In this article, we will cover how a rookie can become a competitive front-end engineer—an engineer with a certain level of code quality, familiarity with at least one front-end framework, and competitiveness in the job market.
In-Demand Skills
Check the Frontend Roadmap to learn the techniques you need to tackle to become a front-end engineer.
Additionally, you can search for front-end job descriptions on job websites. The skills that appear repeatedly are the necessary technologies for a front-end engineer position. Most often, these include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ajax, React (or another framework), and tools like Bootstrap, jQuery, etc.
Initial Understanding of Basic Skills
First, try to understand the purpose of these skills. If you find it difficult to digest the terms, you can check YouTube or the Udemy Free Learning Center for related courses. Look for courses/instructors with the best reviews and ratings that suit your learning style.
Start Learning
You may hear advice like "learn HTML/CSS/JavaScript by yourself on MDN!" While it’s true that there are abundant resources available for self-study, as a novice, diving into the MDN documentation might be overwhelming.
It's recommended to follow an instructor through an online course. The advantage of taking a course is that you can follow along and practice. This hands-on experience helps you build a sense of accomplishment. Seeing what you create will inspire more ideas.
Once you have a good grasp of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can delve deeper into JavaScript. JavaScript: Understanding the Weird Parts is highly recommended for those who want to understand JavaScript in-depth. It covers advanced topics like object prototypes and closures, as well as common JavaScript errors and how to avoid them. This course will help you build a solid understanding of JavaScript’s features and underlying concepts.
After building a strong foundation, start learning a front-end framework. If you’re unsure where to start, I recommend React/Redux. Stephen Grider is one of the most acclaimed instructors, and his course Modern React with Redux is highly popular. This course will help you quickly understand React and Redux and allow you to implement a small project or design your own work using the knowledge you’ve gained.
If you prefer Vue, you can choose Vue JS Essentials with Vuex and Vue Router by Stephen Grider.
After completing these courses, think about how to build a new project using the skills you’ve learned. Start from scratch and avoid relying too much on sample code provided by the courses. You may find that your CSS knowledge needs reinforcement. To strengthen your CSS skills, consider taking Advanced CSS and Sass: Flexbox, Grid, Animations and More! and try to apply more advanced techniques in your project.
Prepare for Interviews
With all these skills under your belt, you will be a very competitive engineer in the job market. Prepare your resume, organize your portfolio, and get ready for the next chapter of your career!
During this time, revisit the Frontend Roadmap to see where you stand and what you need to do to keep progressing. Make a detailed plan for continuous growth, which will also help in preparing for interviews.
