For most IT professionals, learning HTML and CSS is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s often the first thing they explore in the vast world of coding, helping them to discover a passion for IT.

But even if you’re not in any IT field, learning HTML or CSS—two common and relatively easy coding languages—can give you an edge in your chosen profession.

Careers That Can Benefit from HTML or CSS

If you do any sort of work on a computer, chances are you’ll run into an opportunity to use HTML or CSS regardless of your career path. If you work for a corporation, perhaps you have a dedicated IT team at your disposal who can help you with small coding tasks, but you’re likely in the minority.

Most folks have to hire a freelance coder, try to learn to code on the fly, or ignore custom options entirely. These can be costly and/or stressful choices. Being pro-active and learning the basics with an HTML or CSS course is a far better option. Your boss will love the fact that you can quickly handle tasks that involve a bit of coding, putting you a step ahead of colleagues who may struggle with anything technical.

• Marketers wear many hats, especially when working with digital media. For example, a client may need a custom email template that automatically inserts the recipient’s name into the greeting, or that simply has a polished, professional design. Or perhaps a survey needs to be branded to fit with the company’s style guide. Marketers cannot rely solely on drag-and-drop tools. Inevitably, some coding will be required!
• Writers must be prepared to submit their pieces according to the requirements of a specific site or client. Sometimes this means submitting a publish-ready piece with all heading tags, links and formatting appearing in HTML. Other times, this means going directly into WordPress or a similar platform in order to align the text, insert media, etc. Knowledge of HTML helps writers do this seamlessly. Editors certainly need to know the same skills, as sometimes writers are not required to submit anything but text, and all the formatting takes place behind the scenes at the hands of the editor.
• Virtual Assistants are true Jacks-of-all-trades. The more skills VAs have, the more competitive they can be. A VA might be asked to tweak the wording on a website or troubleshoot a simple error. Knowing CSS or HTML can help a virtual assistant identify the problem quickly and efficiently, without accidentally creating more problems in the meantime. They might be asked to work with a large variety of programs and tools, and knowing how to customize each of them when possible allows them to produce impressive, high-quality work.

Learning HTML and CSS Is Not Out of Reach

Ready to add a new skill to your resume and impress your client or boss? Learning HTML and CSS doesn’t have to be tedious. You could go to the library and borrow books and materials for self-study, watch YouTube videos that explain tougher concepts, or sign up for an online course with a personal tutor. Once you’ve reached a certain level of proficiency, consider taking a test or certification exam in order to prove your skills to potential employers.