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Being a front end developer puts you in the position of coding a website to work smoothly and efficiently for those visiting and interacting with the site. “Front end” means you are responsible for more than just how a site looks, you are using your expertise to enhance the user experience for those accessing it.
Almost every business has a website, and large or medium-sized businesses rely on them to promote and inform visitors about their products or services. Your front end coding allows for them to be interesting and interactive.
You work on user experience, rather than visual design, a task usually undertaken by web designers. Some jobs may prefer front end developers have a design background, though it’s not as common in larger enterprises. Front end developers deal more with code than they do with graphics or visual assets. This is usually a full-time position, though freelance or contract work isn’t uncommon. You will likely report to a manager in the IT or marketing department.
Front end developer jobs start around $60,000, with a steady increase over five years. Front end developers can be highly sought after by employers looking to build a new website from scratch or overhaul an existing one to better serve visitors. These jobs are in demand, particularly in Alberta and Ontario, though may also fall into web developer roles in other markets.
Your job as a front end developer is focused on a website’s coding and how it affects the user experience, this may require working closely with the designer and back end developer to ensure compatibility. Some of your daily tasks will include things like:
Employers do need front end developers to help execute on their vision and strategy, as it relates to their website. Having a web presence is critical for many companies because of how it helps inform and promote the products and services they offer. The range is extensive, where it can include offices, banks, technology firms, e-commerce sites, travel, hotels, and many more. The growing reliance on an effective online presence opens up a number of possibilities and jobs for front end developers to fill.
Your role as a front end developer bridg\es the gap between the web designer and back end developer. Being an effective communicator who collaborates well with others bodes well for helping to build a great website. Front end developers can bring a mix of certified training and self-taught experience to the job. Skills that are transferable across front end developer jobs:
Front end developers can acquire certification after completing a postsecondary program in web development. A degree or diploma in web development is often a stepping stone toward specializing in front end development through certificates and training. Learning the coding and framework languages is very important to success in this role.
There are certificates for the various code and framework languages, allowing you to specialize even further. As websites become more dynamic, and the need to apply similar experiences to mobile browsers and apps increases, being a front end developer will likely require learning about new technologies and techniques over time.
Front end developers are important to building and maintaining the moving parts of a website that visitors see and interact with, and that’s an important role in any company looking to be successful online. Employers know this and are always looking to hire capable developers who know how to help them connect with their visitors or customers. It may be a job that goes beyond front end development by adding the expertise of web design and back end development as well.