5 invaluable things you must know while starting out as a front-end developer
I started my career as a front-end engineer about 3 years ago. I was fortunate to find an amazing set of people to help me have an epic learning curve. I got some invaluable suggestions and guideposts if I can say so, which I still go back to from time to time.
So this is my attempt at summarizing them. Here we go:
1. Always focus on the basics
My starting point was always the documentation for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. MDN web docs do an EPIC job of helping a newbie understand and have iron-clad concepts. Even now, many senior devs I know always go back to these documents for everything starting with interview preparation or being stuck while implementing a functionality.
2. Code. Code. Code.
As freshers (certainly me), we tend to read the documentation AND the code without actually getting our hands dirty. I highly recommend getting into the crux of code snippet in front of you and try out various permutations and combinations to understand just how things work.
3. Build some interesting apps
It is always good to have a portfolio where you can showcase some cool projects you’ve built from scratch. The main issue with me was that I was always looking for “new and innovative” ideas. Thing is, there is nothing new under the sun. Whatever you can think of, chances are someone somewhere has already done something related to it (with exceptions, of course). So, build it anyway. Give it your personal touch.
4. Reach out to the front end community
As I have experienced, the front-end community is full of amazing people who are really kind enough to help or inspire. The Internet makes it really easy for us to connect with such people. So find who inspires you, and try to follow their work on social media. Even if you’re stuck with an issue, reach out. Chances are someone else is on the same train and will be up for collaborating on a solution. If you’re lucky, (like I was), you may even find yourself with an amazing set of mentors
5. Set your own pace for doing things
In the field of front-end development, you might get overwhelmed by the number of frameworks and libraries being churned out. Take your time. Read through the documentation and see if it interests you. Be it a new project idea, or starting out any coding challenge, or learning a new framework or a library, spend enough time learning how things work under the hood and not just the syntactical aspects. After all, it is your journey and yours alone.
Well, that's all I had to say. I love being a front-end developer and I wish you have an amazing journey too. Let me leave you with this quote:
“You’re building your own maze, in a way, and you might just get lost in it.” — Marijn Haverbeke, Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming
For any suggestions, comments or just to say hi, do reach out at @sumo_dev_. Happy learning folks!
