{"id":41188,"date":"2023-02-07T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T17:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/?p=41188"},"modified":"2025-01-27T03:58:29","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T11:58:29","slug":"become-front-end-developer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/software-engineering\/become-front-end-developer\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Become a Front-End Developer in 2025 [Career Guide]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What\u2019s the difference between an intuitive and a horrendous digital experience? Oftentimes, it\u2019s a matter of front-end development. Front-end developers build the customer-facing side of apps and websites, making them easy (or impossible when things go wrong) to navigate and find the information you\u2019re looking for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that we all spend an increasing amount of time in front of screens, it\u2019s no surprise that front-end developers are increasingly in demand. Right now, there are about 16,000 open front-end development positions listed on LinkedIn. And the number of available openings is only expected to grow. In the next ten years, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of openings for front-end developers is going to increase by 23%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to fill one of those positions? Then you\u2019re in the right place. Below, we\u2019ll tell you everything you need to know about how to acquire front-end developer skills, and how to land the developer job<\/a> of your dreams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is It Hard To Become a Front-End Developer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because front-end development learning resources are readily available, it\u2019s never been easier to become a front-end developer\u2014anyone with a computer can work on their own projects. It also helps that companies don\u2019t require that you have a four-year degree and that bootcamp graduates and self-taught developers regularly land coveted front-end developer roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does a Front-End Developer Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The front-end of a website or app is the part that the users see and interact with. That\u2019s why it\u2019s called client-side development at times. Back-end developers<\/a> build the parts you don\u2019t see, such as the database and servers. The job of a front-end developer involves designing and developing the elements that users see. They decide how a website should be laid out, how users navigate it, and how images, text, and animations should combine to convey a particular message. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Become a Front-End Developer: A Ten-Step Guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Follow these ten steps to land a coveted front-end development job:<\/p>\n\n\n

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  1. \n

    Complete a Prep Course<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n

    Pursue the Necessary Education<\/p>\n

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  3. \n

    Learn To Code<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n

    Learn Version Control Systems<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  5. \n

    Participate in Coding Challenges<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  6. \n

    Explore Open-Source, Freelance, or Volunteer Projects To Build Your Portfolio<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  7. \n

    Hone Your Skills<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  8. \n

    Network<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  9. \n

    Pursue a Front-End Development Internship<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  10. \n

    Polish Your Resume and Prepare for Interviews<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

    Complete a Prep Course<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The best way to get your foot in the door is to complete a prep course in software engineering<\/a>. These courses are very affordable, can be completed online, and only take around 4-6 weeks. You’ll learn all of the coding skills and fundamentals you need to pursue a career in the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Pursue the Necessary Education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \"how<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    You need to lay a foundation for growth in the front-end development career track with an education in the area. Here are a few ways you can do that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bachelor’s Degree<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The conventional route to a job in front-end development goes through a college degree. It\u2019s the most intensive mode of education you can take to land a job in this space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are a few different kinds of degrees that you can get that are relevant to front-end development. A bachelor\u2019s degree in computer science will give you a very broad set of skills, covering programming languages<\/a>, computation theory, and relevant mathematical concepts. It\u2019s a great base to have going into a job in front-end development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You also have the option of doing a degree in design. Courses in areas like UX design<\/a>, graphic design, and interaction design all provide students with skills that come in handy when they\u2019re looking to work as a front-end developer. But you will need to do some extra work to complement your design skills<\/a> with the additional skills in programming<\/a> required to work in a development role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bootcamp<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Bootcamps have revolutionized the ways in which front-end development<\/a> is taught and learned today, as they provide a learning path that\u2019s more tailored than what traditional universities can offer. They also place special emphasis on landing a job and ensure that you walk away with projects that look good on your portfolio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you want to become a front-end developer, then you should definitely consider a front-end development bootcamp. The benefit of a bootcamp is that you can easily find one that caters to your needs, whether that\u2019s one that has weekend classes or lets you attend classes online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Self-Taught Route<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re good at learning things on your own, then the Internet is your playground. There\u2019s everything from free online coding classes<\/a> to web design online courses<\/a> to YouTube content that will teach you entire front-end programming languages from scratch.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The self-taught mode is great because you get to go at your own pace and select the exact topics that you\u2019re interested in. But it also means that you don\u2019t get personalized help and have to produce your own motivation to stay on your learning journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Learn To Code<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \"how<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    There are a few programming languages that every front-end developer should know. They\u2019re commonly used in the industry, and you\u2019ll likely have to answer questions about them in interviews. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    HTML<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the skeleton of the Internet. Front-end developers use HTML to tell Internet browsers how websites should be rendered on a screen. You should be well-versed in constructing layouts and know what all of the commonly used HTML tags do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    CSS<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. Where HTML positions elements on a page, CSS is used to style those elements. Anything that has to do with fonts, text size and color, images, and so on is written in CSS. Once you know basic CSS, you should move on to studying CSS frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind because they can boost your productivity and help you produce better work as a CSS designer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Javascript<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Javascript<\/a> is the language that adds dynamism to web pages. It can be used to add visual dynamism through animations. But it also adds functional dynamism by connecting front-end elements to the backend and database. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Related Read: 12 Best JavaScript Courses To Boost Your Skills<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Learn Version Control Systems<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \"how<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Version control is, quite simply, the practice of maintaining a record of all of the different versions of the programs that you\u2019ve written. This is important because it becomes easy to track back to a previous version in case a program breaks or you want to retrieve a piece of code that you deleted unintentionally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Git is the most popular<\/a> version control system in the software industry at the moment. Front-end developers use Git as a version control system primarily. But it can also serve as a public repository for your code libraries and something that you can point recruiters to as proof of your work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Participate in Coding Challenges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Coding challenges can be a great way to test your skills and accelerate your learning in a competitive environment, and there are a whole host of platforms that host coding challenges<\/a> online. You should start participating in these challenges once you have foundational front-end development skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Explore Open-Source, Freelance, or Volunteer Projects To Build Your Portfolio<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you want to land a front-end developer job, then you\u2019re going to need a portfolio<\/a> to showcase your work. There are a few different ways that you can go about making that happen. The first is by contributing to open-source projects<\/a>. This is the most accessible way to get started because you\u2019re only contributing to existing code and aren\u2019t responsible for the entire project yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Another way to work on projects is through volunteering. You can approach local small businesses and nonprofits with the offer of volunteering as a developer there. It may take some searching, but it can help your learning journey to work as a volunteer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, you can also freelance on real-world projects. If you have some education and experience under your belt, then you can go about looking for small-scale freelance projects which allow you to practice the things you\u2019ve learned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hone Your Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \"how
    Source: Kenzie Academy<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Front-end development is an area that\u2019s constantly evolving. There are always new interface types and industry standards to keep track of. So you should regularly brush up on both your technical skills and soft skills so you can stay abreast of developments in the industry. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Technical Skills <\/h4>\n\n\n\n