All it takes is diligence and a desire to learn new things. How to become a frontend developer

Contents:

• Who is frontend
• Frontend developer is a layout designer?
• Where do developers work
• Soft and hard skills
• How much does a front-end developer earn?
• How to become a developer

Who is a frontend developer?

A frontend developer is a specialist who develops user interfaces for websites. They create what users see and interact with: pages, controls, animations, and terminals.

To understand what a front-end developer does, you need to understand how websites and web applications work. Any website, even a single-page landing page, consists of:

• Executive code, which is responsible for loading, processing user requests, and delivering the result. This is the back end. Typically, this part is hidden from the user's view and is executed on the server.
• The interface with which the user interacts. This could be a website page or a mobile app with buttons, feedback forms, images, and text—this is the front end.

If we draw an analogy with a car, the backend is everything under the hood. How the engine works, what processes occur when starting and stopping the engine—all this is hidden from the driver’s eyes; they don’t need to understand the technical intricacies. They only need to be able to read the instrument panel and interact with the controls: the gear selector, steering wheel, pedals, and climate control buttons. This is exactly what will be the user interface or front end.

Is a frontend developer a layout designer?

Don't confuse a frontend developer with a layout designer. It can be compared to an architect who must transform a 3D render (ed.: a digital model of the designed building) into precise mathematical calculations, select technical means and materials so that the building can be used for its intended purpose and does not ultimately collapse.

A front-end developer turns an idea into a working product. Here, knowledge of web markup alone is not enough. Full-fledged JavaScript coding skills are required. In addition to layout, a specialist can:

• Add ready-made scripts to the site or write them from scratch;
• Connect the client side to the server;
• Customize the user interface, fix errors;
• Develop a web application.

Where developers work

The beauty of JavaScript is not only its relative ease of learning, but also its flexibility. The programming language is suitable for developing web interfaces and desktop applications. Most browser extensions and part of the Mozilla Firefox code are written in JS. It is used to program the interfaces of Smart TVs, game consoles, and various equipment: from ATMs to industrial machine control terminals.

If desired, a frontend developer can retrain to develop mobile applications, which are often written in JS.

Such a developer has a decent choice of where to go:

• Software developers who create services for businesses. Such companies relatively easily accept newcomers and provide experience in various areas: from creating business card websites to web applications.
• The IT department of any large company. Banks, mobile operators, large trading platforms, retailers - it's hard to find a business today that can do without online services. Someone has to support them, update them, and add new features.
• Government companies. In most countries, services that allow you to use government services online are actively developing.
• Senior and middle-level developers can find high-paying freelance jobs.

Large companies offer good growth prospects for front-end developers, and a developer can develop their career path in different ways. They can delve deeper into development and master new tools to solve more complex problems. Headhunters from large corporations are on the lookout for such specialists, and they value this type of work highly. Over time, you can develop into a Team Lead or an architect with the potential to become a CTO. Another option is to become a full-stack developer and work on projects independently as a freelancer.

Soft and hard skills

The website building industry is rapidly evolving. No one will be satisfied with static pages with simple graphics. A good website is a fully functional application with a huge list of functions that adapts to different screen sizes and displays correctly in popular browsers.

It is impossible to develop and customize a website's user interface without a basic set of tools. The following tools help the developer with this:

• HTML markup language — it is used to create the page framework;
• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) help you create a beautiful design that looks equally good on different screens;
• The JavaScript programming language allows you to liven up the page and add special functions. Moreover, the layout designer doesn’t need to be able to code; there are ready-made plugins and scripts that can be connected in a few clicks.

Landing Pages and one-page business cards, even a small showcase for 20-30 products, can be laid out in a visual designer. The main work of a frontend developer is to create complex projects tailored to a specific audience. Employers often look for a versatile specialist who can fine-tune a website's visuals, fix server-side code errors, conduct tests, and adapt UX design to improve user experience. Therefore, a diverse skill set is essential. A specialist must also understand the logic of key processes, including those occurring on the server side. Therefore, working with the front end requires knowledge of:

• Basic technology stack: HTML + CSS and JavaScript (Ecmascript 6 specification or later). It's important to know more than just the basics; cross-browser and responsive layout skills, as well as the ability to work with popular CSS frameworks and preprocessors, are also important.
• Major CSS frameworks or at least one of them: Twitter Bootstrap, Foundation, Materialize CSS.
• Major JS frameworks and libraries: React, Vue.js, AngularJS, jQuery.
• How to work with a package manager.For example, NPM. And how to quickly download and update libraries and plugins.
• What is a version control system (VSC) and how to use it. Git is most often used.
• How to work with preprocessors ((edited: programs that accept input data and output data intended for input to other programs) and compilers (edited:programs that translate text written in a programming language into a set of machine codes).

