100 Reasons to Learn WordPress Theme Development

Disclaimer that I may be under bias as I am a WordPress theme developer myself.

But anyways, let me share my 100 reasons to learn WordPress theme development, even if you’re not into WordPress yet.

#1. Find out why Git is important especially for the biggest open-source CMS

#2. You will experience the flow state of mind

#3. You will learn how to be more productive in your work

#4. You may learn how to use Google Analytics

#5. Experience .htaccess file debugging

#6. Learn how to create fast-loading websites

#7. May be asked to resize images from colleagues

#8. You may learn how to use Google Search Console

#9. Understand how the web works — with an abundance of clients to practice with — each time honing your skills

#10. Learn how to deal with a database

#11. Learn new keyboard shortcuts from your text editor

#12. Finally find theme development pros and cons between Windows and Mac (or Linux)

#13. Easily integrated with other software (since it’s the most popular)

#14. Develop with a very organised CMS — OCD heaven

#15. Join a WordPress meetup

#16. You get to see your website live and providing a good user experience

#17. You will learn how to setup webhosting

#18. Develop themes much faster, organised, and custom — feels good!

#19. Use the phrase ‘there is a plugin for that’

#20. Improve someone’s current theme development build

#21. You get lots of business working for small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMB) as they will most likely use WordPress

#22. Learn to contribute to the world’s biggest open-source CMS

#23. There’s always something new to learn about WordPress everyday

#24. Activate your Default-Mode Network (DMN)

#25. Learn that there are keyboard shortcuts to using the WordPress back-end

#26. Become good at reading documentation

#27. Fuss around with new starter themes

#28. Realise there are heroes on WordPress

#29. Find the need for useful conversations only

#30. Learn valuable teamwork skills — even if you just develop themes

#31. All your learning can be free and online

#32. Confidence on how to develop themes on the most common CMS in the world

#33. Learn how to use Adobe Experience Design

#34. Learn why the WordPress Loop is fantastic

#35. Find out new wordpress functions that make theme development more manageable

#36. Learn how to build a Woocommerce website

#37. Find out the different response codes

#38. Create a WordPress Web App… because WordPress plugins

#39. May have a late lunch in favour of theme development

#40. Have a list of your own programming language heroes

#41. Create your own library of reusable snippets (or regularly get them from a website)

#42. Because Google is getting into WordPress

#43. Start teaching others what you know

#44. You may find how to improve the workflow of your current business

#45. Lots of practice on small websites by still doing your best at all times

#46. Learn PHP

#47. Learn to let go of old tools in favour of a technically better one!

#48. Learn how to improve clients’ website speeds

#49. You will learn web design skills

#50. Refine your music tastes at work and out of work

Wow! We’ve reached 50 items already!

Let’s keep going on why it’s a great time to learn WordPress theme development!

Let’s get to 100!

#51. Create your own Custom Post types

#52. You will learn how to use build tools in your theme development

#53. You’ve got nearly more than 50,000 plugins, of which more than 2,000 of these plugins have been installed to at least 10,000 websites each

#54. Build a theme that is truly bespoke — meaning custom

#55. Start cheating on design sometimes

#56. Understand why Code is Poetry

#57. Practice new keyboard shortcuts for your favourite text editor / IDE

#58. Find your favourite browser for theme development

#59. You sit between the web designer and the client

#60. Create your own fun and cool websites

#61. Learn how to get around the most common premium themes with millions of installs

#62. Finally know how an IP address works

#63. Finally understand how the WP Query works

#64. Join a web developer meetup as the WordPress guy

#65. Practice how to migrate an entire website — many times over since you have an abundance of clients

#66. Not just develop WordPress themes all day

#67. Understand the importance of the WordPress news

#68. Learn from a great templating system — the WordPress Template Hierarchy

#69. Learn how to use Sketch

#70. You will learn how to migrate a website properly

#71. Make a commitment to learn a new keyboard shortcut weekly

#72. Express awe for well-built websites, like on awwwards.com

#73. Practice how to setup HTTPS — many times over since you have an abundance of clients

#74. Easily migrate a WordPress website

#75. Heck, there’s an entire official article about the benefits of using WordPress

#76. Find the difference between different web servers

#77. Step up the learning curve and immediately get out of the ‘average’ WordPress developer

#78. Learn how to use Adobe Photoshop

#79. You may learn valuable business skills from clients whose businesses may vary greatly

#80. You will learn best practices for SEO, and join in on the conversations on what that Google search update yesterday is all about

#81. Adjust your theme development to different times of the day

#82. You join a large community of web developers

#83. Share a common goal with the WordPress community

#84. Use the term Posts instead of Pages for most instances

#85. Freedom to implement something new you’ve learned on a new project

#86. Discover the power of the WP Query

#87. You will learn to prioritise work based on their completion dates

#88. Have your collection of WordPress plugins for every theme build

#89. Give confident support to your clients for the custom theme you built

#90. Become a master pros-cons person for software

#91. Learn how to add new CSS code properly, after theme development

#92. Know the pros and cons between relative and absolute URLs

#93. Your skills are highly transferrable

#94. Manage your energy levels (and go over power level 9000 during theme development)

#95. Learn how to use Adobe Illustrator

#96. Lots of business for your portfolio, therefore more practice

#97. Learn to learn fast

#98. Create a plugin to use for your theme, but not only for your theme

#99. Create custom shortcodes for your theme

#100. Find out what to name that CSS class…

We reached 100 reasons to develop themes on WordPress as a web developer!

Thank you for reading this article!

If you liked this, you might also like to visit my blog for more stuff like this.

If you’re a digital agency, I have a gift for a FREE 6-part email course on Agency Automation for WordPress Theme Development. Please do check it out!

Please let me know your thoughts and comments on your XX reasons to be developing on WordPress, and how these may relate to you too.

Above all, have a nice day!