What do web developers really do all day?

When you tell people you’re a web developer, you’re either met by blank stares or a knowing look. For those with that knowing look, you can usually tell what they’re thinking. A recent comedy infographic over at SixRevisions shows two characters, a web designer and a web developer and attempts to show the stereotypes that many people have of these professions.

It depicts a web designer walking into the office in a pair of skinny jeans, a trendy stubble-beard and his MacBook Pro and iPhone attached to him. The web developer on the other hand has stubble (due to not having remembered to shave), a pair of functional but ageing cargo pants and having brought his own keyboard to work. A mug of coffee is attached to his other hand.

At the bottom of the page, an amusing Venn diagram shows designers being afraid of databases, PCs, client revisions and the Perl programming language, whilst developers are shown to be worried about server crashes, .EPS files and Carpal Tunnel syndrome. The Venn diagram overlaps to show both professions being afraid of women – an oft-used joke about technology geeks being socially awkward.

But what really goes on in the daily life of a web developer?

After all, drinking coffee and arguing over Windows/MacOS only goes so far. Many people assume that web developers only work on one project at a time. Instead, much of the time is spent waiting for other parts of the supply chain to complete certain aspects of the project (or, indeed, waiting for client approval). Rather than waste this time, a developer will spend time working on another project. Multitasking and juggling projects are essential skills for a web developer.

What’s more, clients have an annoying habit of wanting to talk to you or visit you at inappropriate times. Meetings take up a disproportionately large amount of time in most jobs, and are largely irrelevant. Many developers might be keen to get their clients using Skype or other services to speed up the process, but if you wanted to be involved with the latest technology you’d build your own website, right?

All in all, the daily life of a web developer can look pretty boring to an outsider, but is a varied, if often repetitive, job.