Interestingly, 2021 saw approximately 2.2 million freelancers in the UK, with 42% of these freelancers being women (this figure has been increasing continuously since 2008). With this increase and lifestyle shift caused by covid, it’s intriguing to monitor what skills are growing more in demand. With Web 3.0 rearing its head and showcasing many digital possibilities while at it, let’s take a look at the most in demand freelance tech skills predicted for the rest of the year.
Web design
As businesses begin placing more emphasis on their online services, their websites are required to be more functional, having elements such as buttons, pop ups, shopping carts and more. For most businesses, being able to develop their websites through coding is something which is outsourced as it is a very specific skill which many current employees most likely will not possess. Having such a skill would make you very valuable to businesses as they will require expertise if they want to continue to compete in their markets online.
Web programming
While web designers create the aesthetic elements of a site, including all visuals, graphics and imagery, web developers take the website design created by a web designer, then make a functioning website from it. Web developers can be split into two different areas of responsibilities and skills – frontend and backend. Frontend developers focus on programming languages such as HTML, CSS and Javascript to create the visual and interactive parts of a website – essentially the parts you can see.Backend developers are responsible for creating the logic that runs on a server which typically involves communicating with a database and manipulating data, before passing it back to the browser and presenting to the user. Typical programming languages used are PHP, Ruby, ASP and SQL.
JavaScript
JavaScript is one of the most important web development languages used today. It lets you add a wide range of functional features to your websites, from the most basic to the most advanced. Knowing how to program declaratively using pure functions is another key skill one should have, as it can completely change the way you code, for the better. With functional programming, you get to write the code purely through functions and avoid shared states, mutation of data, and side-effects. Due to the declarative nature of functional programming, the resultant code is more concise, predictable, and easier to test and alter.
CSS
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets with an emphasis placed on “Style.” While HTML is used to structure a web document (defining things like headlines and paragraphs, and allowing you to embed images, video, and other media), CSS comes through and specifies your document’s style—page layouts, colours, and fonts are all determined with CSS. Think of HTML as the foundation (every house has one), and CSS as the aesthetic choices (there’s a big difference between a Victorian mansion and a mid-century modern home).
Shopify
Shopify is simply a web application for creating online stores and is used to sell either physical or digital products. An interesting thing about Shopify is that anyone with little or no coding experience and design skills can simply jump on it and develop for themselves an online store. Furthermore, it runs on its own servers which means that there is no need for you to buy web hosting or get any software installed anywhere. Shopify, as one of the best e-commerce platforms, provides you with all the necessary things like a payment processor, a blog, email marketing tools, templates, etc. for you to develop and market an online store.
API
The foundation for how most software is built today and technology that is transforming the way we interact with the world are APIs (Application Program Interfaces). At its simplest form, an API serves as a gateway into an application, allowing other applications and services to connect, interact and exchange data. From a developer’s perspective, APIs are a key component in enabling software developers to tap into other existing applications and web services – such as Google Maps or Yelp – and leverage their functionality.
Graphic design
Graphic designers have an impactful role because they are able to bring a business’s campaign to life. Creating visual and engaging images which businesses can use on their websites, on social media, banners, leaflets, newsletters and more, a graphic designer has the ability to increase the attraction that customers have for businesses. Graphic design is also the most diverse it’s ever been in regards to aesthetics, moving features and effects so the possibilities are endless.
