No, Joomla is nor essential for web development. It’s an open source program, an option to use to build a website. You can choose another platform/website builder. My favorite is UltimateWB.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.