9 Steps Guide on How to Become a Front end Developer in 2021

If your career interest revolves around website design and development, becoming a front-end developer is the perfect job role for you. This post will talk about being a front-end developer, the requirements to become one, and how much you stand to make.

What Is A Front end Developer?

A front-end developer is a website design or web application specialist who deals with everything the end-user interacts with on a website, web page, or web application. These include  

•   Buttons
•   Drop-down menus
•   Images
•   Text
•   Headers
•   Navigations

As a front-end developer, you may have to design a website interface or application based on the client’s requirements. These are professionals with expertise in programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Additionally, they must also learn extensively about databases, other programming platforms, and website optimization techniques. Simply remember that your main job role is to create a website design that is easy to use, readable, and has reusable code.

Take care of all the above-mentioned aspects, and you will be able to create websites that respond quickly and are easy to use.

Front end Developer Salary

A front end developer’s salary depends on the level of expertise and job position. For instance, as an entry-level front end developer, you can expect to make between $60,000 and $68,000 per year.

If you have a couple of years of experience behind you, this salary bracket increases in range from $84,000 to $105,000 per year. An average salary of a senior front end developer can be as high as up to $130,000 per year. However, the salary may depend on your location as well.

Front end Developer Role and Key Responsibilities

Here are the key responsibilities of a front end developer.

•   Defining the design and structure of a website and all its pages
•   Defining the user experience (UX) of a web application or website.
•   Features to complement the user experience
•   Creating aesthetics and functionalities that complement each other
•   Creating a smartphone-optimized website or web application
•   Building or writing reusable code
•   Creating websites and pages optimized for efficient scalability and faster load time.
•   Using markup language to code the web pages
•   Ensuring that design follows a consistent tone of the brand it is representing.

Skills Needed to Become a Front end Developer

To pursue a successful career as a front end developer, you must hold a computer science degree with an understanding of all basic design principles. You must know standard programming languages, including CSS, HTML, jQuery, and JavaScript.

You must also be proficient in server-side CSS and graphic designing. SEO plays a vital role for businesses these days, so you must know the latest trends in this arena. You must display impeccable interpersonal and verbal communication and problem-solving skills.

How to Become a Front end Developer?

Here are nine steps that you must follow to become a front end developer.

•   Become proficient in HTML
•   Become proficient in JavaScript
•   Become proficient in CSS
•   You must have a solid grasp of Node.js, i.e., JavaScript Libraries. This will help you build scalable and speed-optimized websites, pages, and web applications.
•   You must be familiar with other frameworks associated with JavaScript. This will reduce how much time you spend on carrying out or defining routine tasks.
•   You must be master the concept of DOM manipulation. This will help you style, structure, and manipulate all design aspects of your projects. You will also be able to add animation and create customized applications.
• You should also be comfortable with using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX). This is a set of techniques to build interactive and speed-optimized websites.
• You must have an extensive understanding of databases such as NoSQL and SQL. As a front end developer, you should know how to load data via an SQL query. This is one of the very basic skills you must learn.
• Do not forget to build an online professional front end developer portfolio to highlight your expertise and knowledge.

What’s the Future of Front end Developers?

According to the United States’ Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), front end developer jobs may experience 8 percent growth till 2029. This is faster than most professions, thanks to the economy and consumerism driven by e-commerce and smartphones.

Become a Front end Developer

While you may appear as a guy at the desk, but being a front end developer makes you a professional with high skill sets, including programming/coding, graphic design, search engine optimization, and more. However, you must remember that although front end development brings decent paychecks, you will have to stay on top of the latest trends and techniques.

It will be a good idea to find a mentor with extensive experience in front end development while you continue to solidify your foundations in the basics. While your technical knowledge and expertise will matter in the end, having soft skills can definitely add a tailwind to your self-promotion strategy.