At the same time, while a frontend developer of the middle level and above is required to have an in-depth understanding of frameworks, package managers, VSC, and the ability to use most software features without referring to instructions and documents, a junior developer only needs to understand the operating principles and be able to use basic functionality. In some companies, design skills, proficiency in Photoshop, CorelDraw, understanding of setting up popular CMS (WordPress, Droopal), and the basics of backend programming languages: PHP, Java, Python, Ruby will be a bonus upon employment.

In addition to technical skills, soft skills are also needed. Front-end developers work closely with designers, back-end developers, and UX designers. If the team doesn't have a project manager, the developer serves as a liaison between team members and takes on the role of project manager, setting tasks. Creative thinking, organizational skills, and a keen understanding of time management will contribute to rapid career advancement.

Knowledge of English is also important. At a minimum, you should be able to read English-language instructions and specifications. As your career progresses, you may have to work closely with English-speaking team members and clients.

How much does a front-end developer earn?

Now about salaries. The beauty of IT is the opportunity to work remotely. Therefore, the gap between salaries in Belarus and the CIS countries, the EU and the USA is not as big as in other areas.

According to hh.ru and rabota.by, the salary of a junior in Belarusian companies starts from $320. Interns with no experience and minimal knowledge are also promised pay, though no more than $120-130. Typically, the minimum salary is offered by small studios and companies that need not so much a developer as a specialist for updating scripts and maintaining the website. Junior salaries in the CIS market start from $570-800. Specialists who have grown to team lead can expect to work with an income of $4,250. The average salary in the industry is just over $2,000.

If you manage to sign a contract with an international employer, you can expect a salary several times higher. In the US and EU countries, according to www.ziprecruiter.com and Web3 Jobs, companies are willing to pay front-end developers from 72 to 165 thousand dollars per year (from $6,000 to $12,750 per month).

How to become a developer

First, you need to realize that before high-paying offers start pouring in, you'll have to study a lot. And the self-education process will be endless. If you want to enter the profession with zero knowledge, then you need to start with HTML and CSS. Once you learn how to create perfect layouts for multiple browsers with responsive design, you can move on to learning JavaScript, while mastering popular frameworks, libraries, and automation tools. Naturally, theory should always be supported by practice.

Mastering the profession of a frontend developer is possible using open sources. You can use books, free lessons, magazines, professional blogs and communities.

Popular blogs and communities:

• thecode.media — Yandex Praktikum magazine. The materials here are devoted to coding in general, but there is also a lot of information on the front end.
• habr.com — community Habr Q&A, where you can ask a question and get an answer on any IT topic.
• HTML and CSS Tutorial for 2021— a video course in English where you can learn the basics of website layout in two hours.
• Frontend Basics — a webinar on frontend, where the first two-hour lesson is available for free;
• JavaScript Tutorial for Beginners - Allows you to learn JavaScript logic and the basics of coding in JS in two hours;
• JS documentation archive — detailed instructions and a complete guide in English.
• css-tricks.com — A site dedicated to CSS. It publishes news, instructions, life hacks, and video tutorials on cascading style sheets.

References:

• D. McFarland, "The New Big Book of CSS."
• Douglas Crockford, "How JavaScript Works."
• Marijn Haverbeck, "Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition."
• E. Brown "Learning JavaScript".
• E. Robson, E. Freeman "Learning HTML5 Programming".
• E. Osmani, "Patterns for JavaScript Applications."

A new developer should look for a large firm willing to hire an intern without experience. For example, at a large web development studio or a company actively promoting its own cloud services and applications. It's easier to develop and acquire new skills within a good team and in an environment where diverse tasks are presented. There will be both routine tasks and projects that can be solved using only a combination of several technologies and non-standard approaches.

It's best to only switch to freelancing when you have experience and an understanding of how to clean up code, fix bugs, and solve problems using the available developer tools. A novice frontend developer without experience will have a hard time finding new clients on exchanges. Working on simple tasks can get stuck at the beginner level and stop developing.

If you want to quickly enter the profession and not follow the path of an intern, performing routine work for a minimum salary, then you can take the Skillbox course "Frontend Developer Profession from Zero to PRO".In 10 months, you will learn how to layout websites, code in JavaScript and TypeScript, gain experience working in a team, and master the stack of technologies popular with customers. The course is rich in practical training. You will launch several of your own projects that can be added to your portfolio.

The active transition of business online is driving a huge demand for frontend developers. Specialists who create user-friendly web interfaces are highly valued and well-paid. To master this profession, you don't need a degree in mathematics or physics, nor do you necessarily need to be a computer science genius. All you need is diligence and a desire to learn something new.