Module 6: Web Careers

Module objective

Discover who does what in the web industry — the different roles, their responsibilities, and how they work together to create the websites and applications you use every day.

Simple explanation

Building a website or an application isn't a one-person job. It's a team effort where everyone has a specific role. Here are the main careers you'll encounter.

Technical roles

Frontend developer

This is the person who builds everything you see on a website. They use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create pages, buttons, animations, and forms.

Their obsession: making the site beautiful, fast, and pleasant to use on every screen (desktop, tablet, phone).

Backend developer

This is the person who builds everything that happens behind the scenes. They program the server, manage the database, create APIs, and handle security and performance.

Their obsession: making the site reliable, secure, and able to handle many users at the same time.

Fullstack developer

Someone who does both: frontend AND backend. They have a comprehensive view of the application. This is a highly sought-after profile, especially in small teams where versatility is key.

DevOps / System administrator

The "infrastructure technician." They handle servers, deployment (putting the site online), monitoring (making sure everything is running), and automation.

Their obsession: making sure the site never goes down and that updates go smoothly.

Creative roles

UX Designer (User Experience)

The UX designer crafts the user experience. Before a single line of code is written, they think about:

• How the user will navigate
• Where to place buttons so it's intuitive
• How to make the journey as smooth as possible

Their obsession: making sure users find what they're looking for easily and without frustration.

UI Designer (User Interface)

The UI designer handles the visual aspect: colors, typography, icons, spacing. They turn the UX designer's wireframes into detailed, attractive visuals.

Their obsession: making things beautiful, consistent, and pleasant to look at.

UX/UI Designer

In many companies, both roles are combined. The same person designs both the experience AND the visual look.

Strategic roles

Project manager / Product Manager

The conductor of the orchestra. They coordinate the team, set priorities, and make sure the project moves in the right direction while staying on schedule and within budget.

Their obsession: delivering the right product at the right time.

Product Owner

Similar to the project manager, the Product Owner is the voice of the customer within the technical team. They define what the product should do, write "user stories" (descriptions of features from the user's perspective), and prioritize the work.

Digital marketing roles

SEO Manager

The SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Manager handles organic search rankings — they make sure the website appears in the top Google results when someone performs a search.

Community Manager

They manage the social media presence: publishing content, responding to comments, and engaging the community.

Growth Hacker / Acquisition Manager

They find creative strategies to attract users and grow the product by combining marketing, data, and experimentation.

How they work together

graph TD
    A["Product Manager — Defines what to build"] --> B["UX/UI Designer — Creates the mockups"]
    B --> C["Frontend Developer — Builds the interface"]
    B --> D["Backend Developer — Builds the logic"]
    C --> E["DevOps — Deploys to production"]
    D --> E
    E --> F["SEO / Marketing — Drives traffic"]
    F --> G["The users!"]
    G -->|"Feedback and data"| A

The cycle never stops: user feedback fuels new improvements.

Summary table

Concrete example

Imagine a startup wants to launch a meal delivery app:

1. The Product Manager gathers requirements: "Users want to be able to order a meal in fewer than 3 clicks"
2. The UX Designer maps out the journey: home screen, restaurant selection, dish selection, payment, delivery tracking
3. The UI Designer chooses the colors (orange to stimulate appetite!), icons, and typography
4. The frontend developer turns the mockups into interactive pages
5. The backend developer programs the logic: geolocation, order management, payment, driver notification
6. DevOps puts the application online and monitors that it can handle the load on Friday nights
7. The SEO Manager optimizes the site so that "meal delivery + city" appears first on Google
8. The Community Manager posts appetizing photos on Instagram

Everyone has their role. No one does someone else's job. And together, they create a product that works.

Metaphor

Building a web application is like constructing a restaurant:

• The architect (UX/UI) draws the plans and designs the decor
• The builders and electricians (developers) construct the building
• The director (Product Manager) oversees the project
• The maintenance technician (DevOps) makes sure everything runs smoothly day to day
• The marketing agency (marketing/SEO) brings in the customers

Every role is essential. A gorgeous restaurant with no customers doesn't work. A packed restaurant with a broken kitchen doesn't work either.

Summary in 3 key points

1. The web is a team effort: technical (developers, DevOps), creative (designers), and strategic (product managers, marketing)
2. Each role has its own area of expertise — understanding who does what enables better communication and collaboration
3. The cycle is continuous: build, deploy, measure feedback, and improve — again and again