How to Become a Front End Developer Without a Degree in 2024

The job of a Front End Developer is to build interactive web pages and apps with an emphasis on visual appeal for optimal user interfacing. Individuals can find work as Front End Developers or Web Developers without needing to have a college degree. Having experience with coding and developing websites or possessing a portfolio that demonstrates skills and knowledge should be helpful in gaining a foothold for work related to front end web development. Enrolling in courses for training in web development and programming languages could also provide knowledge with the skills needed to go to work as a Front End Developer along with online tutorials that are available through platforms like YouTube and other outlets. It’s also a good idea to keep a LinkedIn profile and information updated since background and experience are key elements for getting hired.

What is a Front End Developer?

Becoming a Front End Developer involves building websites and applications using common front end web development languages. The front end of a website is what users see on their web browsers and is built using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other coding languages. 

Web development includes creating websites and apps from scratch. This means applying front end, back end, and full stack web development procedures. Front end development focuses on how a user interacts with a website while back end development concerns the functionality of that website within browsers like Chrome and Safari, for example. Full stack development combines both those functions.

Skills needed for becoming a Front End Developer can also qualify you for working as a Web Developer or Web Designer.

Read more about what a Front End Developer does.

Can You Really Become a Front End Developer Without a Degree?

An individual does not need to have a college degree to become a Front End Developer. While having a degree may be preferred but not required by organizations hiring Front End Developers, many candidates do have four-year computer science degrees. However, a person can appeal to potential employers by demonstrating the skills required for working in front end web development without having attended college.

Noble Desktop offers several coding and web development related bootcamps and courses for individuals who have no employment experience as Front End Developers nor a college degree. These courses provide training in how to create web pages and applications with coding and programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 

There are people who might prefer in-person courses, feeling more comfortable learning inside a classroom with their teacher standing right there in front of them. Conversely, others might choose virtual learning, which provides the advantage of training at home while getting the same quality of instructions that they would get from sitting inside a classroom.

Whichever method a person chooses, either in-person or live online courses should provide an appropriate way for learning about front end web development. People also have the option of taking on-demand or self-paced classes that allow participants to learn at their own pace, on their own time.

Steps to Become a Front End Developer

Front end web development focuses on how users interact with websites. The front end of a website is what users see on their web browsers and is built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript coding. Front End Developers write HTML to provide content for websites using coding while CSS arranges the style and layout of a web page. JavaScript makes websites interactive.

Set Your Path

Front End Developers are responsible for building the front end–or user-side–of interactive websites and applications. Front End Developers can find work at major corporations, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, government agencies, and tech startups. Front end web development requires time management skills as well as the ability to communicate effectively with coworkers in a working environment. The skills needed for becoming a Front End Developer creates opportunities for freelance and independent contract work that can provide salaries comparable to what an individual might earn working on the staff at a major corporation. 

Front End Developers are also responsible for keeping websites and apps updated, creating prototypes from wireframes, and making sure those websites and apps are always accessible for users. Having a background in coding along with a portfolio that demonstrates skills and knowledge could be helpful for anyone seeking work in the profession.

Start Learning Front End Development

Learning skills for becoming a Front End Developer requires training in front end web development, of course, which involves creating websites by writing code. The purpose of a web browser is to interpret the coding that generates a website or app into what users see on their computer and smartphone screens. Front End Developers write coding that affects what users see on a web browser.

Front End Developers create websites using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. A Front End Developer uses HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) for constructing web pages by coding and marking content while CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) defines the style and looks of that content by establishing that website’s layout. JavaScript adds interactivity, animation, and logic to that website. 

Start Learning Web Development

Web development involves several areas for building websites and web applications by applying front end, back end, and full stack web development procedures. Front end web development focuses on user interface for websites while back end development emphasizes the powering and function of that website within browsers like Chrome or Safari, for example. Full stack development combines both those procedures. 

Start Learning Coding

Coding is what makes the Internet work. Code runs behind web pages and plays an integral role in how technology essentially runs most businesses in today’s digitally dominated world. There are various coding languages that help Developers and Programmers build websites, apps, and other digital software as well as analyze data and create machine learning algorithms.

JavaScript is a front end programming language that facilitates interactivity within a website through a wide-ranging library and adaptable frameworks, which is why it is the most popular programming language used. JavaScript is a programming language whereas HTML and CSS are not.

Start Learning React

React is a JavaScript library used for building user interfaces (UIs). Although created and maintained by Meta, React is a free and open-source front end JavaScript library.

Front End Developers are in-demand, so learning a computer programming skill like React could put those individuals on the right path to their new profession.

Building an App

App development is one of the most in-demand skills needed for working as a Front End Developer. Mobile apps are widely popular software used for various purposes involving everyday functions that includes paying for items at a store, checking the weather, getting transportation home through a ride service, participating in a meeting through teleconferencing, or downloading music, which can all be done through using smartphone apps. 

Developing apps has become a key area in today’s billion-dollar communications industry. Front End Developers must possess the skills to convert designs into the coding required for those apps to be displayed properly on mobile browsers for users to interact smoothly to take advantage of the function.

Free Seminars

While some people with coding and programming skills have considered becoming Front End Developers, many of them hesitate about moving forward after considering the upfront costs or difficulty with scheduling additional training. However, there are free resources and video tutorials for those who would like to get the necessary skills for working as a Front End Developer while being able to learn at their own pace, on their own time.

Noble Desktop offers free seminars for design and coding classes, including Intro to Front End Web Development, which provides tips for Front End Developers on coding for websites that we see and interact with on browsers. This includes lessons focused on several different coding languages and web technologies. Other front end web development related seminars include How to Get Started in Web Design, Intro to JavaScript, Intro to React, and Designing for Mobile.

Learn the Skills to Become a Front End Developer at Noble Desktop

People have several options for learning to become a Front End Developer, which include in-person and live online training courses, bootcamps, and certificate programs that provide real-time hands-on instruction. Noble Desktop offers several live online Web Development courses.

For example, with hardly any prior coding experience, an individual could complete the Front End Web Development Certificate and get headed in the right direction for their new career with training in how to build the user side of a responsive website. This course aims to keep class sizes small so that students can receive tailored advice and guidance from their instructors.

If you would like to learn about designing websites or email programs from coding with HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, you can train for the Web Design Certificate. In addition, this course will teach you how to build websites using WordPress.

If you would like to learn about more options for building websites or apps from scratch through skills in front end web development, Noble Desktop provides information on their Learn Front End Web Development page, which can guide you through learning about several options for becoming a Front End Developer, including what free resources are available and career advice.