Magento is a powerful open-source ecommerce platform that offers merchants the ability to build their own online stores. It is one of the most popular platforms with more than 200,000 businesses globally, including Adidas, Tesla Motors and Red Bull using it today. Magento has all you need to create an online store with product catalogs, shopping carts, payment processing options and much more.
Magento developers are in high demand as there are just not enough skilled professionals available for hire. The average salary of a Magento developer ranges from $80K-$130K per year depending on skill set and location. This post will give tips on how to become a magento developer so you can land your dream job!
Tip # 1: Join Magento Groups
To become a skilled magento developer, you need to be part of the right groups online. Magento has several open-source communities where people discuss ecommerce platforms and best practices. Joining these Magento groups will give you a broad perspective on what is happening in this space, tips on latest development tools and advice from experts. For example, if you want to know how Magento development works in the UK, simply visit the UK Magento Community. If you are interested in best practices for customizing and extending Magento, join the Magento Custom Development Forum. There are many more such forums available online with active members discussing Magento development best practices.
Join different groups to learn the latest tips and tricks in the Magento world.
Tip # 2: Get Familiar With The Ecommerce Landscape
Before becoming a skilled magento developer, it is important that you have an understanding of the ecommerce landscape. This will help you to understand the unique challenges that a magento developer faces.
You should be familiar with the intricacies of ecommerce platforms like osCommerce, Opencart and Zen Cart as well as content management systems such as Joomla and Drupal. This will help you to understand why Magento is the most preferred choice for all our clients. You can also study the current trends in the ecommerce world to determine which functionalities are receiving more attention than others.
Tip #3: Get Familiar With Magento 1.x Architecture
Magento developers need to understand many concepts of Magento 1.x architecture before working on any project with this platform. This is because most of the established companies working in the ecommerce domain are still working on Magento 1.x architecture. You should be familiar with how static and dynamic content works under the hood in Magento 1.x.
Tip #4: Learn To Use The Right Tools
Developers who work in popular companies need to master several different tools when it comes to creating websites using Magento. Learning a range of tools is a good way to show potential employers that you are familiar with different technologies and can create useful customizations easily.
Some of the tools include extensions that can help you with SEO optimizations & integrate other third party APIs to your Magento store. It can help you with many other activities that can give your website a competitive edge.
Mastering these technologies will help you become a master Magento developer easily. Besides all that, you should also learn how to use Git for version control in such projects as well as for personal projects.
Tip #5: Get Familiar With Magento 2 Architecture
Even though Magento developers will continue to work with Magento 1.x for many more years, you should keep yourself updated with the latest advancements in Magento 2 architecture as well. This will help you to determine which direction the industry is moving towards and how much support you can expect from Magento developers in times of difficulties.
Learn the key differences between the Magento 1 and Magento 2 architecture.
It is pertinent that you become familiar with PHPUnit, Composer & Doctrine for Magento 2 development. It will also help you understand what MVC means in Magento 2 along with the use of events, collections and observers. You should be familiar with different ways of deploying modules on Magento 2 online store as well as how to configure catalog settings easily. These are some of the core skills that can make you a great Magento developer.
Tip #6: Learn How To Use The Latest Community Extensions
In order to become a skilled Magento developer, you need to stay on top of the latest advancements in the Magento world. This will allow you to create popular modules that are used extensively by other developers in their projects too. You can use these modules to build your own custom ecommerce solutions and gain expertise easily.
There is a vast repository of open source community extensions available for download today. You should stay abreast of the latest trends in the industry to choose which ones are worth using. You can also learn how to create your own extensions whenever needed.
Tip #7: Get Familiar With Other Different Programming Languages
Although Magento is written in PHP, you need to be familiar with lots of different programming languages to succeed as a Magento developer. PHP knowledge is just one part of the larger picture. There are many other skills that will help you to stand out from your competition quickly.
For instance, you should have an understanding of JavaScript, XML, HTML & CSS. Familiarity with CSS Media Queries for responsive layouts creation is useful too. You should also learn how to use XSLT when creating XML layouts for your Magento store. In addition, you should be familiar with different ways of generating RSS feeds for your Magento 2 module.
You should also become familiar with the use of Varien and Doctrine, as they are the backbone of Magento 2 & 1.x architecture respectively.
Tip #8: Find A Mentor To Guide You
By finding a mentor, you can improve your chances of becoming a great Magento developer quickly. A mentor will be able to guide you in the right direction and share their knowledge with you. They will help you to gather more information about technology, tools & workflows that can help you build great Magento skill sets over time.
There are several online communities where you can find other Magento developers sharing their knowledge. Make sure you join one of these forums and start participating actively in the conversation. You can also contact previous mentors to help you with your career goals.
So there you go, 8 tips to help you become a better Magento developer. These are the best ways to position yourself in the industry and increase your chances of landing jobs in top notch companies easily.
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