13 Specific Qualifications You Need To Possess In 2022 To Become A Front End Developer

Have you ever visited your favorite website and pondered why it was designed that way, how the buttons operated, how difficult that must be, or how I wish I could accomplish that? Front end development is the process by which a website’s design is actually put into action on the web, whereas web design dictates how a website looks.

Front end development, often known as “front end web development,” is the process used to create everything you see on websites, and the individuals responsible are known as front end developers.

A front end web developer is a software engineer who uses coding languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to put web designs into practice.

Is working as a front end developer a wise long-term career move?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of web developers in the US will increase by 8% between 2019 and 2029, which is substantially faster than the average for all occupations, making becoming a front end developer a good long-term career choice. Jobs for web developers are anticipated to expand by 16.7%, or 2,700 jobs, between 2018 and 2028 in the state of California alone, which is substantially greater than the average growth rate for all occupations.

1.Front-end developers’ essential skills

The website and web app designs developed by web designers are coded by front end web developers using three main coding languages:

HTML
CSS
JavaScript

The web browser used by the user is where the front end developers’ code is executed (known as client-side, as opposed to a back end developer, whose code runs server-side using open source runtime environments like Node.js or with programming languages like Python). Both front end and back end programming are easy for full stack developers.

A front end developer is like the engineer who plans the streets and ensures everything is connected properly so people can go about their daily lives, whereas a back end developer is like the engineer who designs and builds the systems that make a city work (electricity, water and sewer, zoning, etc.).

2. HTML & CSS

The most fundamental building elements of web coding are HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). You cannot develop a website without these two abilities; otherwise, all that would appear on the screen is plain text without any formatting. In fact, without HTML, you can’t even add photos to a page!

You must understand HTML and CSS coding before beginning any career route in web development. The good news is that learning both of them thoroughly may be accomplished in a matter of weeks.

The best part: You can create simple websites with just an understanding of HTML and CSS.

3. Javascript

With just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can add a ton of functionality to your webpages and build a ton of simple online applications (JS for short).

The most basic applications of JS are the creation and management of real-time updating maps, interactive movies (opens in a new tab), and online games. The fact that the page doesn’t reload every time you pin something is due to JavaScript, which is frequently used by websites like Pinterest(opens in a new tab).

It’s also the most widely used programming language in the world, thus learning it is extremely beneficial regardless of your plans for a career as a developer.

4. jQuery

A collection of plugins and extensions that makes it quicker and simpler to work with JavaScript, jQuery is a JavaScript library. With jQuery, a front end web developer can add pre-made pieces to projects and then tweak as necessary rather than having to build everything from scratch (one reason why knowing JavaScript is so important). Countdown clocks, search form autocomplete, and even automatically rearranging and resizing grid layouts are all possible using jQuery (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab).

5. Javascript Frameworks

JavaScript frameworks (such as Angular, Backbone, Ember, Vue.js, and React) provide your code with a pre-built structure. The five listed JavaScript frameworks are the most common in actual job advertisements, notably React, which is why we’ve included it for free in our Skillcrush’s Break Into Tech program. However, there are other sorts of JavaScript frameworks for varied needs.

In fact, the average income for front end developers might increase by up to $8,000 if you are familiar with React. Even though understanding JavaScript frameworks takes some time, they significantly speed up development by providing you a head start and can be combined with libraries like jQuery to reduce the amount of from-scratch writing you need to perform (if you have time, you can find some free tutorial options here ).

6. Front-end Frameworks

CSS and front end frameworks (the most popular front end framework is Bootstrap) do for CSS what JS Frameworks do for JavaScript: they give you a jumping-off point for faster coding. Since so much CSS starts with exactly the same elements from project to project, a framework that defines all of these for you upfront is super valuable. Most front end developer job listings expect you to be familiar with how these frameworks work and how to use them, so you should definitely get a head start if you want to be a front end programmer or just to further hone your front end development skills.

7. Knowledge of CSS preprocessors

Another tool a front end developer might use to expedite CSS coding is a preprocessor. To maintain our CSS scalable and user-friendly, a CSS preprocessor adds additional capability. It transforms your code into well-formatted, cross-browser compatible CSS before you publish it to your website. The two preprocessors that are most in demand are Sass and LESS.

8. Knowledge of RESTful APIs and services

REST stands for Representational State Transfer, without becoming too technical. RESTful services and APIs are online services that follow the REST architecture. To put it simply, it’s a lightweight architecture that makes network communication on the web easier.

Consider creating an app that lists all of your social network acquaintances in the order you first became friends with them. You may use Facebook’s RESTful API to request your friends list and receive the information back. You may also use Twitter’s API as a front-end web developer (Twitter also uses RESTful APIs). Any service that makes use of RESTful APIs follows the same fundamental procedure; the only difference is the data that is returned.

9. Responsive and Mobile Design is Very Important

It should come as no surprise that companies value responsive and mobile design abilities highly given that, just in the US, more people use the internet via a mobile device than a desktop computer(opens in a new tab). The layout of the website, as well as its functionality and information, can alter depending on the user’s screen size and device thanks to responsive design.

For instance, if you visit a website from a desktop computer with a large monitor, you’ll notice that the website has been designed with interaction for mouse and keyboard users in mind, including several columns, large images, and interactive elements. The same website would display as a single column optimized for touch input on a mobile device while utilizing the same base files.

10. Cross-Browser Development is Must

Although contemporary browsers are growing better at rendering webpages consistently, there are still variances in how they decipher code in the background. Knowing how to modify each current browser so that it behaves the way you want it to is a crucial skill until all of them perfectly adhere to web standards. That is the main goal of cross-browser development.

Read more about cross-browser compatibility here (opens in a new tab) and here (opens in a new tab), or for a more in-depth look, consult Daniel Herken’s Cross Browser Handbook.

11. Testing and Debugging Skills

For a front end web developer, defects are an unavoidable aspect of life. Understanding testing and debugging procedures is essential.

Unit testing frameworks offer a precise procedure and structure for doing so. Unit testing is the practice of testing individual blocks of source code (the instructions that specify how a website should function) (there are different ones for each programming language).

UI testing, also known as acceptability testing, browser testing, or functional testing, is another popular sort of testing where you verify that the website functions as it should when a user is actually using it.

12. Git and Version Control Systems Will Save Your LIFE

You can maintain track of modifications that have been made to code over time using version control systems. They also make it simple to go back to a previous version if you make a mistake.

Imagine that after adding a customized jQuery plugin, half of your existing code breaks. You can go back to an earlier version and try it again with a different solution, like pressing a reset button, rather than rushing to manually undo it and rectify all of the mistakes.

13. Problem Solving Skills Will Make Difference (DON’T GIVE UP!)

Excellent problem-solving abilities are one thing that all front end developers must possess, regardless of their position or official title. Development is all about solving creative problems, whether it’s working out how to effectively implement a design, correcting issues that appear, or figuring out how to make your front end code interact with the back end code produced by another software engineer.

For instance, you might hand off the front end of a fully functional website to the back end developers so they can connect it with the content management system (CMS). Suddenly, half of your great features cease functioning.

Thanks For Reading!