Find solution
What skills are usually required to be a front end developer?

How do I transition from a Jr. Front-end Developer to Front-end Developer?

  • I've been a Jr. Front-End developer for 5 months and before that I worked simply as a 'web developer.'  I am 22 years old and I am eager to learn a lot. I work from 9 - 8 p.m. and 3 hours a day I've spent learning more Front-end stuff -- HTML5, CSS3, JQuery, and I'am now learning Ruby on Rails and strengthening my PHP skills.  I am 22 but have to support my parents and I at least need to make $85,000 to support them and live the way I want to. Right now I make about $40,000.  What can I do to land a Front-end developer role rather than a Junior role.  I was thinking of working on things on the side that show my skills because I fear that I won't be taken seriously because my current role states that I am a Jr. Front-end developer.

  • Answer:

    Good news, you are already a "Front-end Developer." Depending on the company, you might even be a "Senior Front-end Developer." So first of all, don't get hung up on wondering where the line falls between Junior and Senior, or even "front-end developer" and "web developer" because those lines don't exist. Even if your current employment system considers you a Junior Front-end Developer, you are free to be marketing yourself as more than that, so long as you never misrepresent your abilities. Those $85,000 jobs are going to expect reliable, proven experience. The most important thing you can be doing, beyond actually developing the skills you already know to be associated with "front-end development," is being able to demonstrate those skills to a potential employer. The easiest way is by creating a personal website that directly shows off your talents, and also features projects you've worked on. Maybe you can blog about specific development challenges you faced and overcame. I recommend looking into a more technical route like Octopress (http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/tutorials/applications/getting-started-with-octopress/) which should be more of a challenge, and will be another point in your favor to anyone considering you. To reach the salary you are shooting for, you should be investigating remote job opportunities, since I assume relocation is not an option. Don't be afraid to shoot for jobs that seem out of reach, but be willing to accept that you are fairly early into your career and it may take some years and a few different jobs to get where you want to be. Good luck!

Michael Tucker at Quora Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

Find job listings for the type of position you want, and then use the list of requirements as goals to work towards.  Some amount of requirement is the experience you get doing it for a while.  But also important will be the projects you work on.  Choose projects and companies which will enhance your resume (again look at future job postings).  Networking is important.  Seek out senior engineers and learn from them.  In the end, if you do great work and enjoy what you do, the rest will happen in good time.

Dave Hagler

It sounds like the real question here is "how do I make more money (now) staying in the front-end development space?" There are three possible answers to this, and they could be possibly be used in combination: Work at a bigger company. I've found there is about a +20% to salary for the same skillset when working in a bigger company.  Bigger companies often come with trade-offs (less job satisfaction, significantly more time spent in meetings, really old software, etc.) but they pay more. Move to a bigger city.  Salaries in larger cities, in particular San Francisco and New York, are significantly higher than other metros.  Depending on where you are now, it would be possible to double your salary at the same job, same title.  There are certainly downsides to this, significantly higher rent costs, relocation costs, etc.  If you find the right opportunity however, you might be able to find remote work. Charge by the hour.  If you are working 55 hour weeks for 52 weeks a year, you current effective hourly rate is around $13.98.  If you can get a rate of x4 what you are currently making ($55/hr) you can make twice as much per year.  WARNING: do keep in mind your total cost to your employer is likely MUCH higher than your salary.  The cost of health insurance, employment tax, tools, vacation, and other things add up very quickly.  If, for example, you were making $40K/year at our company, the total annual cost would be around about $71K.  If you are on your own contracting, that 70% increase in costs would be on you to supply. I hope this helps! Joaquin

Joaquin Lippincott

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.