Can I get a job with just HTML and CSS?

It’s a question we get here at Skillcrush all the time, and the short answer is yes, with caveats. If you want to start working in tech, the first thing you should do is learn HTML and CSS.

You can start building simple websites with HTML and CSS within weeks of diving in…but when can you start looking for paying work as a software developer using your new skills?

If you search for “HTML jobs” or “CSS jobs,” how can you tell what you’re already qualified for and what additional skills and tech experience you need to get hired?

In this post, we’ll discuss exactly what kinds of work you can (and can’t) get with just HTML and CSS under your belt, as well as what skills you’ll need to level-up and expand your options.

This post covers:

• What are the benefits of HTML and CSS?
• Can you really get a job with just HTML & CSS?
• Freelance and full-time HTML & CSS jobs
• What skills to learn next if you want more job opportunities

HTML & CSS Are the Building Blocks of a Tech Career — and They’re Also Kind of Magical

A big selling point for a career change to tech is the short amount of time it takes to get up to speed with tech skills and become job-ready. Unlike industries that require a computer science degree you might not already have, tech jobs are skill-based — knowing how to do the job and achieve results is what matters in software development.

Accessibility is another reason tech is a great industry to get into — you can learn tech skills from tutorials and bootcamps and still become a successful software engineer.

Both HTML and CSS are fundamental tech skills (and programming languages) you can start using to work on real projects within weeks of diving in. And they are the place to start if you want to work in tech, whether you end up going into front end development, back end development, web design, visual design, or even digital marketing.

And in case you haven’t started learning them yet…what the heck are HTML and CSS?

HTML, or hyper-text markup language, is used for defining the parts of a webpage, such as headlines and body text. It tells the browser, “Hey, this is a section heading.” The current version is HTML5.

And CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is for adding styles, such as colors, font type, and spacing. Combined, they are the building blocks of any website (and of a career in web development, especially for aspiring front-end developers and full-stack developers). The current version is CSS3.

With HTML and CSS alone, you can do things like build static multi-page websites, code email templates, design beautiful user interfaces, and work with other developers on larger projects.

(Back to top)

Can I get a job with just HTML and CSS?

If you go down a rabbit-hole on Reddit (this Reddit thread is an interesting one to check out) looking for answers to this question, you’ll find answers that run the gamut.

Some developers will insist that with HTML and CSS alone, you’re unlikely to get far. Others will tell you that there is plenty of demand for junior developers who work with just HTML and CSS.

Let’s take a closer look!

But first, if HTML and CSS are so valuable and critical to web design and development, why wouldn’t they be enough to get you a great job?

There are a few arguments you’ll come across.

Firstly, a lot of people know HTML and CSS, so it’s not hard to find someone who can do them. There is a huge demand for these skills, but also a huge supply.

On top of that, a lot of designers and developers know HTML and CSS as well as more advanced skills that they can use to build more interactive, functional websites and web applications. In other words, employers (including many startups) can hire people who know more advanced skills too, so why would they hire someone who has just learned HTML and CSS?

If you know a skill that allows you to build something someone else needs, you can get paid for it! Even if a lot of folks know HTML and CSS, these are valuable skills that clients and employers will pay money for.

And while it’s true that there are always designers and developers with more advanced skill sets than you, employers also recruit and hire for entry-level positions. Sometimes, an employer may require HTML and CSS as a baseline and expect new employees to pick up complementary skills quickly].

In short, you can definitely find work using just HTML and CSS. And if those foundational skills aren’t enough to get you your dream job, you can still use them to start making money while you’re building other skills.

Saying HTML and CSS alone aren’t enough to get you any work in tech is a very narrow way of looking at it. So let’s take a look at the kind of work you can get paid to do with those two skills!

(Back to top)

What you need to know about freelance vs. full-time HTML and CSS jobs

I spoke with Tasha Hussey, a Web Development Teaching Assistant here at Skillcrush who also runs her own consulting business, Lavender Turtle Creative.

She works with students every day who are just starting to put their new skills to work, and she has firsthand experience seeing the HTML jobs and CSS jobs they get hired to do.

