saturated. Once you’ve learned the basics, and developed a plugin that you feel has an audience, you can consider selling it on sites such as CodeCanyon. Your first step towards learning how to become a WordPress developer for plugins will be to read through the Plugin Developer Handbook.
4. Prepare Yourself For Potential Pitfalls
System bugs constitute one major recurring problem. They can cause everything from minor formatting issues to major system crashes. Learning some solid WordPress debugging practices is crucial, in order to save yourself from even greater headaches down the line. WordPress plugins such as DebugThis can also help you to rapidly detect and resolve bugs.
In addition to bugs, you’ll need to pay close attention to potential security issues. Although the WordPress core is very secure by default, it’s good practice to make sure the installation you are using for development is as safe as possible. When you put what you’ve developed out into the world, it can be vulnerable to a variety of attacks if you aren’t careful. By familiarizing yourself with proven WordPress developer security practices, you can proceed with greater confidence. Finally, to avoid losing hours of work (or, even worse, putting client data at risk), you should make a habit of backing up your WordPress development projects regularly. Sites like GitHub can help you track and store your projects safely. After you’ve armed yourself with the knowledge required to resolve potential problems, you’ll be ready to get your feet wet some actual development.
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