Are Front-End Web Development Bootcamps Worth It?

Front end web development bootcamps are short, intensive classes with a narrow focus that can help you gain skills quickly. Bootcamps are useful for upskilling or exploring a possible new career path.

What is Front End Web Development?

Front end web development involves coding all of the client-side elements of a website. A Front End Web Developer is responsible for creating everything that the user sees and interacts with, making sure that the website is not only beautiful and user-friendly but that it runs seamlessly as well.

There are three primary coding languages used in front end development. They are:

HTML: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language used to create documents that will be displayed on a web browser. HTML instructs the browser on how to display data on the page. These instructions often cover the layout of the page, fonts, colors, headings, title, tables, and graphics. HTML5 Boilerplate is the most popular HTML framework in use today.

CSS: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a language that’s used to style the text, color, buttons, and tables of a website plus structure how its pages are laid out. CSS allows for content and formatting to remain separate so websites can adapt to different types of devices of various sizes. Some of the most frequently used CSS frameworks are Twitter Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, Bulma, Foundation, Skeleton, UI Kit, Pure, Semantic UI, and Materialize.

JavaScript: JavaScript is a language used to program the behavior of web pages, making them more dynamic and interactive to engage the user. For example, JavaScript can be used to play audio or video, display animations, progress through a slideshow of various pictures, and alter a button’s colors when a mouse hovers over it. Vue.js, Angular, and Svelte are the most common JavaScript frameworks used in front end web development. The most popular JavaScript library in use today is React, which was created by Facebook.

What Can You Do With Front End Web Development?

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, and finance fields, just to name a few.

Alternatively, you could specialize in a specific language by becoming a JavaScript Developer. Front End Web Developers in the U.S. earn about $92,000 a year. Some people choose to specialize in a particular language, like JavaScript, and earn $105,000 annually.

Why Learn Front End Web Development in a Bootcamp?

Front end web development bootcamps are intensive classes focusing on specific topics to help you learn skills quickly. Experienced instructors lead the class in hands-on projects designed to build competence in front end web development best practices and help students gain confidence. You can take bootcamp classes in person or online, and the courses are a much less expensive way to change careers than a college degree.

Bootcamp vs. College

You can learn front end web development skills by enrolling in a college or university and majoring in computer science or information technology. College degrees can take four or five years to complete, and while you get a well-rounded education, they are very expensive. A year of college tuition costs between $10,000 and $50,000, while bootcamps cost between $300 and $1,500. If you want to change careers quickly at a reasonable cost, bootcamps provide instruction only in the marketing skills you need over the course of a few days to a month.

Bootcamp vs. Self-Paced Courses

You can also sign up for self-paced courses to learn front end web development. These are prerecorded video sessions that you can watch anytime and anywhere. They are usually accessed through a subscription platform, some of which offer a limited free trial period. Unlike bootcamp courses, self-paced classes don't have a live instructor to answer questions or clarify assignments. They also can become out-of-date quickly because digital tools and platforms change frequently.

Bootcamps vs. Free Training Options

There are many free front end web development training options, like YouTube tutorials, podcasts, and blogs. It is possible to teach yourself coding through free materials and trial and error, but that will take much longer than enrolling in a bootcamp class. Like a self-paced class, there is no instructor to turn to with questions, and you have no way of knowing how current the class content is.

Learn Front End Web Development Skills with Noble Desktop

Learn front end web development skills with Noble Desktop's Front End Web Development Certificate. This beginner-friendly course will teach you the coding skills you need to change to a career as a Front End Web Developer. Learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Git to create responsive websites optimized for any screen size. You will also learn to use WordPress, the world's number one content management system. The course also includes HTML Email Bootcamp and a portfolio bootcamp.

JavaScript is powerful and flexible. Developers have written a variety of tools on top of the core JavaScript language, unlocking a vast amount of functionality with minimum effort. In Noble's JavaScript Development Certificate, you will learn to build dynamic web applications with React and Node.js, create APIs with Express.js, and work with databases with MongoDB. You will also learn about Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that provide functionality such as dynamically creating HTML and setting CSS. APIs allow developers to incorporate functionality in websites from other content providers, such as Twitter or Facebook. The course also covers third-party frameworks and libraries you can apply to HTML to accelerate the work of building sites and applications. No previous coding experience is required.

If you prefer, you can take these Noble classes included in the certificates one at a time. Web Development with HTML & CSS covers building websites with HTML & CSS; creating multi-page websites with text, images, and graphics; styling with CSS; and uploading files using FTP. 

Advanced HTML & CSS includes important CSS concepts like positioning, advanced selectors, and relative type sizing. You will also learn to work with multiple background images, transparent color using RGBA, CSS gradients, and shadows. The course also covers creating animated effects with CSS transitions and transforms.

Flexbox, Grid, and Bootstrap covers laying out and aligning website content with CSS Flexbox. Learn CSS Grid to layout websites and Bootstrap to build layouts quickly.

JavaScript for Front End teaches you to make dynamic and engaging websites with JavaScript and GreenSock. Learn the basics of JavaScript and how to use free pre-made JavaScripts to add functionality. Create animated slideshows and build animated image enlargers.

WordPress enables you to create and maintain a website, even if you have no web design background or knowledge of the code that makes websites work. Noble's WordPress Bootcamp covers building websites and blogs with WordPress. Learn to install themes and plugins, test your code, and customize your website.

Learn how to code custom-designed emails that adapt to different screen sizes in HTML Email Bootcamp. Build and work with multiple layouts and gain a deeper understanding of email-friendly HTML/CSS and how to manage various email client issues. Create responsive emails that work across various devices, optimize images and graphics for mobile devices, and use media queries to fine-tune mobile styles.