In this article, we will discuss commonly asked questions related to becoming a front-end developer based on my personal experience.
Can I become a front-end developer in 6 months?
Yes, 6 months was sufficient for me to master front-end with JavaScript, React JS, CSS, and HTML. I had to invest about 1-2 hours daily to comfortably achieve this timeline. My learnings on the frontend in these 6 months helped me to land a job as a frontend developer.
6 months is a very realistic timeframe for a beginner looking to become a front-end developer, provided that they spend few hours daily learning about it.
How hard is it to become a front-end developer?
I found becoming a front-end developer from scratch moderately difficult since it required knowledge in multiple technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Additionally, understanding tricky JavaScript concepts such as closures, async, etc required more time and practice.
I would rate front-end as medium level on the scale of difficulty, harder than building simple backend APIs but certainly not easier than advanced fields like machine learning, big data, etc.
Read more from css-tricks.com/front-end-development-is-development/.
Is front-end development Easy?
No, I found developing a simple front-end easy, however the front-end as a whole consists of a mixture of both simple and advanced concepts.
Many front-end concepts required me to have strong fundamentals in JavaScript and CSS. Mastering the front-end requires significant time and effort hence cannot be considered easy to learn by a beginner.
Can anyone become a front-end developer?
Yes, you need not be a computer science or Maths student to become a front-end developer as most front-end topics are self-taught.
The only requirement to be a front-end developer is to have an interest in developing web pages and JavaScript language in general.
Can I become a front-end developer without a degree?
Yes, becoming a front-end developer doesn’t require a degree as the majority of front-end concepts are not dependent on computer science fundamentals. Front-end is one of the few technologies where candidates without a degree are on par with college graduates.
Learn more about becoming a front-end developer without a degree from codecademy.com/blog/how-to-become-a-front-end-developer/.
Which is easier front end or backend?
In general, I found learning the backend easier than the front-end especially as a computer science graduate as many of the backend concepts like relational databases, object-oriented programming is part of the curriculum.
In addition, the front-end involves developing and styling the UI along with adding functionality to it, whereas the backend only requires only developing only functionality and UI is absent.
Should I learn JavaScript for front-end development?
Yes, JavaScript knowledge to crucial as most of the front-end frameworks are built using JavaScript and require JavaScript code to use them. Additionally, all modern-day web browsers engine support JavaScript and there isn’t any alternative language to choose from.
What should I learn to become a front-end developer?
You need to learn the following technologies in the order to become a front-end developer:
- HTML: It is used to create structure for the webpage and include any external JS/CSS files. HTML is the easiest to learn in the list and doesn’t have any prerequise to start learning.
- CSS: Webpage with HTML alone appears less attractive and usable for users, hence we include CSS file in the HTML page which add styles to HTML tags. CSS is used to specify alignment, size, color, etc of HTML elements. The basics of CSS is relatively easy to learn, however designing large webpages can get tricky and time consuming.
- JavaScript: To add functionality to HTML + CSS webpage, we need JavaScript. JavaScript adds more features to webpage such as fetching Data from api, updating webpage based on user interaction, etc.
- One or more Front-end framework: Learning framework is optional to be come front-end developer but will save lot of time for developing application compared to JavaScript. Further, knowing frameworks like React JS, Angular, etc can significatly increase your chance of getting a job.
Learn more about how to become a front-end developer from usersnap.com/blog/how-to-become-a-front-end-developer/
Is Front End Developer a good career?
Yes, I found front-end development as a greater career choice based on opportunities and longevity. Most of the latest frontend technologies like React JS, JavaScript, etc are growing in demand, thus provide more job opportunities.
In terms of longevity, good UI is something that is required by most applications and cannot be replaced. Like other computer technologies, front-end frameworks can get outdated with time but any future framework will be most likely based on JavaScript. Hence anyone with good core JavaScript knowledge can learn it in relatively less time.
Learn more about the front-end developer path from bootcamp.ce.ucf.edu/blog/front-end-developer-career-path/.
