While most people might associate the name Django with a particular Quentin Tarantino film, Django developers exist in a different context entirely. For those familiar and/or with a steadfast position in the web development realm, Django is a high-level Python web framework.
To that end, what does a Django developer do? According to Django’s marketing team, Django developers are perfectionists with deadlines. Or at least this is what the official Django website advertises.
Admittedly, Django development is a bit more complicated than meeting deadlines. Django developers utilize the Django framework for rapid development while using clean and pragmatic code. Learn more about what a Django developer does right here!
What Is a Django Developer?
Before diving into what Django developers do, it’s probably best to give a brief overview of what Django is in the first place.
Django is a Python-based web framework. Though technically the framework follows a model-template-view (MTV) architectural pattern, others have made note that this bears a striking similarity to the more traditional model-view-controller (MVC) pattern.
An MVC pattern would mean that the model references data, the view user interface (UI), and the controller input.
But with an MTV pattern, the template represents the view or UI, and the view corresponds to the controller or input. In its documentation even, Django describes this as a matter of perspective and semantics.
Born in 2005, Django is primarily concerned with easing the creation of complex websites through methods such as reusability, pluggability, and the ‘don’t repeat yourself’ (DRY) mantra.
Essentially, Django aims for less code as well as low coupling — meaning that changes in one module do not affect a related module.
Having this context, a Django developer is a software professional who works within the Django framework to build websites.
Given its intentional design, websites made with Django should be fast, secure, and scalable — that is, if the right developers are on the development team.
What Does a Django Developer Do?
Django is an extension of Python, a versatile programming language that can be used for a variety of applications. Because of this versatility, Django developers utilize the framework on both the front-end and back-end of development.
Front-end web developers have a series of responsibilities related to the visual design of a web page or application. Websites should be inviting so they not only attract visitors but keep them.
Thus, front-end developers deal with nearly everything a user, sees, clicks, or interacts with in any other way. In practice, this looks like creating and managing layouts, buttons, content structures, images, navigation, and more.
Back-end Django developers provide the foundation for front-end developers to thrive. In other words, they are responsible for handling the data, servers, and security protocols that lie on the underside of the user interface.
For the most part, users interacting with your website will have little to no idea what’s happening on the back-end but Django back-end developers are powering their interactions just the same.
Depending on whether a Django developer works on the back-end, front-end, or both (for full stack development), a Django developer will do different things. But the above will give you a basic understanding of a web developer’s role.
What Are the Skills Needed for Django Developers?
First and foremost, Django developers should have a sufficient amount of experience working with the Django framework and Python in general.
Naturally certain aspects of Python like its use of significant whitespace and dictionaries to its useful abundance of libraries are particular to the language. Similarly, Django has unique features to optimize web development.
To use Django to the best of its ability, you need a professional background in Python and the framework itself.
From there on, front-end Django developers should be well-acquainted with the core technologies of web development — HTML and CSS. HTML structures, and CSS styles. Usually, JavaScript is a component of these core technologies but Python should suffice as a scripting language.
With these assets, Django developers can make graphical UIs that will aesthetically please visitors and prompt higher lead conversion rates.
Back-end Django developers should be able to program application programming interfaces (APIs). APIs act as liaisons between software.
If you want to leave a relevant video on your home page, for example, Django developers need APIs to construct compatibility around the video software and the web page programming.
To add, back-end developers must work closely with networks, databases, and servers, warranting their expertise in these areas.
Databases specifically operate via query languages that rely on software such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. Django developers working on the back-end should have knowledge of this type of software.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Django Developer?
In the United States, the average salary for a Django developer is $117,673. This is the equivalent of a $57 hourly wage for those working full-time hours.
Salaries for Django developers drop as low as $67,500 and reach as high as $155,500. Expect to pay a Django developer more or less given their experience and skill set.
These salaries are based on recent ZipRecruiter job posting as of February 2021.
How To Hire the Right Django Developer?
Hiring the right Django developer might be harder than you think. Remember the specific features of Django and Python mentioned earlier? Well, you’re going to need to know exactly what those are in order to write a decent job description and set your expectations.
Even though you don’t have to be a tech wizard to do tech-oriented things, hiring a Django to do tech-oriented things does require some invested effort.
You can start by doing some research. Trio’s blog has a plethora of articles dedicated to that purpose. There’s an extensive piece on how to hire remote developers.
Remote developers will usher in a greater talent base and reduced prices. Not to mention, remote environments are more flexible and productive.
Location aside, dedicated research can tell you where to look for developers and how to make a listing in the first place.
Django Developer Job Description Template
You will find that a good job description will attract the most qualified candidates to your job listing. There are some baseline guidelines below that will help you write such a description.
About the Job
First and foremost, you should include a short and sweet brief describing what you are looking for in a future employee. Show enthusiasm.
A basic Django developer job description might look similar to the following:
Seeking Python Django developers for a full-time role at a growing company. Our work environment encourages a culture of comfort and communication. Local candidates preferred.
About the Company
Here, you’ll summarize your company and your mission. This is important because job candidates should have an eagerness to work on the projects you’re working on, so they can fully commit to the job.
A company description for Trio would look like this:
Trio is an enterprise software development agency with a mission to make software accessible to smaller businesses. We use an intense vetting process to hire the most qualified software developers that can take any company’s project to the next level.
Roles & Responsibilities
At this stage, you should shoot off several bullet points that explain the day-to-day expectations of someone employed in the role you’re listing. Here’s an example:
- Build web applications in Django
- Collaborate with project owner and tech lead
- Implement solutions using CSS, HTML, and JavaScript
- Can regularly execute unit testing, code review, bug fixes, etc.
Minimum Qualifications
This is where you should list the minimal requirements and skill set you expect from a potential employee. Your list might look something like this:
- 4+ years experience in software development
- Strong written and verbal skills
- Proven ability to deliver quality work within time restraints
- Experience using Git
Conclusion
Hiring a Django developer could mean a more polished and reliable website using one of developers’ favorite languages: Python. What does a Django developer do? Using the MTV pattern and the additional tools courtesy of the framework, developers can do anything from developing UIs to programming APIs.
Want to hire a Django developer? Look no further. Trio has trained and vetted Django developers available for your project. Contact us now to hire qualified Django developers for your project.
