There are plenty of good reasons why working in tech is increasingly becoming an attractive career choice for most people — flexible schedules, high salaries, and creative work are the top three. But, how do you get started working in tech? Many people get confused field given the granular nature of the industry, particularly to newcomers. Others refuse to pay the high tuition rates often associated with learning front-end development.
To get the ball rolling, we will be focusing primarily on different types of web development in this article or to be more specific front-end development. To sum it up, front-end developers use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create websites. These guys also design web interfaces and develop it into a working website.
If you’re looking for a career change and want to explore what the lucrative world of tech, front-end development is the best place to get your feet wet. You will need to acquire and master a specific base of skills that will help get prepared for employment. And trust me, there is a huge demand for front-end developers and the demand only keeps in increasing.
Here’s a list of skills must have skills to get you started in front-end development:
Tuition
If you are learning to code for the first time, things can become overwhelming and you may find yourself overly perturbed by the technical jargons in web development. If you are learning by yourself, it is likely that you are doing certain things without really knowing why. This is why tutoring is important when it comes to coding for web development. Paying for tuition to become a front-end developer will help you master the correct coding practices, correct mistakes and how you can avoid them.
In addition to technical skills, you also need to have solid soft skills to become a versatile front-end developer. A tutor can be instrumental in instilling respect and admiration of the culture, process, and business of web development. Furthermore, a tutor can assist you to understand and appreciate the dynamics and experiences of your clients which is vital to forge long-term client relationships.
HTML & CSS
You can’t even remotely call yourself a front-end developer if you lack proficiency in these two languages. HTML/CSS are a must for any kind of front-end development. So what are HTML and CSS exactly?
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language used to develop web pages. It’s the primary building block for building websites. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a language which is used to present the website created using HTML. In other words, HTML creates the foundation of a webpage, while is used to develop the page’s fonts, color, layout, well…its overall style!
JavaScript & jQuery
Another essential skill for front-end developers is JavaScript (JS). JavaScript (JS) is a programming language. So, what is the difference between this language and HTML/CSS? HTML/CSS is used to visualize the web page, whereas JS determines the function. Front-end developers use the JS tool to implement various interactive features of a modern website such as audio and video, animations, scrolling abilities, games, and so on. Another important thing to mention here is the existence of plugins and extensions libraries like jQuery, which make it faster and easier for a developer to use JS on websites.
CSS & JavaScript Frameworks
You are probably reminding me that we have already talked about CSS/JS, but this is a different topic. We are discussing frameworks. In short, CSS and JavaScript frameworks are collections of CSS or JS files. CSS and JavaScript frameworks work by providing common functionality to websites such as searching and logging into a website. It’s necessary to implement the right framework in the website that you are working on as frameworks have their strengths and weaknesses. For instance, some JS frameworks are ideal for creating complex user interfaces, whereas others are great for displaying the site’s content.
CSS Preprocessing
This is another skill pertinent to CSS. Despite being one of the most basic building blocks of a website, CSS has some limitations. Some common limitations are CSS can’t define functions, variables, or perform arithmetic operations. This becomes an issue as developers have to spend a lot of time writing repetitive codes to make the desired changes, especially in large projects. Similar to CSS/JS frameworks, CSS preprocessors like Sass or LESS makes the developer more productive and efficient.
Version Control/Git
By now you have already acquired the basic skills to build a website. You created the markup language using HTML, styled using CSS, and programmed with JS. You also probably testing your website and rectifying the bugs. And if something goes wrong the last thing you want to do is start over from scratch. That’s where Version control software like GIt comes in. Version control software is a tool that developers use to tracking and control changes in the source code so that they can revert to the previous version of their work and figure what went wrong without starting over from the beginning.
Responsive Design
Gone are the days when people used only one device aka the computer to view websites. These days folks are increasingly using smartphones and tablets to browse the web. Ever noticed how the pages automatically adjust themselves to the device you are using? This is due to responsive design. Therefore, it has become essential for front-end developers to understand the principles of responsive design and how to implement them while during the coding process.
Browser Developer Tools
Users will use a web browser such as Chrome or Firefox to interact with websites. The success of your website(s) completely depends on how these browsers render your website. Similar to the testing and debugging processes, all modern web browsers are equipped with developer tools. The browser developer tools allow web developers to tune the pages according to the specific requirements of each browser to ensure that it interprets the code perfectly.
Testing/Debugging
Bugs are common occurrences when it comes to website or software development processes. To keep the website to perform flawlessly, web developers test their source code for bugs before handing the project to the clients. So, testing and debugging is an essential skill for front-end developers. To speed up and simplify the testing process, web developers use various frameworks/programs like Mocha and Jasmine.
Building and Automation Tools
As we mentioned above, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are three basic tools for front-end development. However, there are other skills that web developers should master to use those tools more effectively to test/debug the websites and amend mistakes and bugs. Various building and automation tools and web performance tools help to achieve those objectives. You can create an awesome website, but all of your efforts will be wasted if it performs sluggishly on the user’s end. Performing web performance tests on websites can be a time killer, but building and automation programs like Grunt and gulp make the process seamless and quick. These tools are primarily used for CSS and JS minifying, automate image optimization, and other web performance tasks.
Command Line
Since the invention of computers, the proliferation of Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs) into computing was one of best things to happen to computers. In the days of yore, we can recall how painful it was to type lines of esoteric commands into a blank screen for the machine to start doing something. Now, you only need to point and click on an interactive menu. Thanks to GUIs. However, there will be situations where an all-purpose GUI won’t be able to execute some specific functions or applications, particularly in web development and coding.
This is when you will be required to enter typed commands or command lines on your computer’s predefined terminals to get what you need. It’s true most of the web development projects are done through a GUI, but being skilled in command lines will only build up your cred as a front-end developer.
Author Bio:
Edwin S. Pitts
He is the content developer and freelance writer. He writes a lot of article on his carrier. Last one year he is working with SmileTutor as a content developer and a writer. He has a expertise on writing an article on various types of online tutorial. He also wants to promote such kind of work to develop the skill.
