How to be a Front-end web developer?

No matter what profession you are in, how old you are, where you live, what degree you have (or don’t have), you CAN be a programmer.

When you are just starting out to be a front end developer, it may seem very daunting to get started especially given the current JavaScript stack. But where do you start? Should you learn jQuery first? HTML? JavaScript? Or try out a framework such as AngularJS or ReactJS because it is so widely used in the job market.

Here are 5 things you need to do to become a web developer:

Step 1: Passion

As cliche as it may sound, you won’t be able to sustain a new profession if you don’t feel passionate about it. Find your passion and go for it! No, really! Do some self-analysis to find out what you feel passionate about. Do you like the web? Do you want to build mobile apps? Do you want to work on the security of platforms? Do you want to work on networks? When I was a kid (not too long ago), I really liked scrolling text on the screen in a website. For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about , that ‘scrolling thing’ is actually a marquee element, which btw is an obsolete HTML element now (there… I gave my age away). Probably thats why I automatically got drawn towards web development. Find out what YOU really feel excited about, and do it because you feel passionate about it, not because it is the new “hip” thing to do.

Step 2: Find Resources

Once you know what you want to do, it is time to start doing it! The only way to know what you know you don’t know is to study what you don’t know. Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to this. You got to work hard to know your stuff. Luckily, thanks to the internet, learning new things has never been so easy. At almost no cost, you can access tons of online tutorials and e-books to get you started. I recommend the following:

1. freeCodeCamp: This is by far by most recommended resource to new developers. It has almost all the technologies you need to know in order to get your web development career started. The best part is that it is absolutely FREE.
2. Mozilla Developer Network: Considered as the bible of web development technologies, this is every developer’s go-to place for quick reference check of JavaScript, HTML and CSS elements.
3. Codeacademy: An interactive tool to help you learn code. I love that it is FREE and lets your practice while teaching you how to develop.
4. Tutsplus, Lynda: Not free but great resources after you master the basics.

5. Books

Check out this article for a list of resources for various technologies

Step 3: CODE — HTML, CSS, JS

Don’t be afraid. Get started and get started early.

If you are just starting out with web development, it is easy to get lost in the huge list of technology keywords out there — Docker, SASS, React, Redux, JavaScript, Angular, jQuery, Jenkins .. blah blah blah. This list is endless. But don’t worry. You don’t need to know all of them. Get started early and get started small.

Learning web development is like cooking pasta. You can make your pasta fancy and add super expensive cheese and other fancy shmancy stuff, but if your pasta is not boiled properly, then it is not going to taste very good, is it? Similarly, if you don’t know the basics of web development, you won’t be able to get very far. Learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript like your life depends on it (because your web development life does).

There are 3 essential things you need to know — HTML, CSS, JavaScript

Once you have learnt the basics, you can get your feet wet with Content Management Systems like WordPress and Drupal. This will help you create a website without having to setup the back-end of the application, write some JavaScript and build some CSS. You can also try out building your apps in JavaScript using online code editors such as CodePen and JSFiddle.

Step 4: Network

Meet people, attend meetups, go to free code camps, attend career fair. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to network with people and meet up with people. Attend meetups in your city to meet real people. Not only is this a great way to meet new people, but also a way for you to know potential employers.

Step 5: Build up resume

When you are just starting out, it is difficult to get hired because your resume doesn’t have any jobs because you are new.

It may seem difficult to build up your resume in the beginning and companies wouldn’t want to invest in you. However, you can still build your portfolio by working on side projects. If you don’t have any professional experience yet, you can list out applications you have built in your projects while learning these technologies. freeCodeCamp can help you create projects while teaching you a new skill. You can help out friends and volunteer to build a website for their personal business or build a blog for them.

Finally: Apply jobs. Freelance.

It’s time to set your foot out the door and get working. After you have built your portfolio and resume, you can use it to freelance on portals such as Odesk, Freelancer. This will help you gain real world experience and build your resume.