Skills That a Front-End Developer Needs
When most people hear about front-end development, they tend to just think about making the design of a website pleasing to the eye, and that is about it. That point of view is really a disservice to developers because there are so many different abilities and skills that they need to succeed.
I have included some of the skills that are involved with front-end and it will give you a better idea of what the job entails.
Know HTML and CSS
To even be considered a basic front-end developer you must be proficient in HTML and CSS. Both of them are needed for web development and without knowledge of them, there is a huge gap of knowledge that would hold a developer back.
HTML is the standard language that developers use to build web pages, and CSS is used to style up the page. Think of the HTML as the basic building block, and the CSS goes into detail on things like fonts and colors.
If you can work with HTML and CSS very smoothly, then you can easily get a job at a UI/UX design studio.
Testing and Fixing Any Bugs
If a front-end developer says that they have never experienced any problems or bugs, then they are either lying or are not experienced in the field at all. A proficient developer is going to be able to test and problem solve anything that has to do with the web development process.
It is a pretty valuable skill to have and you are viewed very highly in the industry if you know how to fix any bugs that are thrown your way.
Responsive Designs
It is the job of the front-end development team to make sure that the design of a webpage will translate from desktop to smartphone very easily. Developers use elements of CSS to make this a reality, and it is a very underestimated job in web development.
A website that looks terrible on smartphone and excellent on desktop is virtually nonexistent thanks to all of the advancements in responsive design.
JavaScript Knowledge
While HTML and CSS deal heavily with the foundation and aesthetics of a page, JavaScript deals more with the function ability of the page. It is tough to build web pages with videos and complex media with only HTML and CSS, so that is where JS comes into play.
It is a major skill that is needed for developing web pages and building the front-end of a website. Without knowledge of JavaScript, it is tough to find a great job in this industry because it is used heavily.
Those are just 4 buckets of knowledge that a front-end developer is usually expected to know. Not only do you need to have knowledge of technical concepts like this, but other skills are required to excel.
Great communication is a soft skill that will never go out of style in almost any industry. Also, teamwork is an exceptionally good skill to know for a career in web development.