At Skillcrush, we recommend all students break in their new skills by taking on freelance projects. So let’s take a look at the kinds of freelance work you can get with HTML and CSS.

What freelance projects can I get using HTML and CSS?

There’s plenty of work to be had doing relatively small projects using HTML and CSS, but how do you find them?

The most obvious answer is to start building simple websites for clients who need a professional online presence without fancy bells and whistles (you’ll need to learn JavaScript or WordPress to start adding complicated features, but many people don’t need anything flashy).

But what else? Here’s a list of projects you can pick up:

1. Building landing pages or sales pages
2. Creating static menus for restaurants
3. Building multi-page static websites from scratch such as online resumes, simple portfolio pages, of informational websites
4. Converting PSD files to HTML and CSS
5. Creating email templates for email platforms (like Mailchimp or Hubspot, for example)
6. Customizing a WordPress.com or Squarespace.com site

For most of these, you’ll need to know a little bit of something else to get the job done. For example, you’ll need to understand some design basics to create email templates.

“You don’t wanna be a one trick pony,” Tasha says. “You’ll need some additional skills to help you stand out from the crowd. I tell students to consider also learning a little bit of design so they can be more in tune with the projects they are developing.”

Where should you look to find freelance HTML and CSS jobs?

You can pick up one-off freelance projects on sites like Upwork or Fiverr, though chasing small jobs on those platforms can begin to feel like an uphill battle.

It’s a great way to get experience and make some cash on odd jobs, but a hard way to earn a significant amount of money — though some people definitely do find niches there and earn a lot.

HTML and CSS jobs available on Upwork at time of publishing.You can also find freelance work building simple websites for friends, family, and professional connections. In fact, this is how many Skillcrush students get their first paying jobs in tech, and it’s the route we usually recommend students take. You’d be surprised how many people in your network are willing to pay you a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars for a basic website or another asset they need.

How much money can I make on freelance HTML and CSS jobs?

The answer is that it totally depends — on your client’s needs, budget, and how quickly they need the project done, as well as on how comfortable you are with your skills and how much you ask for.

“It’s not unreasonable to believe that you can make hundreds or even thousands of dollars using HTML and CSS,” says Tasha. “The bottom line is that you are offering your time and experience to help a client who doesn’t have time or experience to do the job.”

Maybe that means $250 for a static, one-page website, but Tasha adds, “The question that has to be considered when determining the cost of any freelance project is what value you can offer to the client to justify the cost.” In other words, if your client really needs what you’re offering, you can charge more.

📌 Related: How To Earn More Money Freelancing (Even If You’re A Total Beginner)

What full-time HTML and CSS roles are available?

And what about full-time jobs using HTML and CSS? They do exist, though you have to get smart about job titles and job descriptions. Most roles using these skills won’t be titled “HTML and CSS Coder,” for example.

Most full-time roles will require other complimentary skills, but you can find work that does not require other programming or scripting languages, says Jovena Whatmoor, Founder and Tech Recruiter at Clutch Talent.

Whatmoor suggests seeking out roles where you’ll be working closely with a designer. “Developers who work with designers on large email campaigns often only use HTML and CSS,” she says. HTML email developer roles fall into that bucket. At large enough companies, you can find work specifically building email templates.

Another route? Look beyond the dev team. “There are also specialized roles for developers that sit on marketing (not tech teams),” says Whatmoor. “These developers will help with maintaining blogs, email marketing, one-off splash pages, and landing pages for marketing campaigns.” In roles like this, you’ll likely end up supplementing your technical skills with SEO, design, and marketing knowhow.

HTML and CSS can be useful skills in other roles too. Tasha points out that they can be useful in digital content editor and producer roles, as well in social media management, and even virtual assistance jobs.

You can get hired in web developer or software engineering roles, but usually only in companies that take on junior developers and help them train on the job. “If you join in an entry-level role, the team will put you to work on HTML CSS while you grow out your skills,” Whatmoor says. “On these teams, you may be expected to learn JavaScript, including popular frameworks. You also will need to know how to deploy and maintain code, test your code, and collaborate on GitHub.”

