A reflection on whether it is reasonable to define professional standards for web developers, particularly those working on critical systems like banking, government, and news platforms. Drawing analogies to other professions (dentists, accountants, lawyers) that have established industry bodies and licensing requirements, the author argues that while the web should remain open and welcoming to all, paid developers working on society-critical systems should be held to a baseline of competence covering security, accessibility, performance, and reliability. The post acknowledges the difficulty of defining and enforcing such standards in a fast-moving, diverse field like web development.
