First and foremost, a majority of web developers attend a tradition 4-year college in their pursuit of a career. Though some may opt for a vocational school in order to focus primarily on web development and not waste energy on other subjects, the prestige of a 4-year university degree often outweighs such considerations in terms of long term career potential. While attending college, it is recommended to major in computer science with a specialization in web development. When going through the college selection process, a list of majors offered within each school will likely be made available to all interested applicants during the application process. Select a school with a reputation for top notch computer science program and a reputable faculty within the development community. Note that since the internet is volatile, an inexact science continuously studied, no university, no matter how prestigious or cutting edge, will wholly suffice in order to prepare its graduates. Information you learned your freshman year, even junior or senior year for that matter, may be entirely outdated by the time you start your first job.Thus web developers must take on a heavy workload in addition to classes and coursework. This will require independent study and thick volumes of outside reading. A mastery of basic development knowledge such as HTML and CSS should segue into either an educational emphasis on either client side or server side solutions. Though a working knowledge of both disciplines is essential, an expertise in one or the other will lead to much more appealing job prospects. It is important to get your hands on as many projects as many development projects as possible, even as an undergraduate, putting this thoroughly digested library of information to practical use. Many employers will highly value tangible results in the hiring process, extending beyond mere degrees and computer language proficiency.