Here are some HTML and CSS jobs you can get. When sorting through job search platforms, try searching for tech job postings with titles like these:

1. Junior Developer
2. Website Editor
3. Social Media Manager
4. Digital Marketing Coordinator
5. Content Editor
6. Content Producer
7. Digital Production Coordinator
8. Website Project Manager
9. Website Support Specialist
10. HTML and CSS Production Specialist
11. Technical Virtual Assistant
12. HTML Email Developer Jobs
13. Email Marketing Specialist
14. Entry-Level Front End Developer Jobs
15. Entry-Level Web Developer
16. Webmaster Jobs
17. WordPress Developer

 

(Of course, to build WordPress websites, you’ll need to get comfortable with WordPress too!)

(Back to top)

What skills to learn next if you want more job opportunities

While there is work to be found with HTML and CSS, learning complementary skills can help you stand out on the job market and be more valuable to employers. What you learn next depends on your interests and strengths, but these are a few avenues you can take to get better jobs using your knowledge of HTML and CSS:

1. Learn JavaScript

To make websites interactive and to add more functionality, you’ll need to know JavaScript. Also referred to as “Vanilla JavaScript,” or “Vanilla JS,” the basics of JavaScript can make you much more valuable to a freelance client and to a development team. With JavaScript, you can do projects like: building out maps, creating cursor hover animations, login authentications, and much, much more.

2. Learn a JavaScript framework (and get familiar with JS libraries)

You may notice that most front end developer job listings include at least one JavaScript framework, such as React, Vue, Node.js, or Angular. At Skillcrush, we teach React because it is in high-demand and incredibly versatile in terms of what it allows you to build.

On top of learning a JS framework, getting comfortable using JavaScript libraries, like jQuery, is a smart way to stand out in the job marketing. It’s also just a good step towards making your life easier! JS libraries are collections of scripts that you don’t have to build from scratch. They allow you to incorporate JS into web projects without reinventing the wheel.

3. Get comfortable with Git and GitHub

To work with development teams, you need a way to store and share code. That’s where version control comes in. It allows you to make edits to “branches” of code while other programmers work on the same project. If you make a mistake you can roll back to an earlier version.

Version control makes it simpler to trace code changes back to individual developers, and allows a project leader to “approve” code from individual contributors before accepting it into the larger project.

Git is one of the most popular tools for version control, and it’s what we teach at Skillcrush. GitHub is a public, online repository of code that means you can make code publicly available and show off your work on an open platform.

4. Learn other soft skills.

Being able to fit into a team of developers is a big factor to succeeding on a tech team, and it’s something that hiring managers value. How can you prove you’ll be able to work well with a team of developers? How can you show that you’ll know how to use your HTML and CSS skills on a larger project with other designers and devs?

Besides Git and GitHub, “you need soft skills like time management, project management, communication (oral and written), organization, and critical thinking,” says Tasha. “They need to be able to work in teams as well as be a resourceful independent worker.”

5. Get really, really good at CSS.

Another option is to dive deep on CSS.

“Often, front-end engineers that enjoy the visual output of their work might specialize in deep CSS knowledge,” says Whatmoor. That means learning advanced CSS, a CSS preprocessor like Sass, and getting great at Flexbox and CSS Grid. “Professionals successful in this type of role will need to become strong in Sass as well as keeping up to date on the latest practices in CSS.”

6. Get design skills.

If you’d like to be more of a designer-developer, you can build on your HTML and CSS knowledge with design skills. Getting great at visual design and user experience design can open you up to a whole world of creative roles.

7. Learn WordPress.

WordPress is an open source content management system built using PHP. Many companies of all sizes build their websites and businesses using WordPress…including Skillcrush. If you learn to build and manage WordPress sites, a whole host of jobs will be open to you. Sometimes, being able to work with WordPress can get you in the door while you hone other skills (like JavaScript).

No matter what route you take, the great news is that HTML and CSS are part of almost every job in tech. Whatmoor says, “The good thing about coming in the door with HTML and CSS is that every tech team uses both. There is nearly always some work to be done in HTML and CSS.”

Want to go further beyond HTML and CSS? Skillcrush’s Break Into Tech course will teach you everything you need to know for a career in tech.