Have you been thinking about becoming a Front End Web Developer, but you’re not quite sure exactly what they do? To help you develop a better understanding of this exciting career path, let’s take a closer look at what a Front End Web Developer does, including the skills required, typical responsibilities, job outlook, and earning potential.
What Skills Do Front End Web Developers Need?
The job of a front end developer is to build all the user-facing elements of a website while ensuring that it’s easy to interact with and functions smoothly. Though there are some Front End Developers who also handle the design side of website building, most base their work on mockups created by a Web Designer. Some of the key skills necessary to become a successful Front End Developer are:
- Proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- The ability to track and control changes that have been made to the code
- Knowledge of user experience (UX) principles and SEO (search engine optimization) best practices
- The capability to build a website that’s aesthetically pleasing, responsive, functional, and user-friendly
- Familiarity with a variety of front end development tools such as libraries, frameworks, version control systems, and content management systems (CMS
- A good grasp of quality assurance testing to detect and eliminate bugs
- Soft skills like flexibility, time management, problem-solving, teamwork, and the ability to listen attentively
- Optional: an understanding of graphic design principles and the ability to create mockups
What Responsibilities Do Front End Web Developers Have?
A Front End Web Developer’s primary goal is to blend technology and design principles to create functional websites that are aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. There are many day-to-day tasks a Front End Web Developer can engage in to meet this goal; these can vary depending upon the employer, project, and the developer’s role within the company. Here’s a quick look at some of the most common duties Front End Web Developers are responsible for:
- Working with clients to determine the purpose of the website and how it should look
- Collaborating on projects with designers, stakeholders, and other developers
- Coding the front end of the website using programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Creating and maintaining user interfaces and navigation menus plus modifying them when necessary
- Incorporating multimedia content such as graphics, audio, video, etc. onto the customers’ websites
- Generating tools that optimize the user’s experience with the website
- Ensuring that websites can be accessed on a variety of platforms and devices including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones
- Testing websites for speed, performance, usability, etc.
- Troubleshooting problems and fixing any bugs that may exist
- Making sure that websites adhere to SEO (search engine optimization) best practices
- Providing website maintenance and making enhancements when required
Keep in mind that these are just the basics; your employer or client may have additional needs that aren’t listed above.
Where Do Front End Web Developers Work?
Front end development skills can open up opportunities in a variety of industries. For example, Front End Developers are needed in the tech, retail, government, education, marketing, media, transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, and finance fields, just to name a few. You could choose to work for a large Fortune 500 company, a small local business, or practically anything in between. Or if you prefer, you don’t have to be an employee at all — you could work as a freelance Web Developer or start your own web development business. You could even do front end web development part-time as a side gig if that’s your preference; the choice is yours.
How Much Do Front End Web Developers Make?
The earning potential for Front End Web Developers is quite high; in the United States, they earn an average of $100,000 per year. Of course, that salary will vary depending upon how much experience you have, where you’re located, and what size company you’re working for, among other factors. For example, those who are just starting out will typically work in a Junior Front End Web Developer position earning an average of $60,000 per year. After gaining several years of experience, developers can move up the ladder to earn a salary that’s closer to the $100,000 average. Choosing to work at a small, local company versus a large corporation also affects your salary; larger corporations are often able to pay more while smaller companies have tighter budgets.
Where you live is another factor that affects salary. A Front End Web Developer working in a state with a relatively high cost of living will earn more than the average — the state-wide salary average for Front End Web Developers in California is $121,448. On the other end of the spectrum, Front End Web Developers living in Mississippi, a state with a low cost of living, will only earn $54,671 on average. In Texas, which has a cost of living close to the national average, Front End Web Developers earn $101,295, which is similar to the average national salary for that job role.
Regardless of where you live, how much experience you have, and what size company you work for, front end web development jobs are lucrative. The average annual salary for all workers across the United States in 2020 was $56,310, which is a lot less than what you could earn as a Front End Web Developer.
What’s the Job Outlook for Front End Web Developers?
Front end web development is a promising career with great potential. Every company needs a website to reach their customers but few business owners have the ability to create one, which means those with front end web development skills are in high demand. In fact, career opportunities in web development are expected to grow in the U.S. by at least 13% each year between now and 2030—that’s significantly higher than the average job growth rate of 8% for all occupations.
How Do I Become a Front End Web Developer?
The best way to start a career in front end web development is to enroll in bootcamp. Often viewed as a viable alternative to university education, these skills-focused programs operate on an intensive, abbreviated schedule to get you career-ready in just a few months’ time. That’s especially good news when you consider how many open positions there are in the field; you can start to earn back your financial investment shortly after graduation.
Noble Desktop offers a variety of web development bootcamps including a 72-hour front end web development bootcamp for those interested in working as Front End Web Developers. These web development bootcamps are available live online and can be taken either full-time or part-time, making it easy for students to schedule classes that fit into their schedules.
If you’re not ready for a full bootcamp, you could start on your new career path by enrolling in individual web development classes. Noble Desktop has a wide array of front end web development classes available covering languages and tools such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Git, Flexbox, React, and more.